About SED
The sustainable environmental design major recognizes that the emergent, multidisciplinary field of sustainability science is growing rapidly. As the world population urbanizes, the planning and design of resilient, resource-efficient, healthy and socially just cities and metropolitan regions is profoundly important. The College of Environmental Design, with its long-standing expertise in sustainable urbanism and design, is an ideal setting for an undergraduate major in sustainable environmental design, with a focus on the built environment.
The major offers students a critical understanding of the sustainability challenges facing urban regions in California and around the globe, and equips them with the technical, analytic and design tools key to devising creative solutions. Graduates have many career paths and fields of graduate study open to them.
Students who complete this major will:
- Understand the application of physical, biological and social science in the design of sustainable cities and metropolitan regions.
- Understand sustainable urban technologies and design strategies.
- Comprehend issues of equity and social justice as they relate to sustainable cities and regions.
- Evaluate and monitor the present state and future potential of built environments in terms of sustainability.
- Comprehend the implications of policy and institutions and their potential to shape future sustainable cities and regions.