The Department of Social Sciences is now home to a new MS degree program in Sustainable Communities!
Sustainability is one of the fastest growing career domains, and this degree program presents an exiting opportunity to get involved. The Sustainable Communities MS helps prepare professionals to work in both private and public sectors. The degree can be completed as a coursework only option or as a research degree with a report. The degree program is also going to be available as an accelerated MS for current Michigan Tech students across any major!
Sustainability is a highly interdisciplinary topic, and this degree program is designed so that students can tailor their MS degree experience to meet their needs. All students complete three core courses in social sciences (one required, two selected from a short list). The rest of the degree can be completed with either individual courses or with existing graduate certificate programs. This allows students to choose to create a stackable set of experiences that build expertise within specific domains or to develop deeper knowledge within social sciences. Students in the Sustainable Communities MS also have opportunities to work with community partners and build projects that contribute to community wellbeing.
Chelsea Schelly, associate professor of sociology and Sustainable Communities MS degree advisor, puts it this way:
“Contributing to more sustainable communities requires that we question all we take for granted in the ways systems and institutions are designed to meet (or deny) human needs and comforts. Faculty in the Department of Social Sciences share a passion for teaching students how to use skills from the social sciences to understand sustainability challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future. The biggest challenges to community-scale sustainability were created by humans—and they can be changed by humans, too.”
For more information about this degree program, you can visit the Graduate School’s program site above and contact Chelsea at cschelly@mtu.edu
The degree is aligned with professional practice and will ensure that students develop instrumental skills in analysis and synthesis, solving and planning.