The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design is a flexible multi-disciplinary design degree. Students learn core knowledge of all design and construction disciplines and business practices related to human-designed environments, including awareness of sustainable practices from a local and global context using comprehensive design and systems thinking.
Students in the Environmental Design program have five core beliefs:
- Solutions- Design moves beyond standard expectations and solves systematic issues.
- Systems- Everything is interconnected, and therefore every design created has a cause and effect.
- Long-Term Perspective- There are limited resources, and therefore, we must manage responsible management and sustainability in design.
- Human Centered- Real world problems deserve real world solutions that work for real people.
- Global- It is our responsibility as designers to positively impact the world with our creations.
All students complete a Capstone Project which allows students to bring together all their previous knowledge and training in a hands-on project that explores civic engagement at several different levels, from the scale of the user to a scale of the city. Students have the opportunity to create a set of drawings and renderings that are meaningful, well-searched, and visually impactful, and at that same time, align their personal interests with critical issues facing both the present and future of the built environment. With the program’s experiential learning approach allowing students to apply their education toward solving real-world problems, this results in a comprehensive portfolio of their designs and creations to present to potential employers
Students seeking to expand their view-points and connect with critical issues of the world also have the opportunity to Study Abroad and can elect to spend their second summer workshop with our faculty learning in Copenhagen, Denmark, known as one of the most sustainable and livable cities in the world.
Within the program, an Environmental Design minor is also offered. This minor allows students in other design disciplines and non-design disciplines to enrich and broaden their education through understanding and application of design and thinking methods.