Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies

The Sustainability Studies (BA) is offered at:

• Breckenridge
• Dillon
• Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs
• Steamboat Springs
• Vail Valley at Edwards

If you live closer to a campus that is not listed above, you may be able to take some classes locally. Contact your campus for more information.

Program Learning Outcomes are what we expect each student will learn while earning a degree or certificate. Meeting these learning outcomes is how we assess our performance as a college. Our learning outcomes support both important career skills and future success as a student.

Upon completing the Sustainability Studies (BA) program, CMC students will be able to:

1. Articulate the concept and practice of sustainability as it relates to the self, community, and the wider world.
2. Analyze, synthesize, and interpret complex adaptive systems.
3. Conduct and communicate sustainability research that draws upon, integrates, critiques, and/or transcends disciplinary frameworks.
4. Demonstrate how qualitative/quantitative measures can be used in collaboration with diverse stakeholders to assess, report, and design approaches that address sustainability challenges and opportunities.
5. Demonstrate professional skills and career development abilities in the field.

Careers in Sustainability — Put Your Sustainability Studies Degree to Work

Develop knowledge and skills while making connections with internships and projects at CMC

With your sustainability degree, you'll be able to launch a career in:

• Business management
• Consulting
• Energy policy
• Environmental education
• International development
• Local, state, and federal government
• Marketing and communications for the "green economy"
• Public administration
• Public lands management
• Sustainable food
• Urban planning

Graduates of Colorado Mountain College’s Bachelor of Arts  program in Sustainability Studies have many career opportunities. Our students undertake a rigorous program of study that prepares them to understand many complex challenges and opportunities relevant to building a more sustainable local and global society. Our graduates work toward achieving economic and social vitality within a context of a healthy environment. Through cutting edge coursework, extracurricular activities, internships, research projects, and more, CMC provides Sustainability Studies graduates a platform to become successful sustainability professionals.

The following guide offers a sampling of resources to help graduates as well as prospective and current students begin to explore career options. Paid and unpaid internships and volunteer opportunities offer emerging sustainability professionals the opportunity to hone their skills and develop experience relevant to paid employment in sustainability. Therefore, this site offers access to information on both paid and unpaid employment as well as internships and volunteer opportunities. It also offers access to general career advice for those seeking sustainability-oriented employment.

Sustainability Career Advice and Options

• Career Services at CMC: Describes the services available to you as a CMC student or graduate. Go to Career Preparation  for advice on resume and cover letter writing, networking and more.

Internships

Although an internship experience is not required for graduation, an internship can be an especially valuable way to develop your professional skills and resume. A number of our graduates have obtained paid employment with organizations for which they served as interns.

Others have landed sustainability jobs with other organizations based on the skills they developed as interns. See CMC's Internship Program page for further information.

Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship
Work part-time with the U.S. Forest Service while studying for a career in public lands management. Upon completion, you'll have the distinct advantage when applying for Forest Service or other federal land management jobs as an existing federal employee.

Learn more about this first-of-its kind, two-year paid internship program developed by Colorado Mountain College and the U.S. Forest Service.

Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship

Job and Internship Posting Sites

• Acre: Sustainability and environmentally oriented job postings; includes positions in corporate social responsibility.
• ZipRecruiter/Sustainability: See employment postings related to sustainability on ZipRecruiter.
• Green Dream Jobs: Job and internship postings; searchable by city, U.S. state, skill level (including “internship”), designated categories of jobs, and/or keyword.
• GreenJobSearch: Extensive listing of green jobs and internships; searchable by keyword, designated categories of jobs, state, and/or zip code.
• Guide to Green Careers: Offers job and internship postings as well as very helpful general advice about sustainability-oriented careers and career development.
• B Corp Directory: Benefit corporations or "B Corps" are businesses that have included in their charters institutional missions that go beyond simply making profit. These organizations are in the business of benefiting society and/or the environment in addition to making money.

Database of Sustainability Related Academic Programs

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides a database of academic programs that emphasize one or more aspect of sustainability. This database is a good place to start if you are searching for information about graduate degrees (Masters's and Ph.D. programs) that you might pursue beyond graduation with your B.A. in Sustainability Studies from CMC.

Volunteer Opportunities

As a student in Sustainability Studies at CMC, you'll hear in your classes, from student clubs, and through e-mailed communications about many opportunities to volunteer to assist with events and projects of local nonprofits, businesses, schools, and municipal governments.

Volunteering offers you valuable real-world experience that can help you build an excellent resume as well as an excellent opportunity to expand your professional network.

Volunteering is a great way to put your finger on the pulse of what's happening in sustainability all around you, and serving as a volunteer helps you learn by doing about what it takes make things happen in the realm of sustainability. So don't be a stranger in your local sustainability community! Volunteer, and begin to work your way along your sustainability career path.