Sustainability academic programs
In 1973, Northern Arizona University started offering one of the first environmental science degrees in the nation, beginning NAU’s long sustainability tradition.
In addition to our undergraduate and graduate degrees with a sustainability focus, two-thirds of NAU’s academic departments offer sustainability courses—almost 250 courses in total.
Sustainability Degrees and Certificates
As a student in the Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities program, you’ll work with communities to identify root causes of complex issues and present practical solutions.
Science and Technology Programs
In the university’s School of Earth and Sustainability, you’ll work with faculty to identify multifaceted solutions to environmental problems. Two of our Environmental and Sustainability Studies majors are using their degrees—in very individual ways—to make a difference:
- Anthony Mirabito either wants to be a corporate sustainability director or start his own business. “Business is something that isn’t involved in sustainability as much as it should be because it’s central to the work that we do,” he says. “And I want to be a part of that movement to change.”
- Genevieve Conley aspires to work in conservation and environmental policy and has contributed to projects that focus on reducing landfill waste, promoting social sustainability through our campus food pantry, and promoting women in STEM.
On the graduate level, our innovative Climate Science and Solutions master’s program is geared toward technical skills like greenhouse gas accounting and environmental policy. It requires an internship rather than a thesis to ensure your applied learning and job experience at graduation are unsurpassed.
From designing more efficient solar energy solutions to improving wastewater plant treatments to constructing LEED buildings, students in the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences use tools and technology to solve problems—sustainably.
Sustainability Across Disciplines
From our minor in Community Design to our Creative Writing – Environmental Narrative Graduate Certificate, many of our academic programs examine sustainability through a variety of lenses.