Wentworth architecture students Brittany Boilard, 20, left, and Megan Rodoff, 19, center, work on sustainable structure projects in their studio.
Schools cater to green job growth
More programs, degrees than ever preparing students for industries with environmental themes Boston schools top list for sustainability programs Schools see green job growth as more than a flash in the pan
Report results
GreenReportCard.org recently released the grades for 300 schools in the nation in the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, a survey that has the highest response rate of any college sustainability ranking or rating.
Out of 300, three Boston schools received grades in the top 40.
Harvard received the best grade given, an A-minus. Only 15 out of the 300 schools received this grade. MIT got a B-plus and Northeastern received a B.
Schools were graded on administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities, and shareholder engagement.
As the economic demand for environmental jobs grows, local colleges and universities are responding, forging new courses of study to keep up with what is expected to become an industry of the future.
According to a study conducted at the end of 2008 by green trend analysts James Elder and Jean MacGregor, at least 27 schools launched sustainability-themed degrees, certificates, or academic programs in 2007, up from just 3 in 2005.
Robert Kaufmann, chair of the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University sees the development of environmental majors as more than a fad.
“This is where a lot of jobs are, it’s not get a degree in geography and environment and be unemployed, it’s study these topics and be in demand by companies and NGOs that are dealing with these problems in the real world.”
UMass-Boston, launched a doctoral program in 2006 focused entirely on green chemistry. Advanced architecture studio courses at Wentworth Institute of Technology have sustainability worked into the syllabus and MIT has entirely reworked their engineering program, requiring students to learn concepts of both civil and environmental engineering.
