The M.A. program in Sustainability addresses some of the most pressing concerns of the 21st century. Students learn innovative approaches to understand, research, and provide solutions to complex sustainability challenges. Although the graduate-degree programs emphasize the integration of a broad range of expertise in student training, the M.A. degree (vs. the M.S. or M.SUS) is best suited to students inclined towards social sciences, humanities, planning, and related fields.
M.A. graduates will be able to think in a holistic way about different types of sustainability problems using a dynamic systems framework. They will have the technical skills to formulate and solve problems at the appropriate scale, and the breadth of vision to recognize the interconnectedness of coupled social and environmental systems. They will also be able to produce policy-relevant results. In addition to the common learning outcomes, M.A. students will be able to:
A minimum of 33 semester hours is required for an M.A. in Sustainability.
Requirements and Electives |
Hours |
|
Required Core Courses |
15 |
|
Required Challenge Area Seminars |
3 |
|
Required Solutions Workshops |
3 |
|
Required Thesis |
6 |
|
Electives (400-level or 500-level) |
6 |
|
Total Semester Hours Required |
33 |
The required core courses will bring students together in an integrated learning environment to form a cadre of diverse backgrounds. The core courses are designed to provide students with methods and theory appropriate to the study of sustainability. They will explore the link between concepts of sustainability and systems approaches to knowledge, and will develop the integrative methods needed to work across the disciplines on sustainability problems.
Challenge area seminars are designed to provide students with a strong substantive foundation (content knowledge, big theory, and big studies) of the main themes of the School.
Solutions workshops are designed to provide students with experience solving real-world problems that involve multiple sustainability challenges. As such, they will be problem-based, and not specifically attached to one of the main themes. Please check with Advising for a current list of workshops that are being offered.
Subject to satisfying pre-requisites and co-requisites, students can select a minimum of 6 semester hours from the Graduate Electives List. With permission from the student’s supervisory committee, other electives (not included in this list) may be selected.
Download Graduate Electives List, which is located at the end of the Graduate Handbook.
Students will be required to devote six (6) hours to writing a thesis (SOS 599). Once approved by the faculty advisor, students may also register for research hours (SOS 592), but these hours are not necessary for the Program of Study. All Master's degree candidates must also be enrolled for at least one semester hour of credit within the academic unit (i.e., the School of Sustainability) during the semester or summer session in which the thesis is defended.
Established in 2007, the School of Sustainability brings together multiple disciplines and leaders to create and share knowledge, train a new generation of scholars and practitioners, and develop practical solutions to the most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges of sustainability - especially as they relate to urban areas.
6/18 - Solar projects to detour pedestrian traffic on Tempe campus
6/17 - Phoenix Business Journal: The greener the business, the more profit
6/17 - ASU professor, sustainability scientist named Ecological Society of America fellow
6/17 - Regulation Magazine: What is the Right Price for Carbon Emissions?
