Sustainable Design, BS
for the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
The major in Sustainable Design offers an innovative, interdisciplinary course of study in design, with a focus on building sustainable communities through the intentional design of environmentally sensitive products, buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes and cities.
The program grounds concrete skills development with opportunities to move between disciplinary barriers, allowing students to prepare for the future in a sustainable world where ideas from many disciplines will be necessary to solve the complex problems of pollution reduction, energy conservation, and biodiversity protection in equitable, healthy, and thriving places.
Required introductory coursework provide a solid grounding in design thinking and skills, coupled with a broad understanding of the role of design in achieving sustainable results across scales. Students will apply their skills and knowledge in a required senior capstone project.
With expertise across disciplines, students in this program will be prepared to work in the public and private sector, or continue preparation in a variety of professional graduate programs such as Architecture, Industrial Design, Innovation Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planning.
for the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Composition I | 4 | |
| Advanced Composition (fulfilled by courses listed below) | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (fulfilled by required courses listed below) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Culture(s) (fulfilled by course listed below) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Culture(s) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Culture(s) (fulfilled by required course listed below) | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences and Technology (fulfilled by courses listed below) | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (1 is fulfilled by required course listed below) | 6 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning I and II | 6 | |
| Language Other Than English requirements | 0-12 | |
| Total Hours (with Language requirement fulfilled) | 28 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| FAA 101 | Arts at Illinois | 1 |
| FAA 201 | Black Arts Today (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts & U.S. Minority Cultures) | 3 |
| LA 101 | Introduction to Landscape Arch | 2 |
| UP 136 | Urban Sustainability (Gen Ed: Social & Behav Sci, Social Sciences) | 3 |
| ARTD 225 | Design Drawing | 3 |
| or LA 280 | Design Communications I | |
| ARCH 171 | Concepts and Theories of Architectural Design | 3 |
| ARCH 172 | Drawing and Modeling | 3 |
| FAA 230 | Sustainable Design of the Built Environment | 3 |
| ARTH 211 | Design History Survey (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts) | 3 |
| ARTD 326 | Sustainability & Manufacturing | 3 |
| ARCH 321 | Environment, Architecture, and Global Health | 3 |
| ARTD 451 | Ethics of a Designer in a Global Economy | 4 |
| FAA 330 | Making Sustainable Design | 5 |
| FAA 430 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| FAA 431 | Capstone Studio | 5 |
| Total Hours | 47 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Electives | ||
| Select 16 credit hours, with at least 10 hours at the 300 or 400-level, and with approval of advisor. | ||
| ARTD 230 | Design Thinking/Need-Finding | 3 |
| ARTD 270 | Design Methods | 2 |
| ART 205 | Experience & Meaning in Design (Gen Ed: Social & Beh Sci - Beh Sci + Cultural Studies: Western) | 3 |
| ART 208 | Digital Art and Sustainability (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts- LA) | 3 |
| ART 310 | Design Thinking (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts- LA) | 3 |
| ARTJ 398 | Designing Everyday Life in Modern Japan | 3 |
| ARTD 426 | Product Innovation | 3 |
| ARTS 321 | Sustainable Fashion Development and Branding | 3 |
| UP 203 | Cities: Planning & Urban Life | 3 |
| UP 204 | Chicago: Planning & Urban Life | 3 |
| UP 205 | Ecology & Environmental Sustainability (Gen Ed: Natural Sci & Tech) | 3 |
| UP 246 | International Environmental Planning and Governance | 3 |
| UP 340 | Planning for Healthy Cities | 3 |
| UP 405 | Watershed Ecology and Planning | 4 |
| UP 406 | Urban Ecology | 4 |
| UP 418 | GIS for Planners | 4 |
| UP 420 | Plng for Historic Preservation | 4 |
| UP 430 | Urban Transportation Planning | 4 |
| UP 434 | Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning | 3 |
| UP 437 | Public Transportation Planning | 3 |
| UP 456 | Sustainable Planning Workshop | 4 |
| UP 479 | Community Engagement in Planning | 3 |
| UP 486 | Planning with Climate Change | 4 |
| UP 494 | Special Topics in Planning (section SK Food Systems Planning or PC Planning Colloquium) | 1-4 |
| ARCH 210 | Introduction to the History of World Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 231 | Anatomy of Buildings | 4 |
| ARCH 273 | Strategies of Architectural Design | 3 |
| ARCH 416 | The Architecture of the United States, c.1650 to Present | 3 |
| ARCH 417 | Modern and Contemporary Global Architecture | 3 |
| LA 222 | Islamic Gardens & Architecture (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts -HP + Cultural Studies- Non-West) | 3 |
| LA 314 | History of World Landscapes (Gen Ed: Advanced Composition + Humanities & the Arts-HP + Cultural Studies- West) | 4 |
| LA 370 | Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| LA 446 | Sustainable Planning Seminar | 4 |
| LA 466 | Energy & the Built Environment | 4 |
| LA 480 | Sustainable Design Principles | 2 |
| Other courses approved by advisor | ||
| Total Hours (minimum) | 16 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Free Electives | ||
| Select approximately 26 credit hours with approval of advisor to complete degree requirements. | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Credits for Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design | ||
| General Education requirements | 28 | |
| Language Requirements | 0 - 12 | |
| Major Requirements | 47 | |
| Major Electives | 16 | |
| Free Electives | 29 | |
| A minimum of 40 credits at the 300 or 400 course level are required | ||
| Total Hours for Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design | 120 | |
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. This may require up to three semesters of language depending on high school coursework or placement. See the corresponding section on the Degree General and Education Requirements page: http://catalog.illinois.edu/general-information/degree-general-education-requirements/.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 101 | 1 | UP 136 | 3 |
| ARCH 171 | 3 | ARCH 172 | 3 |
| LA 101 | 2 | General Education course | 3 |
| Comp. I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | Comp. I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| FAA 201 | 3 | Free Elective course | 1 |
| General Education course | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 230 | 3 | FAA 330 | 5 |
| ARTD 225 or LA 280 | 3 | ARTH 211 | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 1 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARCH 321 | 3 | ARTD 326 | 3 |
| SD Major Elective | 3 | SD Major Elective | 4 |
| SD Major Elective | 3 | SD Major Elective | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 2 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 430 | 3 | FAA 431 | 5 |
| ARTD 451 | 4 | General Education course | 3 |
| SD Major Elective | 3 | Free Elective course | 7 |
| Free Elective course | 5 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
for the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
The Student Learning objectives (SLO) are:
1. Students will have a deep level of understanding of the fundamentals of sustainability and their functional links to the built environment
2. Students will have a deep level of understanding of the fundamentals of design thinking and practice
3. Students will be proficient in applying basic principles of visual and material communication, including sketching, drafting, model-making, 2-d and 3-d design software and geographic information systems.
4. Students will be able to combine design theory and practice with sustainability principles to address environmental issues at the product, building, neighborhood, city, landscape and global levels.
5. Students will be comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams to solve complex design problems.
for the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
College of Fine and Applied Arts Office of Undergraduate Affairs
110 Architecture Building
608 East Lorado Taft Drive
Program Coordinator: Professor Karin Hodgin-Jones
Assistant Dean: Dr. Nicole Turner
Program Website: https://faa.illinois.edu/bachelor-science-sustainable-design
Program Email: sustaindesign@illinois.edu
College Website: https://faa.illinois.edu/