Sustainability Science Degree

Sustainability science is a rapidly emerging transdisciplinary field that aims to develop a deeper and more fundamental understanding of the critical linkages between environmental, human, and social systems at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.  Within this new discipline, Furman has been at the cutting edge of curriculum development with the first, and still only, liberal arts major in Sustainability Science. The grand challenge of sustainability science lies in finding ways to elevate the standard of living for all humans above the necessary social foundation that protects against critical human deprivation while at the same time lowering the environmental impact below the critical natural thresholds, and in doing so, live within what Kate Raworth deems the doughnut, “the safe and just operating space for humanity”. The Department of Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences has developed a sustainability science curriculum designed to address this challenge and the associated issues. 

Department of Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences

For more information about the sustainability science degree contact Suresh Muthukrishnan, Chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences.