Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.23
Liaison Merry Rankin
Submission Date Sept. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Iowa State University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Merry Rankin
ISU Director of Sustainability
Facilities Planning & Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
Sustainable Agriculture

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

The Sustainable Agriculture Interdepartmental Graduate Program at Iowa State University builds on a solid foundation of agricultural science and provides students opportunities to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Our program was the first in the U.S. to offer both an MS and PhD with a major in Sustainable Agriculture and is the only graduate program that allows students to pursue a true interdisciplinary curriculum that includes the biological, social, and economic elements of sustainability.


The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
Wind Energy Science, Engineering and Policy (WESEP)

A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):

The curriculum of the newly approved PhD degree program for WESEP, as part of our IGERT project: A new PhD Program on Wind Energy Science, Engineering and Policy (WESEP), includes courses that are classified as “introductory”, “core” and “specialization”. While the introductory courses are designed to cover the “breadth” and specialization courses are designed to cover the “depth”, the core courses are offered to cover both “depth and breadth” in the field.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
Master of Urban Design (MUD)

A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):

The Master of Urban Design (MUD) at Iowa State University is an advanced, interdisciplinary program of study that focuses on contemporary challenges of urbanism at local, regional and global scales. The workshop-based program is geared toward students with previous professional degrees in architecture (BArch, MArch), landscape architecture (BLA, MLA) or planning (BSCRP, MCRP, MUP), and relevant professional experience. The program draws faculty from these and other related disciplines within the college and university.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:

Master of Design in Sustainable Environments - http://www.design.iastate.edu/sustainableenvironments.php


Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Yes

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
Organic Agriculture Program

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:

The mission of the Organic Agriculture Program is to educate producers, consumers and policy makers in the research and extension activities in Organic Agriculture both on-farm and in the Universities. Organic Agriculture involves a production management system based on the ecological principles of nutrient cycling, biotic regulation of pests and biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are replaced by sunlight-based inputs, such as plant and animal residues. Premium prices for certified organic products drive the immediate economic benefits of Organic Agriculture. Long-term benefits to human and environmental health are also derived through these practices. We encourage you to explore this website and send us your comments or questions.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.