prickly pear cactus with abstract overlay

About the Bachelor of Arts in sustainability

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) program introduces students to a holistic understanding of sustainability in the context of real-world problems. This humanities-centric program explores the intersection of environmental, economic and social systems and is designed for students interested in social and environmental institutions, legal frameworks and cultural issues.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is currently available on the Tempe campus, ASU Online and ASU Local@Los Angeles.

Students can pursue the following tracks within the BA in sustainability:

Learning outcomes

Students in the School of Sustainability master a set of core sustainability concepts that include systems thinking, future thinking, values thinking, strategic thinking and collaborative competency.

BA in sustainability students will gain a general understanding of sustainability issues. They will be adaptable, capable of both communicating and learning across a number of disciplines and have a strong orientation towards problem solving and quantitative methods.

In addition to the common learning outcomes, BA students will be able to:

  • Understand the concepts and methods of environmental economics, sociology, anthropology, environmental politics, ethics, design and human geography relevant to the sustainability of environmental resources and social institutions.
  • Apply these concepts and methods to developing sustainable institutions for water, land, air, and urban management at the local to global level. Evaluate the sustainability of environmental institutions, legal frameworks, property rights and culture.

Curriculum

At Arizona State University, a major map outlines a major’s critical requirements, courses, and optimal course sequencing and helps students get on the right track to graduation. For more information and to view current and archived majors maps, see the ASU Degree Search.

Have a question about the Bachelor of Arts in sustainability?

Ask us about sustainability at ASU and the diverse environmental, social and economic focused degrees offered by the School of Sustainability!

For more information about our programs, select one of the options below.

To request more information about our online program you may fill out a form at ASU Online or our ASU Local@Los Angeles program you may fill out a form at ASU Local@Los Angeles. .

Current ASU student

Future student

Future ASU online student