Sustainability (Minor)

Illinois Tech offers the Minor in Sustainability to prepare students who want to take on the tremendous challenges facing our world, including climate change, environmental pollution, natural resource depletion, biodiversity loss, poverty, hunger, and gender inequality. The Minor in Sustainability supplements existing programs to provide students with a broad understanding of the principles of sustainability and the tools and techniques used to assess and mitigate issues in economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Students will have the opportunity to take courses through Armour College of Engineering, Lewis College of Science and Letters, Stuart School of Business, and the College of Computing. Coursework covers a range of topics including earth and environmental science; environmental politics, policy, and law; sustainable food systems; sustainable power systems; and sustainable facilities operations.

The sustainability minor provides students from all majors with complementary expertise in sustainability issues and solutions.

Program Overview

This minor provides students with a broad understanding of the role of sustainability in the twenty-first century, including the social, political, and technical dimensions of sustainability.

The Minor in Sustainability consists of at least five courses (minimum of 15 credit hours). Three required courses (9 hours) introduce students to the social, political, and technical dimensions of sustainability. Two elective courses (6 hours) allow students to focus on sustainability application areas of their choice while taking courses that are consistent with their level of preparation in their major degree program.

Interested in declaring a minor? Talk with your academic adviser or Academic Affairs to plan out your course schedule and fill out the .

Featured Faculty

Weslynne Ashton
Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability Affiliate Professor to Armour College of Engineering
Britt Burton Freeman
Professor, Food Science and Nutrition Chair, Department of Food Science and Nutrition Director, Center for Nutrition Research
Matthew Shapiro
Professor of Political Science Affiliate Professor, Stuart School of Business
Brent Stephens
Department Chair Arthur W. Hill Endowed Chair in Sustainability Professor of Architectural Engineering Director of Architectural Engineering Director of Environmental Engineering
Mohammad Heidarinejad
Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering
David Lampert
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Edoarda Corradi Dell Acqua
Associate Teaching Professor IPRO Director, Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship