Furman University to Offer Major in Sustainability Science

GREENVILLE, SC – November 22,2010 – Furman University will begin offering a new major in the emerging field of sustainability science, making the institution among the first universities to offer such a multidisciplinary program.

The new major is being offered through the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) and will lead to a B.S. degree in sustainability science.  The Furman faculty unanimously approved the new offering at its Nov. 2 meeting, and students can declare the major and begin taking its courses immediately.

According to the EES department, sustainability science focuses on the complex relationships among human, social, and environmental systems, and how changes in one system, directly or indirectly, affect the others.  Brannon Andersen, chair of the department, said many of Furman’s current EES majors have expressed an interest in earning degrees in sustainability science.

Based on current listings with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Kean (N.J.) University is the only other institution in the U.S. that currently offers a B.S. degree in sustainability science.

The sustainability science major is centered on a core group of five courses (Principles of Sustainability Science, Environmental Science, Human Systems, Social Systems, Dynamic Systems Modeling) that enable students to understand the interaction of varying systems in affecting environmental, human, and social quality.

Student majors will also take five electives courses related to sustainability chosen from 13 different departments.  The major culminates with a senior thesis research requirement.