Sustainability Certificate
Why Pursue a Sustainability Certificate?
Our increasingly complex and interdependent world needs critical thinkers with strong problem-solving skills who are able to address the long-term viability of social-ecological systems. The Interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability seeks to give students a broad understanding of environmental, socioeconomic, and humanistic systems through interdisciplinary academic preparation, community engagement, and cross-campus collaboration so that they can help develop local and global solutions for a sustainable future.
Curriculum
The Interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability requires the completion of a minimum of 5 courses and 13 semester hours, including IST 230, Sustainability Seminar (1 credit) – the core required course for the certificate. The remaining courses must be chosen from the list below, with at least two courses at the 300-400 level. Requests for course substitutions must be approved by the certificate coordinator. Courses must represent at least two different disciplines (as determined by course prefix) from two different departments. No more than eight of the required 12 semester hours that a student applies toward an interdisciplinary certificate may have the same course prefix. No more than 8 hours from a declared major or minor may be applied toward an interdisciplinary certificate. All courses used for the certificate must be completed at UNC Asheville. Interdisciplinary certificates may only be completed in conjunction with the completion of an undergraduate degree at UNC Asheville.
Courses
|
Introduces students to contemporary trends within digital imaging and photography while fostering proficiencies in digital camera operation and editing software. Assignments build on one another, addressing increasingly complex technical and conceptual challenges. The class also explores photography’s ability to incite social change and examines how the medium shapes our understanding of social, political, and environmental issues. Students must provide their own digital camera (DSLR preferred). Prerequisites: ART 122, 144. Pre- or corequisite: ART 133. Fall and Spring.
|
|
An introduction to meteorology and climatology. This course will focus on the basics of understanding the weather, including how weather observations are made and used. Students may not receive credit for both ATMS 103 and 113. Fall and Spring.
|
|
An overview of air pollution history, major pollutants, and relevant environmental policies and regulations. Prerequisite: ATMS 103 or ENVS 130. Odd years Spring.
|
|
An examination of the world’s oceans from a physical perspective, with a particular focus on how oceans interact with the atmosphere. Topics include ocean structure, observation techniques, energy budget, surface and deep water currents, Ekman theory, coastal processes and tides, wave theory, and numerical modeling. Prerequisites: MATH 167; either ATMS 103 or ENVR 130. Even years Spring.
|
|
Study of introductory botany and uses of plants by humans. Topics include environmental issues, nutrition, biotechnology, agriculture, drugs, and culinary and medicinal herbs. Presented with an emphasis on fundamental concepts in science while also stressing social issues that arise from our relationship to plants. Lectures are supplemented by outdoor activities. Spring.
|
|
Introduction to fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology and ecology and connects these sciences to issues of global importance. This class is geared towards Biology majors and students of the Natural Sciences who plan on taking upper-level coursework in Biology. Pre- or corequisite: CHEM 132. Fall.
|
|
Class and laboratory activities will offer an overview of the different forest ecosystems in our region, their ecological significance and economic importance. Discussions will include management strategies at the local, state and federal level, current threats (including air pollution, climate change and biological invasion) and how these threats disrupt evolved ecological interactions. Prerequisite: BIOL 211 or ENVR 241. Spring.
|
|
Students will apply creative problem solving and an entrepreneurial mindset to design solutions to environmental and/or social problems. Design thinking and best practices adopted from the entrepreneurial process will be applied to generate plans for a scalable social enterprise or social business. Typically odd years Spring.
|
|
An introduction to the theory of the production and consumption of food. Topics include the role of agricultural and food policy in domestic and international food markets, food aid, the economics of food security, consumer behavior around food purchasing, the economics of obesity, challenges associated with building a sustainable food system, and world food problems such as famines and perpetually repressed agricultural productivity. Students will be required to participate in group-based discussion, critical thinking activities, contemplative practices, and/or cross-course activities. See department chair.
