Introduction
Please click here to see Sustainability department information.
The sustainability minor is interdisciplinary, drawing on the expertise across CLAS departments: anthropology, biology, chemistry, communication, economics, environmental sciences, geography, geology, history, economics, philosophy, physics and political science. The core courses are taught by a faculty team who will present sustainability concepts from socio-ecological and systems perspectives.
These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major advisor and CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Program Delivery
Declaring This Minor
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the minor.
Program Requirements
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Students must complete a total of 18 credit hours chosen from the approved courses.
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Students must complete a minimum of 12 upper-division (3000-level and above) credit hours in the minor, from the approved courses.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all minor courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative minor GPA of 2.5. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the minor GPA. Students cannot complete minor or ancillary course requirements as pass/fail.
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Students must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours with CU Denver faculty chosen from the approved courses below.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
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Students should consult with the Sustainability advisor before registering for any courses applicable toward the minor. *Graduate-level courses and cross-lists may be used with prior consent from the advisor.
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Credits counted for another major or minor program can be counted toward the Sustainability Minor with approval from the advisor, though no course may be used to fulfill more than two graduation requirements.
Required Courses
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| ENVS 1342 | Environment, Society and Sustainability | 3 |
| SUST 3010 | Sustainability: Past, Present, and Future | 3 |
| SUST 4960 | Capstone in Sustainability | 3 |
Elective Courses
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
Anthropology
Architecture
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| ARCH 3700 | Special Topics Design (when offered as Green + Sustainable Design) | 3 |
| ARCH 3700 | Special Topics Design (when offered as Biomimicry) | 3 |
| ARCH 3700 | Special Topics Design (when offered as Wood Technology) | 3 |
| ARCH 3703 | International: Design in Context | 3 |
| ARCH 3705 | Human Centered Design, Innovation and Prototyping | 3 |
Biology
Business
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| MGMT 4950 | Special Topics in Management (when offered as Business and Sustainability) | 3 |
| MKTG 4950 | Special Topics (when offered as Nonprofit and Social Marketing) | 3 |
Chemistry
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| CHEM 1474 | Core Chemistry: Chemistry for Everyday | 4 |
| CHEM 4700 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
Communication
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| COMM 4611 | Rhetoric of Global Food Policy | 3 |
Economics
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| ECON 4530 | Economics of Natural Resources | 3 |
| ECON 4540 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4770 | Development Economics | 3 |
Environmental Sciences
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| ENVS 1044 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences | 3 |
| ENVS 3082 | Energy and the Environment | 3 |
Geography/ Geology
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| GEOG 1102 | World Regions Global Context | 3 |
| GEOG 1202 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1602 | Urban Studies and Planning | 3 |
| GEOG 3232 | Weather and Climate | 3 |
| GEOG 3412 | Globalization and Regional Development | 3 |
| GEOG 4010 | Landscape Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| GEOG 4020 | Earth Environments and Human Impacts | 3 |
| GEOG 4060 | Remote Sensing I: Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing | 3 |
| GEOG 4080 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
| GEOG 4085 | GIS Applications for the Urban Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 4090 | Environmental Modeling with Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 4230 | Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment | 3 |
| GEOG 4265 | Sustainability in Resources Management | 3 |
| GEOG 4280 | Environmental Hydrology | 4 |
| GEOG 4301 | Population, Culture, and Resources | 3 |
| GEOG 4305 | Water Quality and Resources | 3 |
| GEOG 4335 | Contemporary Environmental Issues | 3 |
| GEOG 4350 | Environment and Society in the American Past | 3 |
| GEOG 4420 | The Politics of Nature | 3 |
| GEOG 4450 | Urban Food and Agriculture: Perspectives and Research | 3 |
| GEOG 4640 | Urban Geography: Denver and the U.S. | 3 |
| GEOG 4720 | Climate Change: Causes, Impacts and Solutions | 3 |
| GEOL 4030 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
History
Physics
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| PHYS 3082 | Energy and the Environment | 3 |
| PHYS 4400 | Scientific Instrumentation | 3 |
Philosophy
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| PHIL 3430 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
Political Science
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| PSCI 3022 | Political Systems of the World | 3 |
| PSCI 3034 | Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy | 3 |
| PSCI 3035 | Political Movements: Race and Gender | 3 |
| PSCI 3042 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| PSCI 3914 | The Urban Citizen | 3 |
| PSCI 4009 | Politics of the Budgetary Process | 3 |
| PSCI 4014 | Media and Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4025 | Local Governance and Globalization | 3 |
| PSCI 4085 | Comparative Governance: Environment and Society | 3 |
| PSCI 4144 | Indigenous Political Systems | 3 |
| PSCI 4146 | Indigenous Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4206 | Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4207 | Theories of Social and Political Change | 3 |
| PSCI 4215 | Women's Rights, Human Rights: Global Perspectives | 3 |
| PSCI 4216 | International Politics: Human Rights | 3 |
| PSCI 4226 | The United Nations in World Affairs | 3 |
| PSCI 4248 | Gender, Globalization and Development | 3 |
| PSCI 4326 | Advanced International Political Economy: Globalization | 3 |
| PSCI 4354 | Environmental Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4365 | Global Ecological Crises | 3 |
| PSCI 4545 | Immigration Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4555 | International Women's Resistance | 3 |
| PSCI 4645 | Comparative Political Leadership | 3 |
| PSCI 5217 | Human Rights in Theory and Practice | 3 |
| PSCI 5276 | Conflicts and Rights in International Law | 3 |
| PSCI 5468 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
Public Health
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| PBHL 3020 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.
