2018 Conference

Poster Presentation

As interest in sustainability in higher education accelerates to meet diverse university goals and workforce demands, it is important to evaluate whether students in environmental programs obtain experience with, and an understanding of, sustainability from their coursework. This research was conducted as part of an internship at Penn State University's Sustainability Institute, and was furthered as part of personal, master's degree research at Ohio State University. The purpose of this research project is to evaluate how sustainability is manifest in the interdisciplinary Environmental Resource Management (ERM) program at Penn State University and the Environmental Science and Natural Resource Management programs at Ohio State University. The research utilized an origional interview protocol to interview students and professors enrolled in these environmental programs. The results of this research offer insight into what students with an interest in the environment and sustainability desire from curriculum. Ultimately, opportunities for incorporating more education for sustainability into higher education curriculum may be realized and implemented, as results uncover gaps in sustainability literacy in environmental formal education. Ultimately, there is student desire for a more deliberate incorporation of sustainability into higher education environmental curricula and programs.