University of Pittsburgh
IN-38: Sustainability Course Designation

The University of Pittsburgh has TWO (2) sustainability attribute codes: Sustainability-Focused and Sustainability-Related.

These sustainability course attribute codes exist within the Pitt Course Catalog to provide a way for pairing Pitt courses and faculty expertise with student interest in sustainability. Specifically, these 2 course attribute codes allow students to quickly identify Sustainability courses as they select their classes each semester.

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation reviews all courses applying for either Sustainability Course Attribute. Courses can be attributed with one of the following 2 course attribute codes:

1) SUSTAINABILITY-FOCUSED: A sustainability-focused course addresses sustainability as an integrated concept throughout the course, highlighting interconnectivity between all THREE pillars: social, economic, and environmental dimensions.
2) SUSTAINABILITY-RELATED: A sustainability-related course incorporates sustainability as a distinct component or concentrates on the interconnection between TWO of the three pillars: social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUSTAINABILITY COURSES
• Address sustainability as an integrated multidisciplinary concept, highlighting the interaction and tradeoffs between ecological, social and economic systems.
• Course material is connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal(s) (SDGs)

LEARNING OUTCOMES OF COURSES
• Students will be able to explain sustainability as an integrated concept within the discipline or course, highlighting the interaction and tradeoffs between ecological, social and economic systems used to support human society.
• Students will articulate current issues and relate them to the Sustainable Development Goal(s).
• Students will propose/build solutions to sustainability challenges and articulate why they are more sustainable to a broad audience.
• Students will consider the ethical dimensions of decisions meant to improve sustainability, working together with other students in converging fields to foster conversation and collaboration between disciplines.
• Students will be able to consider sustainability at multiple scales in accordance with the problem.

TO ACCESS COURSES WITH ATTRIBUTE CODES:
1) Go to https://psmobile.pitt.edu/app/catalog/classSearch
2) Select “Pittsburgh Campus” under *Campus
3) Skip the rest of the fields and go to the Course Attribute drop down menu and select “Interdisciplinary Themes”
4) In the Course Attribute Value drop down menu, select either “MCSI-Sustainability Focused” or “MCSI-Sustainability Related”
5) Click Search and the appropriate classes will be populated.

The following designations are noted on student transcripts:
1) Completion of the Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate
2) Completion of other sustainability-related Certificates
3) Completion of the Undergraduate Sustainability Transcript Distinction
4) Course attribute codes for individual courses are designated on unofficial transcripts that student advisors can (and do) pull internally for students; however, these are not listed on official record transcripts.

Registrar Website with Course Attribute Information: https://www.registrar.pitt.edu/course-attributes

Course Catalog: https://catalog.upp.pitt.edu/index.php?catoid=223