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Sustainability Studies, B.A.

  • Overview
  • Faculty
  • Admissions Requirements
  • Major
  • Areas of Emphasis
  • Degree Progress
  • Learning Outcomes

Degree Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts

Nature of the Program

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies will explore core concepts in sustainable global futures, including development, resilient communities, and global humanitarianism. Graduates of the Sustainability Studies will be prepared to solve global challenges using critical systems thinking and a vision of peace, human rights, promoting cultures of resilience and sustainability and advancing sustainable development in Appalachia and globally. Students will be prepared in career pathways that include Local, Regional, and International Development, Disaster/Humanitarian Relief Assessment and Advocacy, Social Studies Education, Urban/Regional Planning, Environmental/Energy/Labor/International Law, Journalism, Social Entrepreneurship, Public Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, International Diplomacy, and Professional/Academic Geography.

Students in the Sustainability BA will take courses that that combine geoscience, environmental, social, and humanities research methods that involve geospatial analysis, mapping, development practice, and community engagement. They will also be well prepared for admission to graduate and professional schools.

Minors

All students have the possibility of earning one or more minors; a list of all available minors and their requirements is available. Please note that students may not earn a minor in their major field.


Faculty

Chair

  • Brent McCusker - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)

Associate Chair

  • Joseph Lebold - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)

Professors

  • Kathleen Benison - Ph.D. (The University of Kansas)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Sedimentary Geology - Planetary Geology
  • Dengliang Gao - Ph.D. (Duke University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Exploration Geophysics, Petroleum and Structural Geology
  • Amy Hessl - Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Biogeography, Forest Ecosystems, Climate Variability
  • Brent McCusker - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Livelihood Systems & Climate Change, Africa, Policy Making
  • Brenden McNeil - Ph.D. (Syracuse University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, GIS, Environmental modeling, Forest Ecosystem Services
  • Shikha Sharma - Ph.D. (University of Lucknow)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Isotope Geochemistry
  • Jaime Toro - Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Structure and Tectonics
  • Dorothy Vesper - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Aqueous Geochemistry, Hydrogeology

Associate Professors

  • Jamison Conley - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Spatial Analysis, Geocomputation, Health Geography
  • Karen Culcasi - Ph.D. (Syracuse University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Geopolitics, Identity, Middle East
  • Cynthia Gorman - Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Gender, Migration, Human Rights, Refugee Communities
  • James Lamsdell - Ph.D. (The University of Kansas)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Paleobiology, Arthropods, Macroevolution, Heterochrony, Paleoecology, Phylogenetics
  • Rick Landenberger - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
    Forest ecology, Land use Management and Restoration
  • Joseph Lebold - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Regional Geology
  • Maria Alejandra Perez - Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Cultural Geography, Science & Technology Studies, Speleology, Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Amy Weislogel - Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Sedimentology
  • Bradley Wilson - Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Social Movements, Local/Global Food Systems, Food Justice

Assistant Professors

  • Michael Harman - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
    3D visualization, modeling complex landforms and processes, GIS
  • Jacob Hileman - Ph.D. (University of California, Davis)
    Environmental Science, Sustainability
  • Aaron Maxwell - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
    Regular Graduate Faculty, Geospatial Instruction, Remote Sensing, Image Analysis, Spatial Modeling
  • Holly Moulton - Ph.D. (University of Oregon)
    Feminist political ecology, Gender, Climate change adaptation, Indigenous studies, Critical development studies, ice loss, and Andean communities

Professor Emeriti

  • Robert Behling - Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
  • Timothy Carr - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
  • Joe Donovan - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Greg Elmes - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Trevor Harris - Ph.D. (University of Hull)
  • Thomas Kammer - Ph.D. (Indiana University)
  • Steven Kite - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin)
  • Kenneth C. Martis - Ph.D. (Michigan University)
  • Henry Rauch - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Robert C. Shumaker - Ph.D. (Cornell University)
  • Richard Smosna - Ph.D. (University of Illinois)
  • Timothy Warner - Ph.D. (Purdue University)
  • Thomas Wilson - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)

Admissions for 2025-2026

  • First-Time Freshmen are admitted directly into the Sustainability Studies major. 
  • Students admitted from within WVU to the Sustainability Studies major must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
  • Students transferring from another institution must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.

