Why study Sustainability Studies at MC?

Do you know where the local farmer’s market is held in your hometown? Or how far from your home the nearest wind turbine or solar array is located? Were you recycling (or buying organic and responsibly grown produce) before anyone else was in high school?  Do your soy-based ink FSC-certified bumper stickers, stuck to your bike or hybrid vehicle, say things like, “There is no Planet B,” or “Be Global, Act Local?” If so, the sustainability studies minor may be for you. 

As one of the fastest growing areas in the job sector and areas of study and research in the past twenty years, the sustainability studies minor is designed to complement any major and provide a lens into the economic, environmental and social tiers of any field of study. The minor provides a global perspective, all while maintaining important roots in local Appalachian culture.

Some of the careers the minor prepares students for includes: sustainability officers at colleges and universities; staff/leadership in environmental, social justice or ecological non-governmental organizations; sustainability staff for major corporations; and compliances officers in local, state, national or international governments.  

Mark O'Gorman
Dr. Mark O'Gorman
Professor of Political Science
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Adrienne Schwarte
Adrienne Schwarte
Professor of Art
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The Minor in Sustainability Studies requires a minimum of 16/17 credit hours.

Required courses include:

Minor and Minor-Related Courses

SUS 101: Environmental Issues and Foundations of Sustainability(3 hrs)
SUS 337: Internship in Sustainability Studies(3 hrs)
SUS 401: Sustainability E-Portfolio(1 hrs)

Three additional courses selected from the following options –

Two choices must come from fields outside the student’s major (9/10 hrs.):

One of the following courses:

ART 200: Sustainable Art Processes(3 hrs)
ENG 200: Words and the Land(3 hrs)
OST 315: Wilderness Emergency Response(3 hrs)

One of the following:

BIO 222: Ecology and Evolution(4 hrs)
BIO 311: Natural History of the Great Smoky Mountains(4 hrs)

Any of the following:

ECN 346: Environmental Economics(3 hrs)
ENV 231: Environmental Sociology(3 hrs)
ENV 345: Environmental Politics(3 hrs)
HIS 248: Appalachian Cultural and Social History(3 hrs)
INT 201: Contemporary Global Issues(3 hrs)

One of the following:

MTH 221: Inferential Statistics w/Data Visualization(3 hrs)
MTH 222: Regression Analysis(3 hrs)

One of the following:

OST 335: Outdoor Recreation Leadership(3 hrs)
PHR 336: Community Health(3 hrs)

One of the following:

PSY 221: Social Psychology(3 hrs)
SOC 222: Sociology of Appalachia(3 hrs)

In addition to required courses for majors and minors, Maryville College students take classes in the Maryville Curriculum, a core program of general education. Consisting of 51 credit hours, the Maryville Curriculum ensures that students see their major in a wider context and develop the basic communication, quantitative, and critical thinking skills that are needed for success in college and career.

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