Sustainability and Innovation BS

Major: Sustainability and Innovation
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum required credits: 181
Co-op Option: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 52.0701
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-1011, 11-1021

About the Program

The BS in Sustainability and Innovation offers a unique multidisciplinary perspective on current-day social and environmental challenges and provides students with the tools needed to create responsive, market-based solutions. This degree embeds the Charles D. Close School’s unique approach to teaching entrepreneurship as a habit of mind within the framework of environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic sustainability. Graduates of this degree will be prepared to innovate in a variety of contexts including established companies, new or growing ventures, social enterprises, educational institutions, and other nonprofits. 

Sustainability is the simultaneous pursuit of human flourishing, environmental quality, and economic well-being for current and future generations. In accordance with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this degree challenges students to recognize the complex nature of solving problems at the intersection of civil society, the marketplace, and the natural environment. This degree includes courses in the arts, sciences, and business, to provide a deeper understanding of the fields in which you will innovate, and requires you to pursue a minor outside of the Charles D. Close School to further fuel your passion and knowledge.

What will you learn?

• Critical Thinking: Examine the interconnected relationships between social, environmental, economic, and natural environments informed by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Ethical Decision Making: Apply ethical frameworks to the ideation, process, and practice of entrepreneurship.
• Resilience: Build the personal strengths required to respond to uncertainty and failure in an innovative environment.
• Effective Communication Skills: Communicate effectively and dynamically in a range of situations associated with an innovative environment.

Who should enroll?

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), new jobs in sustainability and innovation are poised to grow by 24 million globally by 2030. The marketplace is undergoing a radical and permanent shift towards sustainability in all aspects of operations. With a degree in Sustainability and Innovation, you will be ready to: 

• Apply your foundational understanding of major social and environmental problems to become an impact entrepreneur and agent of change.
• Start your own business or enter existing and emerging job markets in industry sectors poised for impact innovation, including, but not limited to: 
• Transportation 
• Construction and Engineering
• Energy and Environmental Stewardship
• Education
• Healthcare
• Fashion
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Governmental and Regulatory Administration
• Arts and Entertainment
• Job Training and Development
• This program is designed for individuals who are passionate about making the world a better place. Students who are interested in using entrepreneurship and innovation to create impactful solutions to society’s most pressing problems are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

If you have any questions or would like to speak with an advisor, please contact:

Justin Fithian
Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Student Success
Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship
3230 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Email:​​ jmf465@drexel.edu 

Admission Requirements

Please visit this link for admission requirements: https://drexel.edu/undergrad/apply/freshmen-instructions/

Degree Requirements

*

Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of Free Elective instead of COOP 101.

**

ENTP SPECIAL TOPICS courses (ENTP T180, ENTP T280, ENTP T380, ENTP T480) may be substituted at the Close School discretion

***

Other courses may be substituted with departmental and advisor approval.

†

May not be a Close School minor.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

5-Year Coop Spring/Summer Cycle

*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP registration is determined ty the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

4-Year Coop Spring/Summer Cycle

*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

4-Year No Coop

Program Level Outcomes

• Demonstrate the importance of understanding the relationships between the social, environmental, economic, and natural environments (critical thinking).
• Appreciate and understand audience, purpose, and context to be able to communicate effectively and dynamically in a range of situations directly associated with an innovative environment (effective communication).
• Understand their personal strengths and challenges that equate with responding to failure and uncertainty in an innovative environment (resilience).
• Understand the importance of ethical perspective-taking associated with the process and practice of entrepreneurship (ethical decision making).

Sustainability and Innovation Faculty