Faculty and students examining plants in the outdoors

Sustainability

Create the world you want as a change-maker in the sustainability program. With course topics ranging from environmental science to public policy, this program prepares you with the real-world experiences and knowledge you need to make a difference.

Why Study Sustainability?

As a sustainability major at USD, you will learn in a highly experiential major, which results in high-impact learning. As one of the only schools in the region to offer an undergraduate sustainability degree, we make sure to incorporate real-world experiences throughout the curriculum. This includes completing a required internship or conducting undergraduate research. Many of the classes include community-based learning, and we encourage students to participate in study-abroad opportunities.

At USD, we take a personal interest in our students. As a sustainability major, you'll have hands-on learning with your professors as we learn your interests and try to help you structure your college career. We'll help position you to succeed in fields such as natural resource conversation, public relations, sustainable and local food, public education and outreach, sustainability consulting, policymaking and more.

Join this exciting and rapidly growing field and help safeguard the planet for future generations through sustainability!

Degrees & Offerings

Sustainability (B.A., B.S.)

Bachelor’s

Vermillion Main Campus

Students majoring in sustainability may choose either an Environmental Science Specialization or a Human and Natural Systems Specialization.

View Curriculum

Sustainability: Human & Natural Systems (B.S.)

Bachelor’s

Vermillion Main Campus

View Curriculum

Sustainability: Environmental Science (B.S.)

Bachelor’s

Vermillion Main Campus

View Curriculum

Sustainability Minor

Minor

Vermillion Main Campus

A minor in sustainability prepares you for building sustainable practices for the earth, and studying the experiential 18 credit hour curriculum in courses such as Sustainable Society or Environmental Science.

View Curriculum

Accelerated Sustainability (B.S./M.S.)

Accelerated Program

Vermillion Main Campus

Begin your master's degree in sustainability while completing your bachelor's degree as an undergraduate student at USD. Students may apply and begin the program after completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours.

View Admissions Requirements

View Curriculum

Program Details

Undergraduate

College

College of Arts & Sciences

Department

Department of Sustainability & Environment

Contact

Admissions

1-877-COYOTES

[email protected]

Known for Excellence

At USD, you'll find a high quality educational experience strengthened by our faculty's research and creative scholarship. See what makes our department exceptional.

Student Opportunities

As a student at USD, the opportunities available to you extend beyond the classroom. Explore your interests, find your community and experience your education to the fullest extent through the following opportunities.

USD is home to more than 170 student organizations, including Environmental Club, Alternative Week of Off-campus Learning, and Food Recovery Network (part of SERVE).

Explore Student Organizations

There are even more ways to get involved! Check out our campus and community sustainability initiatives on the next tab to learn more about how you can make a difference at USD.

The Department of Sustainability & Environment sponsors a Living Learning Community open to students of any major who are interested in solving environmental, social, and economic challenges.

Learn More About the Sustainability Living Learning Community

USD's Office of Service Learning provides opportunities to volunteer and develop real-world skills that strengthen your sustainability education.

Learn More about Service Learning at USD

Your Adventure Awaits

Earn your field experience credits over the summer and winter breaks! Our students participate in conferences, faculty-led programs, and research around the world.

Faculty-Led Program in Malta and Sicily

Visit the islands of Malta and Sicily to learn about the natural systems, what happens when systems are disrupted—and the ways in which people are adapting and solving these issues of sustainability. Topics will include island geology, sustainability, water resources, land resources, history, culture, and policy.

Learn More about Study Abroad

Student Dropping Plastic Water Bottle into Recycling Bin

Sustainability is an ever-growing collaboration on campus to build healthy, fair, and resilient systems that help everyone thrive. By working together, USD aims to grow and become a more sustainable university.

Learn More about Campus Sustainability Initiatives

The Green Initiative Fund gives USD students the opportunity to enhance campus and turn their ideas into reality by implementing innovative projects that reduce waste, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and motivate continued progress toward a sustainable campus environment. The fund helps provide support and guidance for students who want to make a lasting impact on campus.

Propose A Project

USD offers a range of scholarships for students, including scholarships specifically for sustainability majors looking to make a positive difference. The Department of Sustainability & Environment strives to recognize and reward outstanding students for their accomplishments and potential whenever possible.

Learn More

Departments & Facilities

Explore the departments, facilities and centers that contribute to your education in Sustainability.

Faculty and students researching on Spirit Mound near Vermillion

Sustainability & Environment

The field of sustainability invites us to examine the world we live in and imagine the possibilities for a brighter future. Find solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges through the Department of Sustainability & Environment.

Missouri River Institute

Located along the free-flowing Missouri National Recreational River, the Missouri River Institute explores the natural and cultural resources of the river through its focus on research, education and outreach.

Faculty & Staff

Get to know the faculty and staff in the Department of Sustainability & Environment. Our faculty are experts in the field, bringing practical experience in ecology, behavior change, hydrology, energy, climate change and more.

Meghann Jarchow

Chair, Sustainability & Environment

Specialty

Sustainability, ecology, education

Jennifer Fierro

Instructor

Brennan Jordan

Coordinator, Graduate Programs/Professor

Joseph Kantenbacher

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Futures Thinking, Sustainable Consumption

Mark Sweeney

Professor

Specialty

Geomorphology, Aeolian (wind) systems

Prentiss Clark

Associate Professor

Specialty

American Literature

Christian Buresh

Program Assistant I

Lori Costello

Assistant Professor

Specialty

National Student Advertising Competition, PR

Anna Moore

Instructor

Ranjeet John

Associate Professor

Specialty

remote sensing, ecology, grassland/crop monitoring

Cheyenne Marco

Senior Lecturer

Specialty

Creative Writing
Great Plains Literature

Rand Wergin

Associate Professor

Specialty

Marketing

Daniel Soluk Ph.D.

Professor

Rick Wang

Professor

Kenneth Green

Director of Writing, Instructor

Specialty

Composition Theory
Grant Writing
English Grammar

Michael Allgrunn

Chair, Accounting and Finance Division, Professor

Specialty

Econometrics, Labor Economics, Analytics,Economics/ Managerial Economics

Grigoriy Sereda

Professor

Jacob Kerby

Chair, Biology/Professor

Mandie Weinandt

Director, Center of Teaching and Learning/Instructor

Specialty

Statistics,Economics/ Managerial Economics

David Carr Ph.D.

Chair, ECON & DSCI/Professor

Specialty

Economics/ Managerial Economics

Jeff Wesner

Associate Chair of Biology, Professor

David Swanson

Director, Missouri River Institute/Professor

Dale Clark

Senior Lecturer

Shelby Jepperson

Associate Professor of Practice

Mark Dixon

Professor

Specialty

Landscape ecology, floodplain forest ecology

Ed Gerrish

Director, GRB/Associate Professor

Dan Van Peursem

Professor

Molly Rozum

Associate Professor/Ronald M. Nelson Distinguished Professor

Jennifer Hough

Basic Course Director/Instructor

Todd Mechling

Instructor

Jeffrey Liu

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Chinese History
Buddhist Studies
Digital Humanities

View All Faculty & Staff

Serving Our Communities

At USD, you'll find opportunities to get involved in your community and make a difference through sustainability initiatives. Every spring the Environmental Club hosts Earth Days along with the local organization Greening Vermillion and local businesses and farms.

Learn More about Campus Sustainability Initiatives

Make a Difference in a Sustainable Entrepreneurship

USD sustainability students turn their ideas into action. See how three USD students made fashion more sustainable and second-hand shopping more accessible.

Surprisingly Affordable

USD offers low tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students, as well as scholarships, financial aid and employment opportunities to help make your education even more affordable.

Undergraduate Tuition & Costs

Learn more about tuition and fees for undergraduate students and see how your out-of-pocket costs at USD compare to those at other colleges and universities. Visit the Undergraduate Tuition & Costs Detailed page for program specific costs and fees.

Financial Aid

Navigating options for how to pay for college can be challenging, but you are not alone. The Office of Financial Aid will work with you and your family to explore how you can make your college education even more affordable.

Scholarships

USD awards nearly $9.5 million in scholarships each year. View our scholarships to see which ones you may qualify for and how you can apply.

Hear From A USD Alum

Sustainability is a broad major that focuses on the environment, social systems, economic systems, and how all three interact. I've found through coursework that I really enjoy the economic and societal aspects of the major, and that has lead me to obtain a minor in political science in the pursuit of a career in policy research and analysis. In my time at USD, I have gotten to interact with professors across campus and build connections that I hope to keep for the rest of my life.

Emily Roberson

B.A. Sustainability, Anthropology '16
Executive Director, Youth Garden Project
Moab, Utah

Sustainability

Why Study Sustainability?

Degrees & Offerings

Sustainability (B.A., B.S.)

Sustainability: Human & Natural Systems (B.S.)

Sustainability: Environmental Science (B.S.)

Sustainability Minor

Accelerated Sustainability (B.S./M.S.)

Undergraduate

Known for Excellence

Student Opportunities

Your Adventure Awaits

Faculty-Led Program in Malta and Sicily

Departments & Facilities

Faculty & Staff

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Specialty

Serving Our Communities

Make a Difference in a Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Surprisingly Affordable

Hear From A USD Alum

Take the Next Step