Sustainability
Associate of Arts Degree Geography · San Diego Mesa College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Summary
Sustainability provides students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the biological, social, and economic considerations of issues related to the environment and environmental degradation.
Many career in Sustainability require education beyond the Associate's degree. Common career paths in Sustainability include, but are not limited to, the following; environmental policy, environmental advocacy, energy efficiency, natural resource management, land conservation, and waste management.
Award Note: The Associate Degree requires a minimum of 60 degree applicable semester units.
Learning Outcome(s): Students who complete the Sustainability Program will be able to:
- Analyze practical and theoretical issues related to sustainability from current and historical perspectives.
- Evaluate perspectives of diverse stakeholders regarding a wide range of sustainability issues.
Requirements
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| COURSES REQUIRED FOR THE MAJOR: | 15 | |
| SUST 101 | Introduction to Sustainability | 3 |
| GEOG 101 | Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 175 | Sustainable Places and Practices | 3 |
| ECON C2001 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| PHIL 131 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Select 3 units from the following: | 3 | |
| STAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| PHIL 101 | Symbolic Logic | 3 |
| PSYC 258 | Behavioral Science Statistics | 3 |
| BUSE 115 | Statistics for Business | 3 |
| BIOL 200 | Biological Statistics | 3 |
| POLI 201 | Elementary Statistics for Political Science | 3 |
| Select 1 - 4 units from the following: | 1-4 | |
| SUST 270 | Sustainability Work Experience | 1-4 |
| ARCH 231 | Sustainability in the Built Environment | 4 |
| BIOL 180 | Plants and People | 3 |
| GEOG 101L | Physical Geography Laboratory | 1 |