New Sustainability Minor Includes Business

Beginning in the 2012-13 academic year, GW undergraduates will have an opportunity to minor in sustainability — an offering that will cover all disciplines, including business.

Students majoring in any subject will be eligible for the minor. The first declaration, for the fall, was made on March 8 by a GWSB undergraduate.

The minor is one of a handful offered by schools nationwide and was developed based on student and employer interest.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for graduates who’ve studied courses related to sustainability is expected to increase at least 20 percent by 2018. A survey of more than 1,300 business professionals by the National Environmental Education Foundation found that 65 percent of respondents believed knowledge about environmental and sustainability issues was valuable in new hires.

To fulfill the minor, undergraduates will be required to take a new “introduction to sustainability” course that will be taught by a team of faculty from different schools.

At least three courses must be taken from outside a student’s home school. Sustainability courses will be offered from three tracks:
science and engineering; human well-being and society; and policy, governance and leadership — the latter of which will include business courses. Students will also have to complete an internship, or community service or research project.

The university is awarding four grants to faculty this spring to develop courses related to sustainability.

To read more about the sustainability minor in GW Today:
http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/learningresearch/gwlaunchesminorinsustainability

Posted by gwsb on March 20, 2012 | Filed under: GWSB News.