Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are benchmarks for evaluating students and the program’s undergraduate degree. The program expects majors to be able to demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge of foundational skills and concepts to advance the interdisciplinary study of the environment

• Ability to analyze, integrate, and apply relevant perspectives from natural science, economics, engineering, policy, and ethics perspectives to social-environmental problems

• Ability to communicate complex concepts and data relevant to social-environmental problems to expert and non-expert audiences

Biosphere Pathway Learning Objectives:

• Articulate the interplay of ecology, evolution, and biogeochemistry and understand their connections to the functioning of ecosystems on multiple spatial and temporal scales

• Recognize how human activity alters ecological processes and how ecological changes can interact with human societies at multiple scales

• Apply knowledge of natural sciences and human-mediated environmental change to conservation challenges while considering implications for environmental justice

Energy, Science, and Technology Learning Objectives:

• Apply fundamental engineering principles to assess how the transformation of energy production, distribution, and consumption systems can contribute to achieving greater energy sustainability

• Use fundamental engineering principles—together with knowledge of economics, human behavior, energy infrastructure, and earth systems science—to assess and critique policy- and market-based solutions proposed to achieve greater energy sustainability

• Apply written, visual, and oral presentation skills to communicate scientific, technological, and policy knowledge to expert and non-expert audiences

Environmental Geoscience Learning Objectives:

• Understand and articulate how Earth’s interior and surface operate and how these systems are connected and inextricably bound to the evolution of life and current human activities

• Understand and view the current state of, and expected changes within, the earth system in the context of past changes experienced by our planet

• Apply understanding of the Earth and human systems to develop workable, scientifically based, human-centered solutions to building resilience to natural hazards and our planet’s most pressing environmental challenges

Human Environmental Systems Learning Objectives:

1. Apply knowledge of fundamental physical and biological Earth system processes to analyze how human decisions shape environmental outcomes.

2. Apply fundamental principles and frameworks from the social sciences to analyze and understand (a) how humans make environmentally relevant decisions and (b) how environmental changes shape human outcomes.

Land Systems Learning Objectives:

• Design strategies for using multi-source and multi-scale observations of land surface processes that integrate field, geospatial, and human survey data to describe biophysical and socioeconomic impacts of land system changes

• Integrate biophysical and socioeconomic data related to land use and land cover change using geospatial tools to analyze and model complex, multi-scalar human-environmental interactions that determine land use dynamics

• Determine remedies to address the negative impacts of land changes on human-environmental systems using land-use management tools and interventions

Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climate Learning Objectives:

• Apply fundamental physical, chemical, and biological principles toward understanding the behavior of the oceans, atmosphere, and climate and the interrelationships of these systems with human society

• Apply fundamental principles of ocean, atmospheric, and climate science through field, laboratory, and computer-based research experiences

Sustainable Food and Agriculture Learning Objectives:

• Describe the main biophysical and socioeconomic constraints in food systems at global and local scales

• Apply knowledge of agricultural soils and plant growth to solve problems related to crop production, soil conservation, and natural resource management

• Identify the links between food systems and other aspects of the Earth system, including water, energy, and climate systems

• Assess and critique proposed policy or technological solutions that claim to make food systems more sustainable

Sustainable Societies and Environment Learning Objectives:

• Environmental Systems: Use fundamental knowledge about physical and biological natural systems to explain how changes occur through natural and human inputs and apply that knowledge to develop strategies to respond to those changes.

• Governance: Apply fundamental knowledge about the development and functioning of governance and economic systems to describe collective decision-making processes at local, national, regional or global levels and evaluate policy options.

• Social Movements, Ethics, and Justice: Describe how social and justice movements have emerged historically, what has made them effective, and how this can guide action in the future. Apply ethical frameworks and evaluate underlying values and normative assumptions behind reasons used to support sustainability decisions.

• Behavioral Science: Apply foundational knowledge of the social sciences to identify levers for human behavior change, predict behavior in the face of environmental challenges, and develop strategies to motivate and inspire people.

• Data Analysis and Solution Decisions: Use quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate and analyze information that informs decisions about sustainable societies.