Mar 19, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Sustainability Studies (BS) and Sustainability (MA), Dual-degree Program


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Qualified undergraduate students may elect to enroll in a dual-degree program, combining their undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in sustainability studies with a Master of Arts degree in sustainability. The dual-degree program requires successful completion of a total of 145 s.h., including at least 115 s.h. at the undergraduate level and 30 s.h. at the graduate level.  The dual-degree program can be completed in five years, including at least one summer session. Students who are admitted to the MA portion of the dual-degree program may apply the graduate courses SBLY 201, SBLY 206, and GEOL 251 toward both the BS and MA degree requirements. These 9 s.h. will apply to the undergraduate degree in addition to the required 115 s.h. of undergraduate course work, for a total of 124 s.h. for the BS.

Students enrolling in this major should meet with the department chair to plan their program of study prior to registering for courses.

Direct admission to the dual-degree program (BS and MA)


Incoming first-year students may apply for direct admission to this dual-degree program. For those who choose to submit a standardized test score, a 1240 or better on the critical reading and mathematics sections of the SAT (or an ACT score of 25) is recommended.  Applicants must have an overall high school GPA of 3.5 (or be in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class) in order to be considered for admission. First-year students admitted directly to the dual-degree program will be admitted automatically to the MA program in sustainability at the end of their junior year provided they fulfill the following requirements:

  1. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in sustainability and geology courses at the time of application to the MA program, or upon completion of 92 s.h. of course work toward their BS degree in sustainability studies;
  2. Successful completion of SBLY 001 , SBLY 002 , GEOL 005 , and two other required or elective SBLY or GEOL courses by the end of the semester in which they apply for admission to the dual-degree program.

Admission to the dual-degree program for current Hofstra students


Qualified Hofstra students taking the BS major in sustainability studies may apply for admission to the dual-degree program prior to completing 92 s.h. of undergraduate course work. Students applying to the dual-degree program should note that admission requires they fulfill the following requirements:

  1. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in sustainability and geology courses at the time of application to the MA program, or upon completion of 92 s.h. of course work toward their BS degree in Sustainability Studies;
  2. Successful completion of SBLY 001 , SBLY 002 , GEOL 005 , and two other required or elective SBLY or GEOL courses by the end of the semester in which they apply for admission to the dual-degree program.

All students admitted to this program must complete a total of 145 s.h.: 30 s.h. of graduate work and 115 s.h. toward their undergraduate degree. Graduate courses SBLY 201, SBLY 206, and GEOL 251, taken in the senior year, are credited to both the BS and MA degree requirements.

Students accepted into the dual-degree program who have attained senior standing may begin taking graduate courses.

Undergraduate Program Requirements


Students should apply to the department as soon as possible after making the decision to major in sustainability studies. The department encourages interested students to speak with one of their faculty before declaring a major. A departmental adviser will be assigned when the student applies for acceptance as a major.

  1. The complete requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree, as specified in this Bulletin ;
  2. The following undergraduate major requirements for the BS in Sustainability Studies :

Completion of 58-60 s.h. of course work as outlined below, consisting of 24 s.h. of required courses in sustainability, geology, geography, and technology and public policy (see below); 17-19 s.h. of science requirements (see below); 6-8 s.h. of mathematics requirements (see below); and 9 s.h. of electives, selected from the list of courses specified below. Courses with grades lower than a C- do not count toward the total number of hours required for the sustainability studies major.

At least 15 s.h. must be completed in-residence.

At least 65 s.h. must be completed in liberal arts course work. The humanities and social science electives must be satisfied with distribution courses:

A. Sustainability Core - Semester Hours: 24


B. Science Requirements - Semester Hours: 17-19


C. Mathematics Requirements - Semester Hours: 6-8


Complete 6-8 s.h. of course work, chosen from the following:

Graduate Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 30


Required Core Courses – Semester Hours: 9


  • SBLY 201 - Sustainable Development  Semester Hours: 3
  • SBLY 206 - Sustainability Theory and Practice Semester Hours: 3
  • GEOL 251 - Readings  Semester Hours: 3

Internship or Thesis – Semester Hours: 6


  • SBLY 340 - Sustainability Internship Semester Hours: 6

or

  • SBLY 301 - Sustainability Thesis Semester Hours: 6

Students can take either the thesis or the internship for credit.  Only six hours of one of these courses counts toward the degree.

Electives Courses – Semester Hours: 15


15 semester hours of graduate-level course work selected, under advisement from the director of Sustainability Studies, from the curricula of the Departments of Biology; Computer Science; Engineering; Geology, Environment, and Sustainability; Health Professions, Management; Philosophy; or Sociology. Graduate courses in other departments may be applied towards the 15 semester hours of electives with the approval of the graduate program director.

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