Description: The Academic Certificate (AC) in Sustainability is interdisciplinary and builds a strong academic expertise along one of five significant pillars of sustainability, where students will examine and assess how to minimize unintended consequences and enhance a mutually productive relationship between man and nature. The five pillars are organized into specialized tracks, including land use and human transformations of the earth, competition for water and other natural resources from the earth systems, political and economic treatment of the earth, coupled human-environment interactions, and entrepreneurship for transforming ideas for sustainable products/services into viable businesses.
Program Notes: Students must earn a grade of "C" or better for all courses required within the program.
This program is not eligible for Title IV Federal Financial Aid. + indicates course has prerequisites and/or corequisites.
Admission Criteria:
Program Prerequisites: None
Program Prerequisites
Current English assessment reflecting eligibility for ENG101 OR ENG107 OR Satisfactory completion of
+ ENG101 First-Year Composition (3) OR
+ ENG107 First-Year Composition for ESL (3) OR
Permission of Department or Division 0-3
Credits: 0-3
Required Courses
SSH111 Sustainable Cities 3
SUS110 Sustainable World 3
Credits: 6
Restricted Electives
Students must select one (1) of the following five (5) tracks:
Track I: Sustainability: Earth Systems Credits: 10-11
Students must choose two (2) courses from the following list:
AGS260 Soils 4
ASM104 Bones, Stones, and Human Evolution 4
BIO105 Environmental Biology 4
+ BIO182 General Biology (Majors) II 4
CHM107 Chemistry and Society (3) and
CHM107LL Chemistry and Society Laboratory (1) 4
GLG110 Geological Disasters and the Environment (3) and
GLG111 Geological Disasters and the Environment Lab (1) 4
GLG140 Introduction to Oceanography 3
+ GPH211 Landform Processes 4
GPH213 Climate and Weather (3) and
GPH215 Climate and Weather Laboratory (1) 4
Students will choose one (1) course from the following list:
ASB226 Human Impacts on Ancient Environment 3
COM263 Elements of Intercultural Communication 3
ENH206 Nature and Environmental Literature 3
ENH260 Literature of the Southwest 3
GCU102 Introduction to Human Geography 3
GCU141 Introduction to Economic Geography 3
HUM201 Humanities: Universal Themes 3
PHI216 Environmental Ethics 3
POS120 World Politics 3
+ RDG112 Successful College Reading for Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences or Technology 3
SBU200 Society and Business 3
SOC251 Social Problems 3
Track II: Sustainability: Social, Political, Economic Treatment of the Earth Credits: 9-10
Students will choose two (2) courses from the following list:
ASB102 Culture in a Globalizing World 3
COM263 Elements of Intercultural Communication 3
ECN212 Microeconomic Principles 3
+ ECN263 The Economics of Natural Resources, Population and the Environment 3
GCU102 Introduction to Human Geography 3
GCU141 Introduction to Economic Geography 3
+ HRM290 Ecotourism 3
POS120 World Politics 3
PSY132 Psychology and Culture 3
SBU200 Society and Business 3
SOC180 Social Implications of Technology 3
Students must choose one (1) to two (2) courses from the following list:
BIO105 Environmental Biology 4
CHM107 Chemistry and society (3) and
CHM107LL Chemistry and society Laboratory (1) 4
ENH206 Nature and Environmental Literature 3
ENH260 Literature of the Southwest 3
GLG110 Geological Disasters and the Environment (3) and
GLG111 Geological Disasters and the Environment Lab (1) 4
+ GPH210 Society and Environment 3
HUM201 Humanities: Universal Themes 3
PHI216 Environmental Ethics 3
Track III: Sustainability: Coupled Human-Environment Systems Credits: 9-10
Students will choose two (2) courses from the following list:
ASB102 Culture in Globalization World 3
ASB222 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: Old World (3) OR
ASB223 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: New World (3)3
ASB226 Human Impacts on Ancient Environments 3
COM263 Elements of Intercultural Communication 3
ENH206 Nature and Environmental Literature 3
ENH260 Literature of the Southwest 3
HUM201 Humanities: Universal Themes 3
PHI216 Environmental Ethics 3
REC150AB Outdoor Adventure Skills 3
Students will choose one (1) to two (2) course from the following list:
ASM104 Bones, Stones, and Human Evolution 4
BIO105 Environmental Biology 4
BIO108 Plants and Society 4
+ BIO182 General Biology (Majors) II 4
CHM107 Chemistry and Society (3) and
CHM107LL Chemistry and Society Laboratory (1) 4
GLG110 Geological Disasters and the Environment (3) and
GLG111 Geological Disasters and the Environment Lab (1) 4
+ GPH210 Society and Environment 3
PHI104 World Philosophy 3
POS120 World Politics 3
Track IV: Sustainability: Human Transformation of the Earth Credits: 9-11
Students will choose 9-11 credits from the following list:
ASB100 Introduction to Global Health 3
ASB226 Human Impacts on Ancient Environments 3
CNS205 Sustainable Construction/LEED Certification 3
ECE101 Origins of Science and Engineering 3
ECE111 Bioengineering Systems 3
FON135 Sustainable Cooking 3
FON143 Food and Culture 3
FON161 Sustainable Food Production Systems 3
HES210 Cultural aspects of Health and Illness 3
+ INT170 Interior Materials 3
SCT100 Introduction to Sustainable Built Environments 3
SOC180 Social Implications of Technology 3
WED124 Environmental Wellness 3
Track V: Sustainability: Business and Entrepreneurship Credits: 10-11
Students will choose one (1) option from the following list:
EPS150 Introduction to Entrepreneurship (3) and
EPS195 Business Start-Up and Planning (2) 5
MGT253 Owning and Operating a Small Business 3 and
+ MGT298AA Special Project (1) or
+ SSH298AA Special Project(1) 4
Students will choose one (1) option from the following list:
GBS151 Introduction to Business (3) OR
GBS205 Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Environment of Business (3) 3
Students will choose one (1) option from the following list:
ECN212 Microeconomics (3) OR
SBU200 Society and Business (3) 3
Credits: 9-11
General Electives
Credits:
Program Competencies
1. Explore the sustainable interaction between human and natural systems. (SUS110)
2. Analyze the concept of sustainable development within local, regional, and global contexts. (SSH111)
+ indicates course has prerequisites and/or corequisites.
++ indicates that any suffixed course may be selected.
MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: April 28, 2015
All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the
curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.
