Sustainability Double Degree

The Solar Trailer, a student project in sustainability.

Contact

Kate Lajtha, Ph.D.
Department of Crop and Soil Science
3059 Agricultural and Life Sciences Building
lajthak@science.oregonstate.edu

Sustainability is the philosophy that increasingly drives global business, organization, and politics. Our changing world has presented challenges that future leaders will be called on to address, including climate change, reliance on traditional energy sources, water issues, and a growing demand for socially and environmentally responsible products and services.

The Sustainability double degree exposes you to these real-world problems and fosters knowledge, skills, and abilities for you to address them in communities and workplaces. The required internship will expose you to challenging sustainability issues. In step with the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability, the degree was designed to complement all OSU degree programs and is to be earned as a second bachelor’s degree, in addition to a major area of study.

You'll graduate prepared to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and apply knowledge of economic, business, scientific, and sociological principles of sustainability to a variety of career fields.

Careers in Sustainability

Some sample careers in sustainability:

Carbon and greenhouse gas management
Sustainability operations for private companies, universities, and government entities
Sustainability marketing and market research
Sustainability and engineering manager
Sustainability/environmental performance assessment and monitoring
Sustainability specialist for waste, energy, or water management
Sustainability strategic planning
Sustainable supply chain management
Sustainable packaging design and management
Sustainability coordinator for school districts, hospitals, and for-profit organizations

Program Curriculum

Earning a Sustainability double degree begins with choosing a primary degree program major. Students are required to complete 180 credits in an OSU major and can receive a second bachelor’s degree in Sustainability by completing an additional 36 credits. Courses from a student’s major course of study will not count towards double-degree requirements. The Sustainability double degree code is 870.

Program Internship

The sustainability field is rich in internship opportunities. Opportunities for hands-on learning in conjunction with a Sustainability double degree might include working with local organizations to develop community gardens and greenhouses, including food distribution systems, land use and food production or collaborative development of strategic sustainability plans for businesses, organizations and local government institutions, and more.