Sustainability Minor & Certificate

Build sustainability into your UNI education using personal interests, majors and service-learning experiences

UNI’s flexible Sustainability course opportunities include interdisciplinary certificates and a minor. Our interdisciplinary courses offer a wide selection of topics addressing best practices for human prosperity, resiliency and creativity. We offer a wide-variety of applied sustainability courses each semester: On-campus and Off-campus in our local communities or through studying abroad.

Minor Coursework
Certificate Coursework
Sustainability
Students volunteering in food bank garden
46.6%

Higher Hiring Rate

Workers with green skills are hired at a rate 46.6% higher than the overall workforce.

LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report, 2025

2x

Faster Demand

Demand for green hires is growing twice as fast as the supply of green skills — 8% compared with 4% over the past two years.

LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report, 2025

51%

Beyond “Green” Jobs

For the first time, workers with green skills in non-green jobs account for the majority of green hires.

LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report, 2025

Find out more about Sustainability

Looking to enhance your existing major with a Sustainability minor or certificate?

Contact us directly at:

Department of History
1227 W 27th Street
319 Seerley Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614

Phone: 319-273-2097
Email: brian.rumsey@uni.edu

Careers with a sustainability focus

Individuals passionate about increasing economic efficacies, developing resilient communities that have access to clean air, water and productive soils should consider adding a sustainability minor or certificate to their academic program. From accounting to finance, economics to marketing, and everything in between, adding a sustainability focus will help you lead projects that lower the cost of doing business while improving our shared environments. You can make positive contributions to your local communities and across our the Earth. Examples of Sustainability-focused careers include:

  • Construction Managers
  • Chief Sustainability Officers
  • Environmental Scientists
  • Sustainable Engineering to Manufacturing Innovation Managers
  • Environmental Accountants to Economists
  • Interior to Landscape Designers
  • Directors of Corporate Responsibility
  • Environmental Lawyers
  • Sustainable Investment to Risk Management Analysts
  • Energy consultants
  • Resources Policy Advocates
  • Supply Chain Managers - Energy  
  • Resource Policy Advocates

Sustainability courses

The Sustainability minor and certificate framework consists of a progression of classes with one required course. The remaining courses are elective and can be tailored to meet your unique interests. A professional academic advisor can help you select the course options that fit your career goals.

Course examples include:

  • Introduction to Sustainability
  • American State Politics
  • Environmental Economics
  • Life: The Natural World
  • Introduction to Environmental Earth Science
  • Lean and Sustainable Operations
  • Environmental Health Science
  • Natural Resources and Civilizations
  • Global Supply Chain Management
  • Intro. to Electronics
  • Environmental Ethics

See full list of courses for the Sustainability minor and certificate.

‌Steps to earning a minor or certificate in Sustainability

  1. ​Declare using the ‘Declaration of Curriculum’ form found online at registrar.uni.edu/forms.
    You do not need an academic advisor's signature to add a Certificate or Minor.  
  2. Take Courses
  3. Contact Prof. Brian Rumsey to complete final reflection form.