Certificate in Sustainability

The combination of awareness, skill sets, and applied experiences with sustainability cultivated through the certificate program, with the foundational skills from their majors, will provide students with greater opportunities for career and post-graduate development, as well as civic engagement in our communities. The Certificate in Sustainability program is designed to offer students an integrated interdisciplinary structure to develop diverse competencies and tools for fields in both public and private sectors, including energy, education, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, government, and international organizations. The Certificate in Sustainability program encourages students to critically analyze their chose fields with an eye toward 21st century problem solving skills for a better tomorrow.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Certificate in Sustainability will enable students to gain and use knowledge and skills in the multi-disciplinary facets of sustainability to develop analytical and reflective tools for personal and professional development. Sustainability examines the economic, environmental, ethical, political, and social dimensions of developing a decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon receipt of the Sustainability Certificate, students will be able to:

1. Analyze sustainability through the lens of various disciplines.
2. Apply sustainability to their local and global surroundings.
3. Communicate the significance of sustainability within their major disciplines.
4. Apply sustainability perspectives and approaches to their major fields of study.
5. Critically examine sustainability issues through various perspectives and using multiple methods.

ADMISSION

Degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students and non-degree seeking students at Coastal Carolina University are eligible for the certificate. Students must declare their intention to pursue the certificate with their academic adviser.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

• A minimum grade of ‘C’ in all courses applied to the certificate.
• No more than three courses may be taken from a single department.
• A maximum of six credit hours of transfer coursework may be counted toward the certificate.
• Certificate courses may not be taken as pass/non-pass.
• A course may not be used to satisfy more than one certificate requirement.

Course Substitution Guidelines:

All course substitution proposals must include the following:

• Name of student, ID number, major(s), and hours completed
• Name of credit granting institution (if course is a transfer course)
• Name of professor teaching the course (if course is a transfer course)
• Number of credit hours requested (if course is a transfer course)

A narrative that explains why the proposed course should be included in the plan of study. If the student is requesting the course as a substitute for an existing Sustainability Certificate course, he/she must specify how the two courses are equal. If the student is requesting that a course be added as a new choice, he/she must identify how the change will improve the student’s academic goals.

• A syllabus of the proposed course.
• Any other material valuable to the Sustainability Certificate Advisory Committee in making their decision.

Any proposal that does not include the above requirements will not be reviewed.

Note:

• Certain programs and majors restrict registration in some of their courses to students who have been admitted to those programs or majors. Therefore, a student proposing a course substitution must first make sure they can in fact register for that course.
• While not required, a letter of support from a faculty member would be helpful to the Advisory Committee in their deliberations. This letter should reflect that it is the faculty member’s opinion that the proposed course be viewed as an appropriate substitution for another course and/or matches a student’s academic goals.