First-Year Experience Course

Support the transition to university through academic and professional skill development, exploration of the field, and connections with peers and faculty. Students build confidence, practice foundational tools, and connect their interests with academic and career pathways.

Systems Thinking

Pathways course

Explore how natural resources move through industry, society, and the environment to understand a sustainable bioeconomy. Through hands-on case studies, systems mapping, and qualitative and quantitative analysis, examine feedbacks, stakeholder perspectives, and the consequences of alternative solutions. Integrate social and ethical reasoning to evaluate sustainability trade-offs and inform responsible decision-making and civic engagement.

Industrial Ecology

Examine material and energy flows across industrial systems and their relationships with ecosystems and society. Apply life cycle thinking, industrial symbiosis, and circular economy principles to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.

Sustainable Performance and Assessment

Conjoint graduate/undergraduate course

Assess the sustainability performance of products, processes, and organizations using system boundaries, indicators, and assessment methods. Examine how current policies, regulations, and sustainability reporting standards shape assessment and decision-making. Evaluate environmental, social, and economic outcomes, interpret uncertainty and trade-offs, and develop evidence-based recommendations for improvement.