Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability

At Goddard, we believe the ecological, environmental and social needs of the world are linked. We see this program as a site for inclusive and collaborative examination of the globe’s most pressing problems. Our understanding is that lasting sustainable solutions involve questions of equity, gender, class and race. In other words, an environmentally sustainable world is comprised of socially just lives and communities.

Given this breadth of focus, we invite students to envision and construct multiple paths—from local to global–towards that future. As students learn about the diverse, changing needs of their communities, urban and rural, they specialize in a variety of focused areas from climate justice to food sovereignty to local currencies to permaculture and more in ways that are innovative, mindful and lasting. Learning opportunities are limited only by student’s creativity and insights.

Sustainability at Goddard provides every student an extraordinary opportunity to undertake vital study and work that serves the needs of the earth and community.

Given our inclusive perspective, we encourage applicants from all communities, professional and academic backgrounds, including the sciences and arts, social science and humanities.

About Goddard

Education for real living, through the actual facing of real life problems

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Admissions Information

The Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability is an undergraduate degree open to any interested students.

New students seeking admission may be admitted at any level up to and including the second semester of the junior year. No more than 75 transferable semester hour transfer credits can be applied to the 120 semester hour credits required for the degree.

A minimum of three semesters of enrollment in the degree track is required for graduation.

See complete application instructions.

Location

Twice a year, at the start of each semester, students attend an intensive eight-day residency at the College’s Plainfield, Vermont campus. Residencies are a rich time of exploration, connection, and planning.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the general requirements for the BA/BFA at Goddard College, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability must fulfill the following degree requirements:

  • All students pursuing the BA in Sustainability are required to research and write a theoretical essay addressing the question, “What is sustainability?”
  • Students also complete foundational studies in the Ecological Dimensions of Sustainability, the Social & Economic Dimensions of Sustainability, Environmental Justice & Ethics, and Creating a Sustainable Life.
  • Students engage in experiential learning in order to explore an aspect of sustainability first hand. Examples include learning directly from an expert, participating in community activities, or developing a creative project. Students document experiential learning through a reflective essay that is included in packet work, or as part of their Senior Study.
  • Students complete a Senior Study exploring one or a combination of four areas of focus (agriculture, economies, energy or communities). Senior studies frequently launch Goddard students into projects and livelihoods that sustain them after graduation.

Also see the general requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Work of the Semester

During the semester, students send faculty advisors “packets” of work that vary in content but typically contain diverse forms of learning, including study journals, annotations, research papers, creative writing, samples of artwork, autobiographical and process reflections, and audio/video production.

A detailed response from the advisor is both supportive and challenging, engaging in the learning the student presents and suggesting resources and strategies for the next packet. The advisor also addresses the packet in the context of the student’s semester goals and their progress toward fulfilling degree requirements. Over the semester, the exchanges between student and advisor create a dialogue that is exceptionally in-depth and meaningful. Students often describe these exchanges as transformative and empowering. At the end of the semester, students and advisors write comprehensive evaluations of the student’s learning.

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