Online Bachelor’s in Sustainability Curriculum

Introduces students to the theories, principles, and strategies concerning the challenges of living with great environmental responsibility. Explore ideas and issues relating to sustainability within relate disciplines including ethics, economics, natural sciences, and social sciences.

An introduction to the ecological principles that underlie environmental science and natural resource conservation, students examine the environment as the contest for human activities; discussion of the human effects on ecosystems.

This course explores philosophical, literary, religious, and political conceptualizations of the relationship between the human and the non-human world. It includes topics such as animal rights, deep ecology, the notion of wilderness, environmental justice, and environmental stewardship. The class also studies the history and goals of the global environmental movement. Furthermore, it introduces students to the traditions of American nature writing.

The course introduces students to the science of biology at the molecular, cellular, organism, evolutionary, and ecological levels. Students will explore the biological principles of cell structure and function, and look at genetics and evolution as the unifying principles in biology. (Course is 16 weeks)

This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to describe how the Earth operates as an interconnected, integrated system. Students will learn about the major components of the four spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere) and how each sphere connects with and influences the others. Economic and sociopolitical influences on the Earth’s systems will be discussed throughout.

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The topics include data collection and sampling techniques; frequency distributions and graphs; data descriptions and boxplots; addition, multiplication and conditional probability and counting rules; discrete probability distributions; binomial distributions; normal distributions and applications; central limit theorem; confidence intervals and sample size; testing of hypotheses.

This course introduces students to both descriptive and inferential statistics. The following concepts and techniques are included: measures of central tendency and variability; sampling distributions; interval estimation; hypothesis testing (t-test, ANOVA); correlation and regression; chi square tests. Statistical software projects are required. Prerequisite: MATH 102 or 115 or higher

This course develops business data analysis skills and statistical techniques using spreadsheets. Topics include data collection storage and analysis using descriptive statistics, tables and charts; probability and data distributions, statistical tests, correlation, regression, forecasting, and quality control analysis.

Students participate in a one-semester course of experiential learning in the form of an internship in their community. They are supervised in fieldwork dealing with sustainability areas that align with the track they have chosen. Partnerships exist with local, state and federal agencies to provide environmental learning opportunities and experiences. Internships provide an opportunity for the students to integrate their academic learning with practical applications in actual professional settings. Partnerships exist with local, state and federal agencies to provide environmental learning opportunities and experiences.

This program culminating course will review, synthesize, and summarize the fundamental understandings that were taught in the Sustainability Program. It provides students the opportunity to see the relevancy of their coursework and how it applies to careers in Sustainability. This information will be used to develop a detailed project proposal and complete a final capstone project linking the student’s chosen area of concentration with career and intellectual interests. They will be asked to identify one or more current problem, initiative, or issue in the chosen Sustainability track and analyze that topic from multiple perspectives drawing on knowledge gained throughout the program. The final written project will consist of research, reviews, analysis, and recommendations based on the proposal that the student defines. A presentation of the project is required. Prerequisite: This course suggested to be completed in the last year of the program.

This course is designed to provide students with the basic understanding of biodiversity, animal form and function, and ecological systems and conservation. (Course is 16 weeks)

General ecology includes community ecology, population dynamics, ecosystem energetics, biogeography and evolutionary ecology at an advanced level. Note: Field experience is included. This course includes a deeper look at how the earth’s physical environment directly influences where and how life exists. The course examines the diversity of species interactions and their influence on population demographics. (Course is 16 weeks)

This course is a one-semester Chemistry course designed for non-Science majors including nursing students. Topics included are Measurement, Matter and Energy, Atoms and Elements, Compounds and Their Bonds, Chemical Quantities and Their Reactions, Gases, Solutions, Acids and Bases, Nuclear Radiation, Introduction to Organic Chemistry: Alkanes, Unsaturated Hydrocarbons, Organic Compounds with Oxygen and Sulfur, Carbohydrates, Carboxylic Acids, Esters, Amines, Amides, Lipids, Amino Acids, Proteins, Enzymes, Nucleic Acids, Protein Synthesis, Metabolic Pathways and Energy Production.

This course will survey the significant chemical and physical concepts related to energy usage. An initial introduction to energy mechanics and the laws of thermodynamics, applied to ‘real-world’ situations, will be given. Present modes of energy generation and usage will be discussed and related to environmental considerations. Significant time will be spent with an assessment of energy sources. These include fossil fuel, solar, nuclear, geothermal and biomass sources. The course will have lab components woven into the course. Physics and chemistry laboratory experiences will illustrate topics covered in the class. Emphasis in the lab learning exercises will be placed on classical mechanics and energy, thermodynamics, and bio fuel experiments.

This course examines the science of climate change with analyses of the implications of this change on the patterns of daily life on the personal, local, national, and global scales. This course looks at the major forces, feedbacks, cycles and oscillations that create climate both locally and globally. Changes in climate over geological as well as historic time will be studied and impacts on biodiversity and our own species will be discussed. Students will use Climate Science as a tool to familiarize themselves with how modern science is practiced and how evidence is assessed by the scientific community.

This course provides a broad overview of sustainability topics and how they affect today's business climate. This course focuses on specific consumer products and services and how the social and environmental impact of their organizations.

