Applied Sustainability Major
The way we think about the environment can't be separated from the way we think about people, and vice versa. Learn the skills to cultivate a career in a growing field.
Our planet needs change makers.
In Champlain’s Applied Sustainability major, you’ll examine the intersections of social justice, environmental health, and economic welfare, learning to take effective actions and ask the right questions. And from the beginning, you’ll develop the skills necessary for a rewarding career that protects people and the planet.
What Is Applied Sustainability?
Applied sustainability combines disciplines including environmental science, economics, social sciences, and policy to build a holistic understanding of the complexities involving sustainability. It equips you with the knowledge and skills to tackle pressing global challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and social inequality. By majoring in applied sustainability, you can actively contribute to finding innovative solutions and creating a positive impact on the environment and society.
Why Study it at Champlain College?
Our Applied Sustainability program is an optimal pathway into a career that makes you proud; this major is centered on the professional skills you’ll rely on in any field you choose. Working with your faculty advisor and career coach, you’ll explore careers you might enjoy (some of which you’ve never even heard of!) and create the educational experience to set you up for success.
You’ll be well qualified to work with nonprofits and activist organizations, and the career opportunities don’t end there: More and more businesses, from small companies to large corporations, are recognizing the need to make their operations sustainable. This is “the career field for those who wish to pursue a degree in sustainability is vast,” reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Different By Design
Learn From Where You Live
Live your values in Burlington, one of the first cities to source 100% renewable energy and an incubator for new practices in sustainable futures.
Small Classes, Big Effect
Access to change agents is one-of-a-kind with small classes and close ties to the Statehouse. Our students have even helped pass climate laws.
Grow Your Roots
The Applied Sustainability program isn’t just one thing – you can adapt your own studies by choosing from a list of concentrations ranging from Data Science for Sustainability to Environmental Policy.
Facts & Stats
Champlain College is among more than 100 institutions implementing the student Eco-Reps program, advocating, modeling, and educating peers on environmentally responsible living.
Funds established by the Sustainable Initiatives Fund in 2013 to invest in proposals and projects that support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainability efforts at Champlain College.
With endless ways to tailor your studies through a minor and electives, you can forge your own path to a career in whatever you want.
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Sample Courses in the Applied Sustainability Major
As part of Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum, you’ll take classes in your major right away. Take a look below for a sampling of some of what you’ll learn in the program.
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Concentrations
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Data Science for Sustainability Concentration
A concentration in data science uses knowledge of statistics, business and social sciences to collect and manage data responsibly as a way to make informed decisions. Dive into the data that inspires real change towards a more sustainable future with our concentration in Data Science for Sustainability.
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Dialogue & Consensus Building for Sustainability Solutions Concentration
Discover the complexities and interdependencies of our environments, communities, governments, and economies with a concentration in Dialogue and Consensus Building.
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Education for Sustainability Concentration
The next generation of caretakers of a sustainable future need you. Be the inspiration for tomorrow’s leaders, change-makers, and community members with our concentration in Education for Sustainability.
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Environmental Communication Concentration
Inspire real-world change by developing the skills to articulate the complexities and scope of today’s environmental issues to the audiences who need to hear them.
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Environmental Policy Concentration
Dive deep into environmental issues and solutions from different angles including environmental communication, environmental law, and environmental policy assessment and development. Build a toolkit of skills in each of these areas to prepare for a career that makes an impact.
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Environmental Studies Concentration
In this broad concentration, you’ll explore the topics of climate change, energy policy, and environmental law. Further specialize your learning by digging deep into topics you’re passionate about.
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Reinventing Business Through Sustainability Concentration
Sustainability is the future of business – and it’s far more than being “less bad”. Create change by tailoring your degree with topics like corporate social responsibility in our Reinventing Business Through Sustainability Concentration.
You might also be interested in these…
Based on your interest in the Applied Sustainability major, we thought you also might like to check out these other academic programs and opportunities.
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Majors
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Digital Humanities Major
Be a digital pioneer. Bring the fullness of your human self to the study of emerging technology, including Artificial Intelligence, and make sure the digital future is humane as well as human.
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Minors
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Data Analytics Minor
The collection and analysis of data is one of the largest markets in the world. Learn how to analyze, manipulate, and integrate this data successfully and become part of the data-driven marketplace.
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Social Justice Minor
See your work through the lens of social justice. Learn how social, economic, and political issues influence each other and affect an individual’s or community’s essential rights.
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Areas of Study
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Business & Data Analytics
Drive change at the intersection of information and impact with one of these majors.
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Education, Humanities & the Sciences
The born educator, the team player, the change maker, the advocate. Which of these human-centered majors fits you career goals?
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Individualized Studies & Undeclared
Learn what you love, and love what you learn with one of these professional pathways.
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Law & Society
Want to uphold a system of justice through meaningful public service? Check out these majors that revolve around “doing good.”
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A Leader Among Green CollegesYear after year, the Princeton Review includes Champlain College on its Guide to Green Colleges list. Through Champlain’s Office of Sustainability, you’ll find many ways to get involved on campus and in the community. You can become an EcoRep, take care of bees in our campus apiary, grow vegetables in the community garden, and find all kinds of volunteer work both on and off campus.
Career Success
Applied Sustainability graduates are well qualified to work for nonprofits and activist organizations, and many businesses are recognizing the need to make sustainable choices—that’s where you enter.
Your Career Outlook
By the time you graduate, you will…
- Demonstrate understanding of the ways that humans and other living beings/species cohabitate on the planet and apply principles and applications that promote shared coexistence.
- Apply and evaluate scientific analysis as it relates to sustainability.
- Recognize manifestations of privileges, power, and white supremacy in local, regional, and global contexts to actively ensure diverse perspectives and worldviews (including legal, cultural, and spiritual) are held in equal regard when considering, developing, and implementing sustainability solutions.
You’ll Find a Career In…
- Climate policy specialist
- Conservation planner
- Corporate sustainability strategist/director
- Education program coordinator/director
- Energy analyst
- Green product manager
- Land conservation program manager
- Legislative project manager
- Public relations specialist
- Sustainability consulting
- Transportation planner
- Urban planner
More Inside Applied Sustainability Major
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Overview
The way we think about the environment can't be separated from the way we think about people, and vice versa. Learn the skills to cultivate a career in a growing field.
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Curriculum
Your career in applied sustainability begins now with Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum. Discover the difference that doing on day one has on your success.
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Faculty
Our Applied Sustainability faculty go above and beyond to inspire your curiosity, learning, and growth. Small class sizes foster personal connections and mastery.