The Major

Students are expected to complete 16 classes for the Sustainable Community Development major, 7 of which are core classes required for all Sustainable Community Development students, regardless of their concentration. 

The Core Curriculum will broadly expose students to the theories and techniques of planning and landscape design.  Core classes prepare students to be engaged in envisioning a more socially and environmentally balanced world through both environmental design and planning.  These courses provide the academic background for understanding a wide range of cultural and ecological aspects of the built environment, past, present and future.

Of the 16 classes to fulfill the Sustainable Community Development degree requirements, 7 are Core Classes required of all Sustainable Community Development majors.

The following five Core Classes are required:

SUSTCOMM 205       Dynamics of Human Habitation (spring semester)

SUSTCOMM 394A    Writing in Environmental Design (spring semester)

SUSTCOMM 574       City Planning (fall semester)

SUSTCOMM 591B    Sustainable Cities (spring semester)

LANDARCH 547+L   Landscape Pattern and Process + Lab (fall semester)

Select two of the following three history of landscape design Core Classes:

SUSTCOMM 140       Awareness of the Visual Environment (fall semester)

SUSTCOMM 543       Landscape History I (fall semester)

SUSTCOMM 544       Landscape History II (spring semester)

Concentrations

In addition to the Core Curriculum, students will select 9 classes that allow them to focus on a particular area of study within environmental design and planning.  The four areas of Concentration within the major allow students to focus on particular issues and scales of planning and design.  The areas of Concentration are: Urban Studies, Landscape Studies, Horticultural Studies, and Built Environment Studies.

Through the four concentration options, the program provides historical, theoretical, and professional perspectives from a variety of disciplines.  This curriculum enables graduates of the program to make informed and effective planning and design decisions that contribute to creating environments that are sustainable economically, environmentally and socially.

All coursework for the major (Core and Concentration classes) must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

General Education requirements

In addition to departmental degree requirements, the University requires students to take a number of classes across a range of academic disciplines.  As of 2010, these University General Education requirements also include one upper-division Integrative Experience class, a General Education class with a focus on the major.  For more information regarding University General Education requirements go to their website: http://www.umass.edu/gened/forStudents/indexForStudents.html

Computer Requirement
All students are required to have a laptop computer, equal or greater to the specifications provided by the department.  The department will also provide a list of required software (including version).  For more information regarding departmental computer requirements refer to our website.