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Minor in Sustainability

Introduction

Sustainability is an emerging discipline that provides students with insights into the balance between human development and ecosystem services. Most professions nowadays require expertise in sustainability stewardship and practices. Sustainability covers broad issues from individual lifestyles to business, technology, and the environment, while incorporating the disciplines of hard sciences, social sciences, economics and policies. The Minor in Sustainability is designed to instill the knowledge, values and skills related to sustainability in our students, and fulfils our strategic commitment to foster interdisciplinary learning and sustainability education at HKUST.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Sustainability Minor, students will be able to:

  • Analyze the developmental issues from a sustainability perspective
  • Apply the learned knowledge and skills to their professions in driving more sustainable practices in their careers
  • Adopt a more eco- and socio-friendly approach and system thinking mindset and values in formulating solutions to the sustainability challenges in their careers
  • Assume and commit a strong stewardship towards sustainability

Eligibility

Except for those studying in the BSc program in Environmental Management and Technology, any undergraduate students with an overall CGA of 2.5 or above may enroll in this Minor Program.

Curriculum

To graduate with a minor in Sustainability, students must have enrolled in the Minor Program and complete a minimum total of 18 credits and all of its requirements, as well as the requirements of the major program of study.

For credit transfer, students can transfer a maximum total of 6 credits to the Minor Program.

Out of the total credits required by the minor program, at least 9 credits should be single-counted within the minor and are not used to fulfill any other requirements for graduation except the 120-credit degree requirement.

Students may use no more than 6 credits earned from courses offered in pure online delivery mode to satisfy the graduation requirements of a degree program. This 6-credit limit does not apply to credits obtained through the credit transfer procedures of the University.

Required Course (3 credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

SUST1000

Sustainability Fundamentals

3

Elective Courses (15 credits)

5 courses from the specified elective list, out of which at least 1 course taken from each of the areas and at least 2 courses at 3000-level or above.

      Area 1: Skills and Competencies

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

ENVR1070

Thinking Big: Systems Thinking for Environmental Problems

3

ENVR2050

Sustainability Thinking

3

ENVR3004

Life Cycle Assessment

3

ENVR3310

Green Business Strategy

3

ENGG1110

Engineering Solutions to Grand Challenges of the 21st Century

3

ENTR3030

Social Innovations and Entrepreneurship

3

MGMT3160

Environmental Business Strategies

3

SOSC2170

Environment, Sustainability and Business: A Design Approach

3

      Area 2: Values and Perspectives

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

ENVR1080

The Smart Consumer - Uncovering the Hidden Story behind the Product Label

3

ENVR1150

Climate Change Impacts and Extreme Weather Events

3

ENVR3110

Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Development

3

HUMA2595

Science, Technology and Modern Life

3

HUMA2623

Cultural Sustainability in South China

3

ISOM1700

Critical Issues in Business Operations

3

MARK1220

Marketing and Society

3

SOSC3260

Sustainability Science: Policy Problems and Perspectives

3

SOSC3540

Environmental Psychology

3

      Area 3: Knowledge

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

ENVR1030

Environment and Health

3

ENVR2010

Environmental Science Fundamentals

3

ENVR2020

Urban Air Pollution

3

ENVR2070

Smart Buildings for a Warming Planet

3

ECON2310/ENVR2310/SOSC2310

Introductory Environmental and Health Economics

3

ENVR3410

Economics for Environmental Policy and Management

3

ENVR3420

Environmental Law and Regulations

3

ENVR4320

ESG Management and Reporting

3

CHEM1004

Chemistry in Everyday Life

3

CHEM1008

Introductory Chemistry

3

HUMA2597

Environmental History

3

MGMT3170

Managing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)

3

OCES2001

Survey of Ocean Science

3

SOSC1860

Population and Society

3

Enrollment Period

Students must declare their intention to enroll in the Minor Program no earlier than the first regular term of their second year of study but no later than the last day of the add/drop period in the first regular term of their final year of study.

Enrollment Schedule & Application Procedures
Enrollment Schedule in the Academic Year 2023-24
Effective Term Enrollment Period
Fall 2023 1 September 2023 - 12 September 2023
Spring 2024 31 January 2024 - 14 February 2024
*Applications received after the deadline will take effect from the next regular term
Application Procedures
  • Students should complete Sections I and II of RR-37 Declaration/Withdrawal of Undergraduate Minor Program and pass the Form to their Major Department for approval.
  • After getting the Major Department's approval on Section III, students should submit the form to Division of Environment and Sustainability (Room 4412, Lift 17-18) together with their unofficial transcript downloaded from SIS (In Academics, click "My Academics > View my course history/ View my unofficial transcript").
  • Students will receive a confirmation letter from ARO if the application is approved.
Enquiries

Division of Environment and Sustainability

Tel: 2358 6927

Fax: 2335 9317

Email: sustminor@ust.hk

Office: Room 4412 (Lift 17-18)