Sustainability Curricula
Temple University is committed to addressing global and local sustainability challenges through diverse, collaborative interdisciplinary perspectives. We encourage all students, regardless of their course of study, to integrate sustainability into their studies.
Offerings vary from term to term.
In accordance with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)'s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) criteria, the Office of Sustainability analyzes courses descriptions at the undergraduate and graduate level and categorizes units of instruction as either:
- sustainability-focused, a course with a primary and explicit focus on the integrated concept of sustainability and/or the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems, or
- sustainability-inclusive, a course focused on something other than sustainability, but clearly incorporates sustainability content or addresses one or more sustainability challenges.
A sustainability challenge is an issue or situation that threatens or undermines ecological integrity, racial equity and social justice, or the ability of future generations to meet their needs, such as biodiversity loss, poverty and inequality, or climate change, or a goal or objective that contributes to the resolution of such an issue or situation, like ecosystem health, universal human rights, or renewable energy generation. Read more about Education for Sustainable Development Goals with this UNESCO resource.