Major Code: 14F7 

General Education Foundations

Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.

NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.

Course List
Code Title Hours
General Education Foundations
F1 - Composition & Rhetoric3-6
ENGL 101
& ENGL 102
Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric
and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research
or ENGL 103
Accelerated Academic Writing
F2A/F2B - Science & Technology4-6
F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning3-4
F4 - Society & Connections3
F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past3
F6 - The Arts & Creativity3
F7 - Global Studies & Diversity3
F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree)9
Total Hours31-37

Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.A. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.A. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page. 

Departmental Requirements for the B.A. in Sustainability Studies

  • Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone requirement. In Sustainability Studies, based on their Area of Emphasis and with permission from their advisor, students will select the capstone section of SUST 402, GEOG 411, GEOG 415, or GEOG 452.  The course selected for the capstone should not be already used to meet any other major requirement.
  • Writing and Communication Requirement: Sustainability Studies Bachelor of Arts students fulfill the Writing and Communication Skills requirement by completing ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (or ENGL 103) and two additional  SpeakWrite Certified CoursesTM certified course.
  • Areas of Emphasis: Sustainability Studies majors will choose a curriculum from one of these Areas of Emphasis:
    • Environmental Studies
    • GIS Methods
    • Sustainable Development
  • Calculation of Major GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses applied to major requirements, with a minimum grade of C- in SUST 102, SUST 202/202L, and SUST 207/207L. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA, unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat. 
  • Credit Limit: To graduate with 120 credits, no more than 50 credits of Geography (GEOG), Geology (GEOL) and SUST (Sustainability) combined can be used. If a student has more than 50 credits, then those extra credits must be matched by an equal amount of non-GEOG, non-GEOL and non-SUST courses, and more than 120 credits will be required for graduation.  For example, if a student has 52 credits in GEOG, GEOL and SUST the student will need 122 credits to graduate (52 G&G, 68 non-G&G or SUST). 191 and 491 courses are excluded from the 50-credit count.
  • Benchmark expectations: For details, go to the Sustainability Studies Degree Progress tab.

Curriculum Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
University Requirements80
ECAS B.A. Requirement3
Sustainability Studies Major Requirements37
Total Hours120

University Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits)
Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 3, 5, and 818
SUST 191First-Year Seminar1
General Electives61
Total Hours80

ECAS Bachelor of Arts Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
Fine Arts Requirement 3
Global Studies and Diversity Requirement
Total Hours3

Sustainability Studies Major Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
CORE COURSES:16
SUST 102
Global Sustainability
SUST 202
& 202L
Just Sustainable Development
and Sustainable Development Laboratory
SUST 207
& 207L
Climate System Science
and Climate System Science Laboratory
SUST 250
& 250L
Digital Earth and GIS
and Digital Earth and GIS Laboratory
SUST 388
Careers in Sustainability
AREA OF EMPHASIS:15
Select one of the following:
Environmental Studies
GIS Methods
Sustainable Development
UPPER-DIVISION ELECTIVE:3
Any GEOG, GEOL, or SUST course at the 300 level or above
CAPSTONE: *3
Select from of the following, based on the AoE:
GEOG 411
Rural and Regional Development
GEOG 415
Global Environmental Change
GEOG 452
Geographic Information Science: Applications
SUST 402
Climate and Environmental Justice
Total Hours37
*

SUST course(s) selected to fulfill the Capstone should not already fulfill another SUST major requirement.

Suggested Plan of Study

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
GEF 33ENGL 101 (GEF 1)3
ECAS Fine Arts Requirement (GEF 6)3SUST 250
& 250L (GEF 2A)
4
SUST 102 (GEF 7)3General Elective3
SUST 1911General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective2
General Elective2 
 15 15
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
SUST 202
& 202L (GEF 4)
4ENGL 102 (GEF 1)3
SUST 207
& 207L (GEF 8)
4GEF 53
General Elective4GEF 8*3
General Elective3General Elective3
 General Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallHoursSpringHours
GEF 8*3AoE Course 23
AoE Course 13AoE Course 33
SUST 3881General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective2 
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallHoursSpringHours
AoE Course 43Capstone Course3
AoE Course 53Upper-Division Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
 15 15
Total credit hours: 120
*

Students completing a minor, a double major or a dual degree already fulfill GEF 8.

