Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Contributing to a greener world
Do you want to help create Earth-friendly and sustainable environments for companies and communities? With a Bachelor of Arts in sustainability, you can make a difference.
Sustainability involves balancing economic, environmental and social well-being. SFA's sustainability program increases your knowledge and passion to advocate for sustainable practices in career and life.
Earn professional credentials
SFA is enrolled in the International Society of Sustainability Professionals partnership program, which prepares students to test for credentials as an ISSP sustainability excellence associate and/or leadership in energy and environmental design green associate. Students can become ISSP members for free.
Promising job prospects
Sustainability is a growing field as more communities look to improve quality of life through energy savings, environmental justice, active transportation, and regenerative agriculture and food systems. Businesses also are looking to improve environmental and social governance ratings to spur investment. Energy conservation initiatives can reduce carbon footprints and save institutions money at the same time.
Our internships have helped students gain experience and jobs in diverse government, corporate and nonprofit settings. For example, student interns with the Texas comptroller’s Property Assessed Clean Energy program have engaged with cities and counties around the state, improving access and understanding of financial incentives for solar panels and energy conservation retrofits.
Other interns have worked in city planning, environmental education, nature reserve management, farmers markets, and community farms and gardens. Students also have done internships in other countries, such as Ecuador, Panama and Peru.
Study Abroad
We participated in community projects in Achiote, Panama, in November 2022. We expect to revisit there and develop similar service-learning/community development projects in other nations in the near future.
Recent Graduates
Our sustainability program graduates actively improve communities through engaging careers. Read about some of our recent graduates and how they're making an impact.
Natasha (Johnson) Gaskill (2020)
Natasha graduated during COVID restrictions, so we arranged a graduation ceremony in her landlord's driveway, attended by her family. Natasha recently graduated from UT Austin's Community and Regional Planning graduate program. After working as a graduate research assistant studying EV charging infrastructure, she is now working as a transportation planner at a consulting firm in Austin.
Torrey Brown (2022)
Torrey served as Sustainability Club president for five consecutive semesters, forming strategic partnerships with campus and community organizations and organizing many activities, such as a fundraising for community non-profit organizations we worked with in Panama in November 2022. She also wrote grant proposals for our new environmental service fee "green" fund and created new sustainable internship opportunities on-campus for students from diverse disciplines. She also worked on our community outreach project, promoting energy conservation and workforce development in low-income neighborhoods. She is currently working as a project assistant in urban planning and community services.
Christine Eddings (2023)
Christine is graduating with honors after taking courses remotely while working for energy firms in the upper Midwest. Despite her remote status, Christine attended our Panama study abroad, helping plant coffee trees and recording species of hummingbirds at the Rainforest Discovery Center. She completed an internship managing data for a sustainable energy consulting firm in Texas. A native of nearby Lufkin, Christine's degree is helping her transition to a more rewarding career in clean energy.
Bachelor of Arts in sustainability (online optional)
Sustainability majors will receive a well-rounded education by completing courses over economic geography, environmental ethics, urban geography and more.
Online availability
SFA now offers an online bachelor’s degree in sustainability. Our degree builds core competencies in sustainability, empowering students to help communities enhance quality of life through "win-win" environmental, economic and socially beneficial initiatives. Coursework includes four core sustainability classes emphasizing fundamentals offered each fall, reading and writing classes (available during spring semester of even years), implementation and monitoring (offered spring semester of odd years), and field experience offered at any time. Internships occur in areas such as renewable energy, community gardens, sustainability monitoring and grant writing.
This program is designed to accommodate first-year, second-year or community college transfer students who are unable to relocate to campus. The online degree offers flexibility to choose courses that fit both your interests and schedule. For more information, contact Dr. William Forbes, program coordinator, at forbesw@sfasu.edu.
See the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional details, guidelines and requirements.
Minor in sustainability
Minor in sustainability to gain environmental awareness useful for career and life outside of work by studying the relationship between the environment and culture.
See the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional details, guidelines and requirements.
Undergraduate certificate in sustainability
An undergraduate certificate in sustainability requires coursework in environment and culture, and sustainability literature.
See the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional details, guidelines and requirements.
Graduate certificate in sustainability
A graduate certificate in sustainability complements a wide range of careers in the business sector as well as government and nonprofit organizations. The 12-credit certificate program includes courses studying sustainable factors in human sciences and sustainability.
A sustainability management concentration also is available within the Master of Interdisciplinary Studies degree.
For more information, please email sustainabilitydegree@sfasu.edu or contact the department below.