BS in Sustainable Built Environments
Create a more resilient future for buildings, landscapes and communities.
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Learn more about the BS SBE and talk with a recruiting specialist by calling 520-621-4231 or completing this form:
The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in the green economy.
As an SBE student, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of sustainability principles that will prepare you with the skills to make our buildings, landscapes and communities more resilient. Discover the ecological, social and economic forces that affect the built environment and how to create innovative and realistic solutions.
The STEM-designated SBE degree is offered in-person at the University of Arizona’s main campus, fully online through Arizona Online and at UArizona's UPC Lima microcampus. You'll have the flexibility to move between in-person and online instruction as you complete your degree.
What You'll Learn
In SBE, you will have the opportunity to learn:
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Construction and project management
- Design thinking
- Energy management and design, including alternative energy
- Environmental landscape design and urban ecology
- Geographic information systems (GIS) and geodesign
- Green infrastructure and water harvesting
- Historic preservation and heritage conservation
- Placemaking and urban design, planning and policy
- Responsible real estate and urban development
- Transportation planning
- Professional communication, digital media and presentation
You will graduate prepared with creative solutions for the built environment to meet the grand challenges of the 21st century.
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ways to study:
on-campus and online
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emphasis areas: sustainable buildings, sustainable communities, sustainable landscapes, sustainable real estate development and heritage conservation
#11
Best Value Sustainability
Bachelor's Degree
Value Colleges, 2022
With five emphasis areas (Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Landscapes, Sustainable Real Estate Development and Heritage Conservation), the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments offers students a comprehensive understanding of sustainability principles and trains them in the skills to make our buildings, landscapes and communities more resilient. SBE also offers an accelerated path into our graduate programs.
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments graduates are prepared for a wide range of employment opportunities in entrepreneurial start-ups, global corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies—as well as graduate studies.
The Student Experience
As a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments student, you’ll be part of a strong community of students and inspiring faculty, whether studying on the main campus or online.
And studying in Tucson is unlike any other experience, thanks to our Sonoran Desert laboratory and CAPLA’s state-of-the-art facilities.
Meet the Sustainable Built Environments Community
Daniel Vega '21 BS SBE, '24 M.Arch
Yaqui tribe member Daniel Vega, who is from Tucson, says, "Many of the beliefs we carry associate with protecting and celebrating this beautiful environment we reside in—which the SBE does as well, just in a more urban way."
Philip Stoker, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning
Assistant Professor Philip Stoker researches how cities and neighborhoods can be designed and planned so that they have fewer negative environmental impacts. He teaches courses on geographical information systems, mapping and sustainable development in cities.
Gabby Abou-Zeid BS SBE '19
Gabby Abou-Zeid’s path exploring transportation and urban planning has been anything but linear. That seems fitting for someone who graduated with a BS in SBE, is now halfway through the Master’s in Civil Engineering and next plans to pursue a PhD related to transportation planning.
Global Microcampus Program in Sustainable Built Environments
CAPLA has partnered with top-ranked La Universidad Peruana de Ciencia Apilcadas (UPC) in Lima, Peru for our first microcampus program. The dynamic curriculum of the BS Sustainable Built Environments allows the degree to bridge with UPC's Bachelor of Architecture so that students in Peru start with the architecture program, add SBE courses beginning in their third year and graduate with both degrees.
Studying in CAPLA has been a humbling but amazing experience; while you may feel like the least informed person in class at first, you also walk out of every class at the end of the semester with new knowledge and perspectives.
Isabelle Loh '21 BS SBE
Ready to create a more sustainable future?
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments by contacting us at capla-ugrad@arizona.edu or begin your application now: