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Program Information

Major:  Planning and Electives

Minor:  Course Planning Form

Minor:  Electives List

Registering:  ISC 1500

Applied Sustainability Education

Sustainability is one of the most important and marketable specialties available in the 21st century.  Florida Tech levers these opportunities by offering a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Studies and an undergraduate Minor in Sustainability.  We use innovative courses, systems thinking skills, and applied projects to unravel the complexity and build real-world expertise in your areas of interest.  Final projects use a Campus Classroom model:  students address applied university sustainability challenges to develop marketable skills for diverse occupations. Check out what over 750 global CEOs think about future prospects in sustainability.

Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Studies

Florida Tech's major program in Sustainability Studies expands on our well-known technical strengths and adds a unique combination of business and social science courses to produce unusually well-rounded graduates that can operate across multiple disciplines in the 21st century.  Four concentrations are offered:  Technology & Engineering; Business & Economics;  Environmental Sciences; and Social Sciences.  

The program was approved in Spring 2013 and information is available in the Major Planning and Elective Guide and at Sustainability Studies.  Additional information will be posted soon.  Please contact Dr. Ken Lindeman for immediate information.   

Undergraduate Minor in Sustainability

Florida Tech’s Minor in Sustainability is available to undergraduates from any College - Science, Business, Engineering, Aviation, and Psychology/Liberal Arts.  Since 2010, students from over 15 majors from all five colleges have entered this program. The minor consists of 6 courses (2 required, 4 elective) that total 18 credits.  With planning, many students can integrate most courses into their curriculum. The 2 required courses are:

•  Introduction to Sustainability (ISC 1500, 3 credits)   This fall semester course is available for students enrolled in the Sustainability Minor and also for students not in the minor.  Sustainable practices are examined among diverse specialities at international through local levels following the ISC 1500 syllabus.  How to register.  Instructor: Dr. K. Lindeman.

•  Applied Sustainability (ISC 4000, 3 credits)   Taken during the spring semester of the junior or senior year, students synthesize and apply what they have learned in ISC 1500, eligible electives (see below), and ISC 4000 classwork to create hands-on sustainability products in their areas of interest.  The class can also be taken by students not in the minor.  ISC 4000 syllabus.  

Electives for the Sustainability Minor (12 credits)   For the remaining 4 electives, students take 1 course within each of these 4 topic areas:  Environmental Sciences,  Business,  Technology, and  Social Sciences/Humanities.  FIT has over 80 eligible courses among these 4 topic areas that can be viewed here:  Minor Electives List.  For many students, 1 to 3 eligible Sustainability electives are courses they are already taking within their major.  

Enrolling in Sustainability Major or Minor Programs

Evaluate your courses and scheduling using either the Major Planning and Elective Guide or the Minor Course Planning Form and Minor Electives List.  Then meet with Dr. Lindeman (Dept. of Education and Interdisciplinary Studies) to finalize the appropriate course planning forms.  Questions?  E-mail lindeman@fit.edu , call 321.674.7370, or visit (Spring 2013 office hours:  Tue: 1330-1630, Wed: 1530-1730, Thu: 1100-1600 or by appt.. Rm 007, Shephard Bldg.).

Florida Tech's Sustainability Programs have five primary objectives: 

  • to increase student knowledge of concepts and best practices associated with sustainability;
  • to improve student understanding of the relevance of sustainability within their areas of study;
  • to increase awareness of the complexity of problems involving society and environment and, by exposure to sustainable practices from other fields, develop interdisciplinary solutions to such problems;
  • to provide students with opportunities to synthesize and apply their understanding of sustainability through interdisciplinary projects on and off campus; and
  • to generate applied scholars who are prepared after graduation to employ best sustainability practices in their professions.