The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments is a 4-year, 121-credit, interdisciplinary undergraduate degree. View the curriculum sheet for the recommended sequence of courses.
MINIMUM ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- 2.7 Core GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- 1110 SAT Math and Critical Reading composites score, and/or
- 24 ACT composite score
Students who have earned a GPA below 2.7 but are admissible to The University of Arizona may be evaluated on an individual basis for admission to the Sustainable Built Environments program.
Undergraduate admissions occur through The University of Arizona Undergraduate Admissions Office. Within the application, you will be able to select Sustainable Built Environments as a major from the drop-down menu.
EMPHASIS AREAS
Students declare an emphasis area in within the B.S. in Sustainable Built Environments their junior year. Each emphasis area is specifically designed to prepare students with both a theoretical understanding and practical skills in the chosen area of study.
Students who choose the Sustainable Communities emphasis area will gain insight on how local and regional planning influence community design. Students will learn planning theory, transportation planning, and urban development. Students will understand comprehensive city plans, how planning impacts and is influenced by the environment, and how to make cities more sustainable through smart planning.
Students who choose the Sustainable Buildings emphasis area will gain insight on the theories and techniques behind analyzing building efficiency. Students will study topics such as: net-zero energy design, energy conservation, passive solar and natural ventilation, and climate response. Students will be able to analyze existing and planned structures for energy efficiency and create plans to make them more efficient.
Students who choose the Sustainable Landscapes emphasis area will gain insight and skills on the importance of landscapes in the built environment. Students will study various topics such as: water harvesting, passive cooling, and heat island mitigation, climate adaptability, and how the built environment impacts health. Students will be able to understand how landscapes play a pivotal role in a community and ways to make them more sustainable and useful.
Students who choose the Sustainable Real Estate Development emphasis area will gain insight into sustainable and responsible real estate development. Topics students learn include sustainable practices, urban design, real estate finance, site development, and construction.
Students who choose the Heritage Conservation emphasis area will understand the importance behind saving our historic structures. Preserving historic structures allows us to understand the environmental, cultural, and economic impacts of the structure. Students will learn how the process behind conservation, issues in conservation, and resource management.
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From the Studio
Indigenous Landscapes: An example from Hopi | Lecture by Michael Kotutwa Johnson
This lecture will lead to a greater understanding of how Indigenous people are now viewed as the gatekeepers of biodiversity. Indigenous people in their territories focus on something other than gross domestic product (GDP) but instead on quality and defined relationships within the context of where they live.
Improving water conservation and mitigating Arizona's heat island effect
The Arizona Board of Regents held a November showcase at the Arizona Experiment Station's Campus Agricultural Center in Tucson, featuring award-winning research from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University around new smart tree watering techniques.
Garages and Driveways: An Adaptable Neighborhood Infrastructure | Lecture by Deirdre Pfeiffer
Residents of America’s single-family home neighborhoods have adapted their car-oriented built environments in resourceful and creative ways. Yet, adaptations of garages and driveways are relatively underexamined. This lecture presented research that helps to theorize garages and driveways as an adaptive neighborhood infrastructure that may help households and communities thrive
In the News: CAPLA Associate Professor Jonathan Bean
CAPLA Assistance Professor Jonathan Bean emphasized the need for energy-efficient AI systems in a September "InformationWeek" article. He cautioned that unchecked AI growth could jeopardize sustainability efforts, urging a balance between technological progress and environmental responsibility.
CAPLA students collaborate with Iskashitaa Refugee Network on experiential learning garden
Last spring, CAPLA Sustainable Built Environments Lecturer Nataliya Apanovich partnered with Iskashitaa Refugee Network to create a study concerning issues among University of Arizona students and United Nation (UN) Refugees.
Study highlights challenges in bicycle planning in Tucson
A new study on cycle planning in Tucson, Arizona, reveals the complexities planners face in moving projects from initial planning to construction and evaluation.