BA in Sustainability

The low-residency BA in Sustainability Program is a 120-credit program open to students who have completed at least 60 or not more than 75 liberal arts credits. Students may bring a combination of transfer credits and/or credits awarded through Goddard’s Assessment of Prior Learning into the program. Students just starting their undergraduate studies can begin in Goddard’s BA in Individualized Studies and then transfer to the BA in Sustainability Program.

 

The BA in Sustainability Program supports students in gaining the knowledge, skills, and vision essential to understanding our place in the ecosystem, navigating the transition to a sustainable society, and creating resilient lives and livelihoods in partnership with nature. Students begin their self-directed learning through Foundation Studies in the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, environmental justice, and an active engagement in creating a sustainable life. They then choose a Focus of Studies in sustainable agriculture, energy, economics, or communities, or a combination of these areas, and design an experiential learning activity such as an internship or community project to gain practical experience in their study area. Students are challenged to understand the underlying thinking and patterns that have led to an unsustainable society and to implement new ways of living that restore our relationship with the Earth.

Bill McKibbon speaks at the launch of the BA in Sustainability program at Goddard

 

At the beginning of each semester, students attend an eight-day residency on the Goddard campus in Central Vermont and then accomplish the work of the semester either in their home communities or in other settings such as in study abroad. This format enables students to live anywhere and choose the best environment for their learning activities.

 

During residencies, students work with faculty advisors one-on-one and in small groups to determine learning goals and resources, share experience and insights, and design an individualized study plan for the semester. They attend workshops on a range of sustainability topics and academic skills, network with other students, and visit local Vermont sites, farms, and businesses to see sustainability in action.

 

After the residency, students complete five detailed packets of written work while maintaining close communication with their advisors who mentor them in both the theoretical and practical aspects of their sustainability studies. In addition to research, student learning activities might include helping to create a local food system, using green building methods in a construction project, developing an alternative currency, creating a handbook for sustainable business, living in an indigenous culture, planting an edible forest garden, transforming waste into useful materials, installing a solar photovoltaic system, or participating in sustainable community planning. In their final semester, students synthesize their learning in a final product that supports them in moving on to graduate study and work.

 

Faculty advisors in the program are actively engaged in the field of sustainability and bring a range of formal training, life experience, and current practice to their work. As students and advisors collaboratively explore approaches to sustainability, they develop a close community that supports students throughout their time in the program. This creates a learning environment in which students can cultivate the skills of leadership needed to inspire and transform their communities.