Sustainability Minor | Department of Geography & Environmental Studies

Program Delivery: On Campus, Online, Hybrid
Total Credits: 18 Credits

About the Sustainability Minor

The Sustainability minor provides students with the knowledge and skills to address today’s most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, students explore key sustainability concepts, such as resource management, climate change, social equity, and ethical decision-making. This minor equips students with the tools to become effective leaders and innovators in a rapidly evolving world, promoting sustainable practices across industries and communities. For more information, students may contact Christine Biermann (cbierman@uccs.edu), Director of the Sustainability Minor.

Focus of Study

Sustainability is dedicated to advancing inter- and intra-generational justice, fostering human development, and preserving physical and biological systems. These core principles are often framed as the three pillars of sustainability: social equity, economic development, and environmental protection. The Sustainability minor emphasizes hands-on, project-based, and service learning experiences, offering students opportunities to engage directly with real-world challenges. Designed to prepare students for the complexities and responsibilities of the 21st century, the minor encourages active participation in UCCS and local initiatives addressing environmental issues, social equity, and economic vitality, while cultivating a sense of civic responsibility both locally and globally.

Program Requirements

Minimum Minor Requirements

18 credit hours
9 upper-division credit hours (3000-4999 level)
2.0 Minor GPA
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.
Residency: Last 9 credit hours of the minor must be completed while registered at UCCS

Program Coursework

Course / Area	Course Title	Credit Hours
Foundation Course	GES 1500: Intro to Environmental Studies and Sustainability (offered fall only)	4
Capstone Course	GES 4800: Sustainability Seminar (prerequisite GES 1500, junior standing; offered spring only)	3
Environment	Complete 1-2 electives from the list below to meet total and upper-division hour requirements for the minor: ANTH 4270 Landscape Archaeology: Sustainability and Collapse BIOL 3750 Conservation Biology CHEM 1101 Chemistry in the Modern World CHEM 1111 Environmental Science CHEM 4521 Environmental Chemistry ENSC 2670 Exotic Energy Sources ENSC 4600 Advanced Solar Energy GEOL 3700 Environmental Geology GES 1000 Environmental Systems: Climate & Vegetation GES 3170 Saving Place GES 3180 Changing Place GES 3250 Geography of Climate Change GES 4170 Writing Place GES 4260 Biogeography GES 4280 Forest Geographies GES 4340 Soils GES 4410 Resource Management and Conservation GES 4420 Conservation & Public Lands GES 4480 Environmental Problems of Colorado GES 4500 Water Resources & Problems GES 4510 Hydrology GES 4570 Military, Environment & Society GES 4650 Restoration Geographies GES 4660 Urban Sustainability HPNU 4090 Food, Culture, Community and Health MAE 2301 Engineering Thermodynamics I MAE 3320 Biomass Energy Analysis PES 1500/ENSC 1500 Energy Science I PES 1510/ENSC 1510 Energy Science II PES 1600/ENSC 1600 Introduction to Solar Energy PES 2500 Sustainable Energy Fundamentals SOC 4250 Sociology of the Environment	3 or more
Economics	Complete 1-2 electives from the list below to meet total and upper-division hour requirements for the minor: BGSO 4000 Business, Government, and Society (only for College of Business Students) BUAD 3950 Topics in Business: Social Entrepreneuship COMM 4290 Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility ECON 2310 Economics of Sustainability ECON 3300 Environmental Economics I ECON 3310 Ecological Economics ECON 3610 Work and Pay ECON 3730 Economics of South Asia ECON 3770 Economic Development GES 1560/HIST 1560 Environmental History of the U.S. GES 3610 Urban Geography GES 450 Cultural and Political Ecology GES 4750 Recreation, Tourism, and the Environment GES 4980 Internship (must receive approval from Director of Sustainability Minor) MAE 4320 Sustainable Energy Systems (only open to Engineering students) PHIL 3210 Political Economy: Capitalism PSC 4280/ECON 3280 International Political Economy HRMG 4850 Directed Research in HR & Management (only for College of Business students; must be related to sustainability) SOC 4600 Critical Analysis of Capitalism	3 or more
Equity	Complete 1-2 electives from the list below to meet total and upper-division hour requirements for the minor: ANTH 3040 Women Around the World ANTH 3430 Approaches to Globalization ANTH 3660 Applied Community Studies ENGL 2920 English Studies: Sustainability ENGL 3220: Gender, Writing, and the Environment ENGL 3421: Nature's Nation: Sustainability and American Literature ENGL 4973: Shakespeare and Sustainability ENGR 3040 Engineering Ethics FR 3070 Sustainable Development in the Francophone World GERM 3070 German Topics in Sustainable Development GES 3500 Nature and Society GES 3610 Urban Geography GES 3730 Population Geography GES 3920 Geography of Food GES 4460 Field Studies in Geography (Silverton) GES 4620 Race, Ethnicity, & Place GES 4680 Inequality USA GES 4700 Geographic Issues: Geographies of Displacement GES/SOC/WEST 4780 Global Migration PHIL 1400 Intro to Sustainability and Environmental Ethics PHIL 3500 Buddhist Philosophy PHIL 4140 Nature, Sustainability, and the Environment PSC 4290 International Environmental Politics PSC 4350 Environmental Policy & Administration SOC 3250 Power, Privilege & Social Difference SOC 4220 Sustainable Urban Development SOC 4380 Globalization and Development SOC4580 Sociology of Disasters SOC/WEST 4200 Sociology of Poverty SPAN 3070 Sustainable Development in the Spanish-Speaking World WEST 2010 Intro to Race and Gender WEST 3220 Global Indigenous Issues WEST 3250 Peoples & Cultures of the Southwest WEST 3400 Advanced Theory: An Intersectional Approach WEST 4120 Indigenous Views on Sustainability WEST 4400 Indigenous Peoples WEST 4700 Global Feminism	3 or more
	Total	18

Special topics courses, internships, independent studies, or other courses may fulfill requirements for the minor, but require approval by Christine Biermann (cbierman@uccs.edu), Director of the Sustainability Minor.

For program coursework, please visit the Academic Catalog.