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

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Qualified undergraduate students may elect to enroll in a dual-degree program, combining their undergraduate BA degree in sustainability studies with a MA 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 BA 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 BA.

Direct admission to the dual-degree program (BA 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:

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 BA degree in sustainability studies;
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 BA major in sustainability studies may apply for admission to the dual-degree program prior to completing 92 s.h. of undergraduate coursework. Students applying to the dual-degree program should note that admission requires they fulfill the following requirements:

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 BA degree in Sustainability Studies;
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 dual-degree 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 BA 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.

The complete requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, as specified in the Undergraduate Bulletin;
The following undergraduate major requirements for the BA in Sustainability Studies, as specified in the Undergraduate Bulletin:

Completion of 33 s.h. of course work; at least 12 s.h. must be in courses numbered 100 and above. 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.

A. Sustainability Core - Semester Hours: 21

SBLY 001 - (IS) Our Sustainable World Semester Hours: 3
SBLY 002 - (IS) Sustainability Planning and Policy Semester Hours: 3
SBLY 105 - Seminar on Sustainability Semester Hours: 3
SBLY 110 - Sustainability Studio Semester Hours: 3
GEOL 005 - (NS) Environmental Geology Semester Hours: 3
SBLY 180 - Sustainability Internship Semester Hours: 3 (must take for a minimum of 3 semester hours)
One other 3 s.h. SBLY course

B. Elective Courses - Semester Hours: 12

Select 12 s.h. from the courses listed below.

NOTE: Prior to taking elective courses, see adviser to develop a course plan. Click on course titles listed below to access course descriptions and check prerequisites, as well as scheduling information (in order to ensure eligibility to enroll and proper completion of academic background courses). Note that not all courses are offered every semester.

AFST 143 - Economic Development Semester Hours: 3
ANTH 032 - (BH, CC) Women and Development Semester Hours: 3
ANTH 107 - (BH, CC) Development, Conservation, and Indigenous Peoples Semester Hours: 3
ANTH 129 - (BH) Urban Anthropology in Global Perspective Semester Hours: 3
BIO 020 - Urban Habitats Semester Hours: 2
ECO 010 - (BH) Economics, Environment and Community Semester Hours: 3
ECO 111 - Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa Semester Hours: 3
ECO 143 - Economic Development Semester Hours: 3
ECO 165 - Urban and Regional Economics Semester Hours: 3
ENTR 115 - Entrepreneurship Semester Hours: 3
ENTR 120 - New Business Ventures Semester Hours: 3
FA 161 - (CP) Sculpture Studio—Sustainability in Art Semester Hours: 3
FA 167 - (CP) Sculpture Studio—Sustainability in Art II Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 006 - (BH) Resources and Energy Geography Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 060 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 102 - (BH) Population, Resources and Environment Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 103 - (BH) Urban Geography Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 160 - Intermediate Geographic Information Systems Semester Hours: 3
GEOG 161 - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the Natural Sciences Semester Hours: 3
GS 105 - (CC, IS) The Globalization of Food Cultures Semester Hours: 3
GS 109 - (CC, IS) Globalization and Human Rights Semester Hours: 3
GS 120 - (IS) iGlobalization: Moving the Things We Buy Semester Hours: 3
HPR 068 - Environmental Health Semester Hours: 3
JRNL 071 - Health, Science and Environmental Reporting Semester Hours: 3
MGT 118 - Litigation and Alternate Dispute Resolution Semester Hours: 3
MGT 160 - Managing Nonprofit Organizations Semester Hours: 3
MGT 171 - International Strategic Management Semester Hours: 3
PHI 091 - Technology and Human Values Semester Hours: 3
PHI 101 - (HP) Ecology and Environmentalism Semester Hours: 3
PHI 131 - (HP) Ethics and Animals Semester Hours: 3
PHI 133 - (HP) Ethics and the Natural Environment Semester Hours: 3
PHI 138 - (HP) Ethics and Sustainability: Personal, Social and Corporate Responsibility Semester Hours: 3
PSY 040 - Statistics Semester Hours: 4
SBLY 014F - First-Year Seminar Semester Hours: 3-4
SBLY 014S - First-Year Seminar Semester Hours: 3-4
SBLY 100 - Honors Essay Semester Hours: 1-3
SBLY 104 A-Z - Special Topics in Sustainability Studies Semester Hours: 3
SBLY 151 to 154 - Readings in Sustainability Studies Semester Hours: 1-3
SOC 018A - Classical Sociological Theory Semester Hours: 3
SOC 141 - (BH) Urban America Semester Hours: 3
SOC 142 - (BH) Global Cities: Politics and Social Change in Comparative Perspective Semester Hours: 3
SOC 149 - (BH) Globalization and Developing Societies Semester Hours: 3
SOC 153 - (BH) Sociology of Human Rights Semester Hours: 3
SOC 180 - Statistics in Sociology Semester Hours: 4
TPP 060 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Semester Hours: 3
TPP 110 - Energy and Society Semester Hours: 3
TPP 112 - Technology and Human Values Semester Hours: 3
TPP 114 - Technology and Urban Problems Semester Hours: 3
TPP 115 - Environmental Planning Semester Hours: 3

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: 1-3

Internship or 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.

SBLY 340 - Internship in Sustainability Semester Hours: 1-6
or
SBLY 301 - Sustainability Thesis Semester Hours: 1-6

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.

Search