OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Open search box
Sustainability is a double degree offered in addition to a primary degree. You can also add a sustainability minor to any degree.
When Jennifer Soto moved to Bend a few years ago, she was determined to finish her bachelor’s degree. She had put her college career on hold while raising two daughters. Jennifer’s attention to detail and ability to solve problems has led to success in accounting, and with a double degree in sustainability she looks forward to helping companies act responsibly.
Sustainability is the philosophy that increasingly drives global business, organization and politics. Our changing world has presented challenges that future leaders will be called on to address, including climate change, reliance on traditional energy sources, water issues and a growing demand for socially and environmentally responsible products and services.
The sustainability double degree exposes students to these real-world problems and fosters knowledge, skills and abilities to address them in communities and workplaces. In step with the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability, the degree was designed to complement all OSU degree programs and to be earned as a second bachelor’s degree in addition to a major area of study.
Graduates emerge prepared to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and apply knowledge of economic, business, scientific, and sociological principles of sustainability to a variety of career fields.
In the Human and Ecosystem Resiliency and Sustainability Lab, you can study how populations of plants and animals respond to changing environmental conditions. The Lab has established long-term monitoring programs focused on American pika and bat species in the Pacific Northwest.
We have sustainability in mind with everything we do. Creating a net zero campus means the campus consumes only as much energy as it produces, balances water availability and demand, and eliminates waste sent to landfills. Buildings are being designed to meet net zero goals, landscaping uses native plants that require minimum water, and students are learning how to leave the world better for future generations.
Job opportunities for graduates of this degree program include:
Conservation Manager
Director of Sustainability
Energy Analyst
Energy Manager
Environmental Analyst
Facilities Manager
Health & Safety Consultant
Land Use Planner
Parks Planner
Project Manager
Quality Assurance Analyst
Recycling Representative
Strategic Sourcing Specialist
Supply Chain Specialist
Sustainability Analyst/Coordinator
Transportation Manager
Sustainability is a double degree offered in addition to a primary degree.
Earning a sustainability double degree begins with choosing a primary degree program major. Students are required to complete 180 credits in an OSU major and can receive a second bachelor of science degree in sustainability by completing an additional 32 credits (212 credits total for graduation). Start with a 17-credit core to learn the fundamentals of sustainability from social, ecological, and economic perspectives. Then select 15 additional credits to create an individualized course of study based on major and interests.
Courses for the sustainability core focus on assessment techniques, ecological dimensions of human societies, sustainable economic techniques and social principles of sustainable development. Individualized courses apply sustainability principles and practices to engineering, business administration, natural resource management, humanities, hospitality management, and natural resource policy and law. Students work in conjunction with the sustainability degree advisor to tailor the degree to their desired goals and outcomes.
We're here to help! Future students can connect with an OSU-Cascades admissions advisor for admission and program questions.