|
|
An examination of the interdependence of land and people, with special emphasis on how people affect land. Issues considered include the determination of property values, property rights, land tenure, land conversion, dispossession, and government policies including (de)colonization. Additional topics may include the geography of land use, urban economics, place-making, and housing policy. Students will be required to participate in group-based discussion, critical thinking activities, and contemplative practices. Prerequisite: ECON 103. Every other year.
|
|
An examination of the causes and consequences of poverty through the lens of human rights. Course reviews the methods for measuring human well-being and analyzing human capital formation as well as the evidence base regarding the impacts of anti-poverty programs. Scope of the course is global, covering examples from both high-income and low-income countries. Prerequisite: ECON 103. Every other year.
|
|
A pluralist examination of the causes of pollution and resource degradation as well as possible policy solutions through the theoretical lenses of neo-classical economics, institutional economics, and political economy. Critical attention is paid to how inequality, incentives, and institutional arrangements can drive environmental degradation. Topics include carbon pollution, air pollution, water pollution, as well as sustainable use of forests and other natural resources. Methods covered include non-market valuation, cost-benefit analysis, and applied policy analysis. Course considers various policy instruments including international climate agreements, carbon pricing, pollution taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and payments for ecosystem services. Prerequisites: ECON 103. Fall.
|
|
Modern mainstream economics portrays itself as an amoral, positive science. Yet, issues of morality cannot be separated from issues of material well-being and progress. Accordingly, students in this seminar course will examine the positions of some major thinkers from across the ages regarding the relationship between morality, material well-being, and the good life. In the process, philosophy, economics, religion, and classics will be brought into dialogue on matters of contemporary importance. Prerequisite: ECON 103. Every other Fall.
|
|
Provides a comprehensive introduction to the world of climate adaptation finance, essential content for business owners, policy makers, informed voters and citizens, and consumers who wish to understand climate resilience. No prior knowledge of finance or climate change is required. We analyze climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in all sectors of climate-resilient and non-resilient economies and identify possible sources of finance for both local and global adaptation policies. Topics covered in this survey course include economic perspectives of climate change science, the role of climate change adaptations and policies, adaptation costs and benefits, bond and stock valuation for green funds, comparison of alternate investment criteria in financing adaptation strategies, climate and renewable energy finance, climate risk insurance. Odd years Spring.
|
|
An exploration of topics that broaden the scope and deepen the foundation of students’ knowledge of economics. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of the theory, literature, and methods in an important subfield of economics. Each student will develop a proposal for research in this subfield, which can be implemented in ECON 480. This course will serve as the first of two courses in the senior capstone experience. May be repeated for credit as content varies. ECON 450 must be taken the semester before enrolling in ECON 480. Prerequisite: ECON 291 or 292 depending on the topic. Pre- or corequisite: ECON 365. Fall.
|
|
The biological, chemical, physical and societal implications of human impact on the environment with consideration of selected contemporary problems such as population issues, acid rain, energy supply, water pollution, etc. Fall and Spring.
|
|
Study of energy production technologies, use patterns and their environmental impact. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. Fall and Spring.
|
|
Human interactions with natural geological processes. Topics to be covered include volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, mass movements, water pollution, waste management, and radon gas. Field trips will be required. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. Fall and Spring.
|
|
This course explores the intersection of environmental ethics with science and policy from a diversity of Western and Non-western theoretical perspectives. Students will identify local and global applications of theory and learn to develop ethical arguments. Fall and Spring.
|
|
An overview of air pollution history, major pollutants, and relevant environmental policies and regulations. Prerequisite: ATMS 103 or ENVS 130. Odd years Spring.
|
|
The principles, practices and problems of managing the environment at the federal, state and local levels. The course will focus on the complexities of environmental administration of renewable and nonrenewable resources, pollution control and global problems. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. Spring.
|
|
Conventional and alternative energy systems and the interrelationships between renewable energy resources and the built environment; lectures, field trips and demonstrations. Prerequisite: ENVS 130; or permission of instructor. See department chair.
|
|
Environmental legislation and regulation, policy tools, enforcement, current issues and evolution of U.S. environmental policy. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. Fall and Spring.
|
|
Introduction to the assessment and management of risks to human health from exposures to physical, chemical, and biological environmental factors. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. See department chair.
|
|
Introduction to the study of institutional change and improved environmental performance. Focus on manufacturers, large institutions such as universities and hospitals, and the built environment. Prerequisite: ENVS 334. Even years Fall.
|
|
An introduction to the identification and management of exotic invasive plants. Topics and activities include identification, mechanical and chemical control methods, seedbanks, management plans, and ecosystem restoration. Prerequisite: ENVS 130 or permission of instructor. Even years Spring.
|
|
Examines threats to global biodiversity and focuses on how to protect threatened populations. Topics include the history of conservation, habitat management, species management, captive breeding, cloning, and the genetic integrity of populations. Students will develop a better understanding of how we may prevent extinctions and loss of ecosystem function. Prerequisite: ENVS 130. Odd years Spring.
|
|
A multidisciplinary introduction to the events, people, movements, and themes of Appalachian history from earliest human habitation to the present day with a particular emphasis on understanding of the roots of Appalachian identity, and how the unique environment of the Southern Appalachian mountains shaped that identity. This course looks at the region’s unique material culture, religion, music, dance, arts & crafts, oral traditions, and literature, how they developed and how they have evolved to the present day. Spring.
|
|
An introduction to the principles of nutrition science and their application to healthy lifestyles. This course addresses food and nutrients and how they interact with the body through digestion, absorption, metabolism, support of body functions and waste removal. With a focus on dietary patterns for disease prevention, the course addresses controversies on how eating habits can promote health and improve quality of life. Other topics covered include the gut microbiome, food and the environment, nutrition and exercise, changing nutritional needs over the course of the life, and the tradition of food as medicine. Every year.
|
|
An exploration of current and historical practices that use food as medicine. This course offers a diverse range of perspectives from a wide array of scientists and physicians that are on the forefront of the use of food as medicine. It will encourage students to understand the importance of individualized nutrition as both prevention and treatment for various illnesses and to become critical thinkers when it comes to the many ways that we can use food as medicine in our world. We will discuss the connection between health, nutrition and regenerative farming, thus emphasizing the importance of sustainability in the nutrition and healthcare spheres. We will also engage with food through fermentation workshops, tea-tastings and on-campus foraging. Prerequisite: HS 225. Fall.
|
|
An exploration of how corporate, government, and consumer interests affect nutrition and health policy, and how individuals and non-profits influence nutrition and health policy to promote consumer health. The course addresses how nutrition and health policies were developed in the United States and how these policies are modified as a result of health advocacy. The course also addresses the interrelationships between food production and manufacturing practices, human health and environmental health. Odd years Fall.
|
|
Investigates the historic and present-day social, economic, and political influences on health around the world. exploring the ways that health is conceived of and measured at various levels, from local, to national and international. Considering the contributors to health of populations, available resources, and priorities, we will examine ways to effectively advance health equity. We will explore questions around at what points and in what ways health and our human rights are threatened, and discuss approaches for promoting and sustaining health justice, from the personal to the global. No credit given to students with credit for HWP 250. Prerequisite: HS 310. See department chair.
|
An introductory interdisciplinary course in global studies that examines the historical, political, economic, social, cultural, and ethical forces that shape the contemporary world. Major regions of the world will be covered. The course provides students with interdisciplinary intellectual and conceptual tools to understand and explain global phenomena in our interconnected, interdependent, dynamic, and hybridizing world. Fall.
|
A study of the literature of the Appalachian Mountains within the context of the region’s history, culture, and politics. A study and exploration of imaginative literature that includes lectures, discussions, in-class writing, techniques for drafting, developing, shaping, revising, and editing work, supportive feedback, and individual meetings for the development of significant projects and for the assessment of work. Writers and genres may vary. Prerequisite: LANG 120 or permission of instructor. Every year.
|
|
Capstone experiences exploring specific Mass Communication subjects in- depth, focusing particularly on journalism, public relations or advanced print media skills. Topics will vary and will be indicated in the titles of individual sections. MCOM 495 may be repeated with different topic subheadings. Prerequisite: MCOM 104, 201; VMP 205 and 8 hours of MCOM or VMP at the 300 or 400 level. See department chair.
|
|
A topical study of basics in ethical theory and practice and their application to specific fields or problems. Students will study contemporary issues such as biomedical ethics, environmental ethics, criminal justice ethics or business ethics. Topics will rotate according to interest and demand. May be repeated as subject matter changes. See department chair.
|
|
Examines the political conflicts and compromises resulting from different interpretations of environmental protection. Special emphasis is placed on the choices regarding the distribution of costs and benefits and the trade-offs between environmental goals and other public and private objectives. Recommended prerequisite: any 200-level Political Science course. See department chair
|
|
Examines the interaction of domestic and international political, economic and social forces in the evolution of less developed countries. Recommended prerequisite: any 200-level Political Science course. See department chair.
|
Careers & Outcomes
Careers & Outcomes
Versatile and customizable, an Interdisciplinary Certificate allows students to develop a unique skill set that combines knowledge and perspectives from multiple disciplines. The Interdisciplinary Studies department equips students with problem-solving skills that address contemporary societal issues on both local and global levels. This prepares them for various career paths, including government, business, law, humanitarian organizations, journalism, the arts, teaching, and many more. Graduates have attained careers in a range of industries as well as entrance into graduate programs at renowned universities.
Outside the Classroom
Outside the Classroom
Our program emphasizes hands-on learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. Unlike many other universities, more than 65% of UNC Asheville students complete undergraduate research, and our Undergraduate Research Program (URP) helps to facilitate these projects. We also promote global citizenship among students through the Study Abroad Program. As a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), we provide opportunities for students to study at over 200 universities in more than 40 countries.
Clubs & Organizations
Clubs & Organizations
UNC Asheville offers an inclusive community with over 60 student clubs and organizations, providing ample opportunities for Interdisciplinary Studiesmajors to engage with their peers and enhance their college experience. For example, Asian Students in Asheville (A.S.I.A.) is a dynamic organization that represents the growing population of Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander students at UNC Asheville through a variety os social, cultural, and educational events.
One of my professors used the term ‘serial obsessionist’ to describe his wide variety of interests. I think that term fits me well. I have been surprised by how many different things are really exciting for me to learn about, so I have had a hard time settling into any one path after graduation.
Faculty
Experienced and dedicated faculty support your academic and personal growth and enrich UNC Asheville’s Interdisciplinary Studies program. Our faculty members bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise from diverse ethnicities and nations of origin, languages, and academic disciplines, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging learning experience.
Sonia Kapur, Ph.D.
Interim Chair of Interdisciplinary, International Studies; Sara and Joseph Breman Professor
Office: 207 Zeis Hall
Phone: 250-3943
Email: skapur@unca.edu
Amanda Wray, Ph.D.
Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Office: 213 Karpen Hall
Phone: 251-6412
Email: awray1@unca.edu
Office Hours:
Monday 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Wednesday 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Thursday and Friday office hours are online by appointment.
Renuka Gusain, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary; International Studies and Humanities; HUM 214 Coordinator; CTL Faculty Fellow 2025-27
Office: 216 Zeis Hall
Phone: 250-3952
Email: rgusain@unca.edu
Office Hours:
Monday 8:30 am – 9:30 am
Wednesday 9:30 am – 10:45 am
Or by appointment
Surain Subramaniam, Ph.D.
Professor of International & Asian Studies
Office: 212 Zeis Hall
Phone: 232-2409
Email: surain@unca.edu
Emily Herzog
Administrative Assistant, Vice Chair of Employee Belonging and Wellness
Office: 205 Zeis Hall
Phone: 250-3955
Email: eherzog@unca.edu
Ready for what's next?
Interdisciplinary Studies at UNC Asheville empowers you to explore diverse subjects, merge ideas from various fields, and discover unexpected connections that can shape the future. Our program is a gateway to a world of boundless possibilities, where you can delve into the intersection of art and science, business and sustainability, technology, and social impact.