International Development, Environment and Sustainability CO-DIRECTORS: L. ELGERT and L. STODDARD ASSOCIATED FACULTY: M. Bakermans (BB), C. Brown (SSPS), C. Clark (HUA), J. Doyle (SSPS), K. Foo (IGSD), R. Gottlieb (HUA), R. Krueger (SSPS), C. Kurlanska (IGSD), S. LePage (CEE), J. MacDonald (CBC), P. Mathiesen (CEE), G. Pfeifer (UGS), R. Rao (BB), D. Rosbach (CEE), I. Shockey (IGSD), S. Tuler (IGSD)
Mission Statement Our planet faces urgent environmental, social, and technological crises. Because these problems involve peoples, natures, planetary systems, and technologies, we need new scientific and engineering approaches that are informed by the social sciences, humanities, the arts, and people’s real lives. We must therefore challenge convention. IDEaS therefore offers a major and minor in Environmental Sustainability Studies. The major can be chosen as a standalone course of study or be connected with other degree programs, which could range from chemical engineering, to biology and chemistry, or civil engineering. IDEaS also offers a minor in Science and Engineering for International Development. Either degree option invites students to explore the technical area of their choice: to become competent engineers and scientists. These programs also teach those skills for the future workplace: interdisciplinary collaboration; complex problem solving of socio-technical issues; written and oral communication; and the dexterity and creativity to excel in changing contexts .
Educational Outcomes Graduating Students will: 1. Be able to identify, analyze, and development solutions to environmental and socio-economic problems creatively. 2. Have mastered fundamental concepts and methods of inquiry in their areas of specialization, whether environmental or developmental thought, policy, or methodology. 3. Be able to make connections between disciplines and integrate information from multiple sources. 4. Be aware of how their decision-making processes affect and are affected by other individuals separated across time and space.
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5. Be aware of personal, societal, and professional ethical standards. 6. Have interpersonal and communication skills and a professional attitude necessary for a successful career. 7. Understand and employ current technological tools. 8. Have the ability to engage in life-long learning.
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Major Distribution Requirements Requirements Minimum Units Environmental and Sustainability Studies Core (Note 1) 1 Mathematics & Basic Science (Note 2) 2 2/3 Environmental Science and Engineering (Note 3) 3 Basic Social Science and Humanities (Note 4) 1 Environmental Social Science or Humanities (Note 5) 2 MQP 1 Total 10 2/3
Notes 1. Only courses with the prefix ENV count toward this requirement. Must include the senior seminar in environmental studies. 2. Must include 2/3 unit of calculus, 1/3 unit of statistics, 2/3 unit of chemistry, and 2/3 unit of biology. May include 1/3 unit of basic engineering with the permission of the Environmental Studies Program Review Committee. 3. All courses with prefixes BB, CE, CH, CHE, ES, GE, and PH may qualify under this requirement. BB courses must be at the 2000 level or higher. Must include 1/3 unit of ecology. Must include 1/3 unit of engineering at the 2000 level or higher. The 3 units of environmental science and engineering courses must be coherently defined and approved by the Environmental Studies Program Review Committee. 4. Must include 1/3 unit of economics, 1/3 unit of public policy or political science, and 1/3 unit of either history or philosophy. 5. Must include 1/3 unit environmental economics, 1/3 unit environmental policy, 1/3 unit environmental philosophy, and 1/3 unit environmental history.
Major Qualifying Project (1 unit) The MQP is expected to provide an integrative capstone research experience in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Several types of MQPs are possible: a research study in a particular science or social science discipline, a holistic examination of an environmental problem from an interdisciplinary perspective, or a philosophical or historical analysis of an environmental issue. WPI faculty from
WPI 2021-22 Catalog