Areas of Emphasis

  • Environmental Studies
  • GIS Methods
  • Sustainable Development

Environmental Studies Area of Emphasis Curriculum

Course List
Code Title Hours
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CORE COURSES:10
SUST 101
& 101L
Sustainable Earth
and Sustainable Earth Laboratory
GEOL 365
Environmental Geology
GEOG 415
Global Environmental Change
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES ELECTIVES:6
Select 2 courses from the following:
GEOG 455
& 455L
Introduction to Remote Sensing
and Introduction to Remote Sensing Laboratory
GEOL 321
Geomorphology
GEOL 463
Physical Hydrogeology
GEOL 466
Cave and Karst Geology
SUST 302
Research for Sustainable Development
SUST 305
Sustainable Governance
SUST 308
Climate Modeling
SUST 340
Urban Sustainability
SUST 402
Climate and Environmental Justice
Total Hours16

GIS Methods Area of Emphasis Curriculum

Course List
Code Title Hours
GIS METHODS CORE COURSES:10
GEOG 350
& 350L
Geospatial Problem Solving
and Geospatial Problem Solving Lab
GEOG 451
Introduction to GIS Programming
GEOG 455
& 455L
Introduction to Remote Sensing
and Introduction to Remote Sensing Laboratory
GIS METHODS ELECTIVES:6
Select 2 courses from the following:
GEOG 300
Geographical Data Analysis
GEOG 409
Applied International Development
GEOG 452
Geographic Information Science: Applications
GEOG 453
Spatial Databases
GEOG 454
Environmental Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 456
Remote Sensing Applications
GEOG 457
Open-Source Spatial Analytics
GEOG 461
Web GIS
GEOG 462
Digital Cartography
SUST 302
Research for Sustainable Development
Total Hours16

 

Sustainable Development Area of Emphasis Curriculum

Course List
Code Title Hours
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CORE COURSES:12
SUST 302
Research for Sustainable Development
SUST 305
Sustainable Governance
SUST 402
Climate and Environmental Justice
SUST 403
Sustainability, Planning and Development
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ELECTIVES:3
Select 1 course from the following list:
GEOG 300
Geographical Data Analysis
GEOG 302
Political Geography
GEOG 303
Cultural Geography
GEOG 309
Introduction to International Development
GEOG 312
Migration and Human Rights
GEOG 409
Applied International Development
GEOG 411
Rural and Regional Development
GEOG 415
Global Environmental Change
SUST 340
Urban Sustainability
SUST 372
Sustainable Energy
Total Hours15

Degree Progress

Majors are expected to maintain a 2.0 GPA overall and a 2.0 in all SUST, GEOG, and GEOL courses applied to major requirements. 

  • By the end of their fourth semester in the major, students should have completed their required 100 and 200 level courses with the requisite grade.
  • Students should complete SUST 388 (Careers in Sustainability) by their sixth semester in the major. 
  • In the advising appointment prior to the senior year, students will select an appropriate capstone option. 
  • All majors must meet with their departmental advisor each semester to evaluate progress. 

Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from their major.

Major Learning Outcomes

Sustainability Studies 

  1. Understand Earth systems and society relations and their relevance to address sustainability challenges.
  2. Describe the cultural diversity and complexity of human-environment relationships.
  3. Analyze the spatial dimensions and impacts of political and economic activities.
  4. Compare different approaches to social and environmental justice.
  5. Evaluate the local, regional, national, and global contributions to sustainability by key agents and institutions.
  6. Collect, analyze, evaluate, and visualize data to enable evidence-based decision-making for sustainable futures.
  7. Communicate clearly and effectively in written, oral, graphical, and cartographic form about social, environmental, and sustainability issues to audiences of diverse backgrounds.
  • Anthropology
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Communication Studies
  • Criminology
  • Data Science
  • Earth and Environmental Science
  • English
  • English/​Secondary Education
  • Forensic Biology
  • Forensic Chemistry
  • Forensic Examiner
  • History
  • Integrated Studies
  • International Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Professional Writing and Editing
  • Psychology
  • Regents Bachelor of Arts
  • Scientific and Technical Writing
  • Social Studies/​Secondary Education
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Sustainability Studies
  • Women's and Gender Studies

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