Pictured above is the 2015 Student Advisory Council on Sustainability Education (SASCE)
For Students
No matter what your field of study, you can deepen your understanding of the interaction of environmental balance, economic vitality, and social equity issues through sustainability-related courses at UC Irvine. See the resources and opportunities below to get started.
Introduction to Global Sustainability: US 13 sequence
UCI offers a course sequence on sustainability for incoming freshmen and sophomores. This yearlong, multi-disciplinary sequence is an introduction to Earth as a system involving the interaction of its physical, biological, and human components, specifically addressing the consequences of these interactions. The sequence provides ideal preparation for participation in the Global Sustainability Minor and relevant majors in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Transfer students seeking to pursue the Minor are also encouraged to enroll.
The course title of the sequence is University Studies 13A, B, and C: Global Sustainability. Read more about the Introduction to Global Sustainability sequence.
Check out a video about the Global Sustainability Minor.
Global Sustainability Minor
The Interdisciplinary Minor in Global Sustainability trains students to understand the changes that are needed for the human population to live in a sustainable relationship with the resources available on this planet. The Minor is open to all UC Irvine students. Together, the departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth System Sciences, and Planning, Policy and Design provide academic oversight for the Minor, with extensive course support from additional programs. Read more about the Global Sustainability Minor. Print PDF of Global Sustainability Minor flyer.
Sustainability Resource Center
The Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) is a hub for students and community partners to co-create and experience an integrated, holistic resilience framework that addresses the root causes of sustainability crises and deepens understanding of the interdependence of all life. The Center works to create a campus culture of sustainability in which environmental, social, and economic equity considerations inform our academic pursuit and ways of life. The Center supports graduate and undergraduate learning, leadership, and innovation through three sustainability pathways. Read more about the Sustainability Resource Center.
Student Advisory Council on Sustainability Education (SACSE)
As a counterpart to the faculty task force on sustainability education, a student advisory council on sustainability education (SACSE) brings student perspective into the planning of new formal education programs in sustainability. The scope of the SACSE’s role depends largely on the initiative and passion of the members. Over the years, SACSE has:
- researched best practices in sustainability degree programs at peer campuses in conjunction with undergraduate group research projects in PPD 131: Sustainability II
- developed a survey of student interest in sustainability education
- developed a student sustainability literacy assessment
- provided task force informal input regarding current sustainability curriculum, co-curriculum, and academic advising
- provided task force input into and feedback about proposed new programs
- developed proposed alternative definition of “sustainability in the curriculum.”
Students interested in joining the SACSE during AY 2017-18 are invited to indicate interest by emailing sustainability-center@uci.edu for more information.
Sustainability Science Team
From 2010-2012, the former UC Irvine Environment Institute convened Sustainability Science Teams. Each team was an interschool cohort of graduate students that defined a specific problem in sustainability science and developed an approach to understanding it and moving toward solutions by working together and with affiliated faculty over the course of two years. Currently, Water UCI hosts Team Water, a transdisciplinary research team of graduate students that represents an ongoing collaboration between water researchers at UCI, community leaders in Borrego Springs, and environmental scientists in the field. Graduate students and faculty interested in learning about the development of additional future Sustainability Science Teams are invited to email sustainability-center@uci.edu.
Sustainability Courses and Degrees at UCI
Check out UC Irvine’s sustainability courses and degrees. To submit corrections or additions to these evolving materials, please email sustainability-center@uci.edu.