This course blends the knowledge of sustainability and general business enterprise techniques to cultivate effective business strategies for sustainable organizations. Case study examples are used as a way to examine how organizations have historically been successful in developing, implementing, and maintaining sustainable practices as the focal point of organizations, operations, and products.

This course will survey the significant chemical and physical concepts related to energy usage. An initial introduction to energy mechanics and the laws of thermodynamics, applied to ‘real-world’ situations, will be given. Present modes of energy generation and usage will be discussed and related to environmental considerations. Significant time will be spent with an assessment of energy sources. These include fossil fuel, solar, nuclear, geothermal and biomass sources. The course will have lab components woven into the course. Physics and chemistry laboratory experiences will illustrate topics covered in the class. Emphasis in the lab learning exercises will be placed on classical mechanics and energy, thermodynamics, and bio fuel experiments.

Students discuss approaches to planning and thoughtful use of natural resources with an emphasis on energy conservation, pollution control, reduction of solid and toxic waste and maintaining biodiversity. Also considered are ways that the impacts of human societies can be reduced in the present and future.

Both local and global perspectives are considered as we study the environmental and social consequences of urban settings, ecosystem changes, biodiversity, energy policy, economic factors and business methods impact on agriculture. We examine current and future innovations for cities, and introduce students to solutions-based learning to address challenges in sustainable practices in agriculture.

This course provides a broad overview of sustainability topics and how they affect today's business climate. This course focuses on specific consumer products and services and how the social and environmental impact of their organizations.

This course will survey the significant chemical and physical concepts related to energy usage. An initial introduction to energy mechanics and the laws of thermodynamics, applied to ‘real-world’ situations, will be given. Present modes of energy generation and usage will be discussed and related to environmental considerations. Significant time will be spent with an assessment of energy sources. These include fossil fuel, solar, nuclear, geothermal and biomass sources. The course will have lab components woven into the course. Physics and chemistry laboratory experiences will illustrate topics covered in the class. Emphasis in the lab learning exercises will be placed on classical mechanics and energy, thermodynamics, and bio fuel experiments.

Students discuss approaches to planning and thoughtful use of natural resources with an emphasis on energy conservation, pollution control, reduction of solid and toxic waste and maintaining biodiversity. Also considered are ways that the impacts of human societies can be reduced in the present and future.

This course examines the science of climate change with analyses of the implications of this change on the patterns of daily life on the personal, local, national, and global scales. This course looks at the major forces, feedbacks, cycles and oscillations that create climate both locally and globally. Changes in climate over geological as well as historic time will be studied and impacts on biodiversity and our own species will be discussed. Students will use Climate Science as a tool to familiarize themselves with how modern science is practiced and how evidence is assessed by the scientific community.

A survey of local, state and federal laws regulating air, water and pesticide pollution, and hazardous materials; an examination of the laws related to the development of environmental standards and environmental impact statements; a discussion of local, state and federal policies for protecting natural resources.

This course explores topics in sustainable design related to the built environment. Topics include the Cradle to Cradle paradigm, Well Building Standardand LEED certification.

This course covers the fundamental principles of botany and plant sciences, including origin, phylogenetic relationships, evolution, reproductive biology, form and function, life cycles, interactions with the ecosystem, and the relationship between people and plants. In addition, students will learn the basic groups of plant identification, including bryophytes, ferns, cycads, mosses, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

This course concentrates on the principles, evolution, functions, and applied theories of public relations, including the social, ethical, and legal issues that impact the public relations function. The strategic practice of public relations in different contexts and environments, from corporate to non-profit, is discussed, as are careers in the profession. Prerequisite: COMM 121

This course focuses on communication systems in world cultures with an emphasis on understanding the social, cultural, political, and economic effects on different systems.Students will also explore intercultural communication and the challenges of communicating in a global environment.

Prerequisite: MATH-117. The course develops the core concepts and skills in statistical inference and computational techniques through working on real-world data. The course is to introduce the foundation of data science to entry-level students who have not previously taken statistics or computer science courses.

This course covers practical issues in data analysis and graphics such as programming in R, debugging R code, Jupyter Notebook, cloud computing, data exploration, and data visualization. Project based learning is used to help students develop effective problem solving skills and effective collaboration skills.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related spatial analysis tools. The course is designed to offer a broad overview of technologies used in examination of natural and man-made environments and cultural landscapes. Lectures will introduce students to theories, terminology, and examples of spatial analysis with emphasis placed on the application of this technology in archaeological and cultural resource contexts. Students will gain hands-on experience in the application of these technologies through laboratory exercises that introduce the state of the art GIS and spatial analysis software. Cross-listed: ADAH 337

This course analyzes major trends of urbanization, emphasizing the social problems of modern urban society.

St. Louis-centered seminar introduces new students to local aspects of sustainability, including visits to places such as city gardens, green spaces, landfills, etc. highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental and social justice concerns.

A spring break expedition lead by Sustainability instructors – e.g., waterway explorations, city stewardship projects or similar experiences, e.g., Study abroad course with a focus on sustainability (e.g., Jan 2016 Galapagos Islands), Habit for Humanity contracted as Independent study with faculty member, Study Away (2016 New Orleans) contracted as Independent study with faculty member.