USF offering new green degree

[USFishin]

USF offering new green degree

By LINDSAY PETERSON

lpeterson@tampatrib.com

With so many things going "green" - buildings, cars, industries - the University of South Florida will soon offer a master's degree in green.

USF's Board of Trustees approved a new MA in Global Sustainability last week. The program will be part of the university's new School of Global Sustainability.

The new master's degree is for professionals who deal with sustainability issues in their jobs and for students who want to work in other countries or in the United States to promote sustainable public policies.

What is sustainability? The proposal to establish a new sustainability school at USF calls it "the process of improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems."

And it's generating jobs, USF officials said in their proposal for the master's program. Kaplan's new College Guide identifies 10 "hot green careers" in environmental design and engineering, hydrology, solar energy and transportation system planning. The Pew Charitable Trust reported Florida's clean energy economy grew nearly 8 percent from 1998 to 2007.

"With its unique strengths in research on water, coastal environments and globalization, the University of South Florida is poised to make a significant contribution to training students for the new Green Economy," according to the master's degree proposal.

The program's first students will start in the summer and fall of next year, with most of the courses offered online. They will focus on sustainability related to water issues. But over time, the program will expand to include health, economics, engineering and other disciplines.

Ultimately, it will be part of the new School of Global Sustainability, which is still "in a framing period," said Provost Ralph Wilcox. "We're having internal discussions with everyone who will be involved, in business, the arts and sciences, the marine sciences."

With most of its courses being taught online, the school will have a director but not a dedicated building. The instructors will come from existing colleges - from architecture to nursing.

Link

[UllStayForever]

thats great.  its a growth market and something the people of my generation will be more and more interested in investing in each year. 

[SattyBull]

As an Enviro Science major, I'm pretty excited about this one. It gives me an option at USF for grad school, since none of the current Enviro Science masters programs really intrigue me. Now we just need a Coastal Zone management program and I'm set