Growing concerns about the impacts humans are having on our planet and the implications of those impacts on future generations clearly puts an important responsibility on the institutions of higher learning. University of Wisconsin-Platteville recognizes the importance of the goal of creating a sustainable world for future generations and strives to address this issue by creating educational opportunities for its students and serving as test sites and models for sustainable practices. UW-Platteville’s sustainability plan guides its sustainability efforts in non-academic areas by waste reduction measures, the promotion of alternative transportation, energy and water conservation, and carefully planned and managed landscaping.
In the academic arena, UW-Platteville recognizes the importance of educating its students to address sustainability topics such as climate change, limited nature of resources, sustainable business practices, and adaptation of species. We are committed to achieving the greatest impact by creating programs, offering courses, supporting research, and creating partnerships that focus on sustainability, renewable energy, water conservation, and sustainable practices. Currently, UW-Platteville offers the following programs related to sustainability:
- BS degrees in Environmental Engineering, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems, Geography, Biology, Environmental Horticulture, and Reclamation Environment and Conservation.
- Minors in Renewable Energy, Social and Environmental Justice, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Science.
Although a degree or a minor in a subject related to sustainability is an important step, the faculty at UW-Platteville believes that, in the end, the best goal for the university is to have sustainability as part of the educational experience for every student. It is critically important for the institutions of higher education to have their students develop knowledge and skillsets in sustainability so that graduates look at their life and work through the lens of sustainability. With that in mind, to help students identify and select the appropriate sustainability related courses at UW-Platteville, a faculty committee reviewed courses that were submitted for their sustainability content and placed the courses under the following two categories:
- Sustainability Courses: These courses address at least one important aspect of sustainability as an integral part of the course throughout the semester.
- Courses with Some Sustainability Content: These courses, although not completely dedicated to sustainability, address some aspects of sustainability in one or more chapters in its content.
In order to enhance students’ knowledge and skill sets in sustainability and foster their sustainability lens, we encourage students to consider these courses as a part of their academic studies at UW-Platteville.
Sustainability Courses1
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CIVILENG 4640 | Site Design and Stormwater Management | 3 |
| ENERGY 2130 | Energy, Environment, and Society | 3 |
| ENERGY 2340 | Fundamentals of Energy Sources | 4 |
| ENERGY 3130 | Sustainability: Ecology, Resources and Practice | 3 |
| ENERGY 3230 | Biorenewable Resources | 3 |
| ENERGY 3430 | Green Building Design | 3 |
| ENERGY 4130 | Sustainability Policy and Practice | 3 |
| ENERGY 4230 | Biofuels | 4 |
| ENERGY 4330 | Wind and Solar Systems Design | 4 |
| ENERGY 4430 | Building Energy Management | 3 |
| ENVENG 3340 | Environmental Engineering | 4 |
| ENVENG 4410 | Wastewater Treatment and Management | 3 |
| ENTRP 2010 | Social Context of Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| GEOGRPHY 1040 | Planet Earth | 4 |
| GEOGRPHY 3330 | Environmental Conservation | 3 |
| GEOGRPHY 3340 | Biogeography | 4 |
| SCSCI 4350 | Soil and Water Conservation | 3 |
| UWPSTUDY 3030 | EMS Short-Term International Experience (Cycling Infrastructure in the Netherlands) | 3 |
Courses with Some Sustainability Content1
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGBUS 1500 | Introduction to Agribusiness | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 3450 | Ecology and Evolution | 3 |
| BUSADMIN 2100 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| BUSADMIN 3230 | Small Business Management | 3 |
| CIVILENG 2000 | Introduction to Infrastructure | 3 |
| CIVILENG 3530 | Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| CIVILENG 4500 | Highway Engineering | 3 |
| ELECTENG 4450 | Power Systems Analysis and Design | 4 |
| ENERGY 3330 | Electrical Energy Systems and Energy Storage | 3 |
| ENERGY/BUSADMIN 3580 | Principles of Project Management and Sustainable Development | 3 |
| ENERGY 4620 | Data Analysis and Verification Tools | 3 |
| ENVENG 4330 | Air and Waste Management | 3 |
| GEOGRPHY 3120 | Geography of the Driftless Area | 3 |
| GEOGRPHY 4330 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| GEOLOGY 1140 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| INDSTENG 4930 | Industrial Systems Design | 3 |
| SCSCI 4240 | Plant Breeding | 4 |
| SOCIOLGY 3530 | Rural Sociology | 3 |
| 1 | Check the prerequisites/co-requisite requirements before attempting to take any course. |