Our Mission

The mission of Loyola University Chicago’s School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) is to engage students in understanding and responding to local and global environmental issues by:

• Delivering Core environmental science courses to raise awareness and action in all LUC undergraduates,
• Preparing SES baccalaureate and graduate students for socially responsible professions in environmental science, policy, education, business, and health, and 
• Advancing our knowledge of environmental problems and developing solutions through original research and community outreach.

​The SES strives to advance sustainability in operations across all university campuses and to:

• Develop an environmentally conscious culture throughout the university.
• Advance the University’s mission of seeking God in all things
• Work to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith
• Provide a rich and transformative educational experience grounded in teaching and research excellence
• Promote experiential learning, and student entrepreneurial action in the service of nature, humanity, and the planet

Our Sustainability Mission

Sustainability at Loyola is driven by our Jesuit tradition of social justice, our service to humanity, and our role as an institution of higher education. It is embodied in an  educational experience for our students and activities that seek to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to  meet their own needs.  We are committed to an inclusive process considering social, economic, and environmental impacts and exemplified in a transformative  education for our students.

Our Commitment to Racial and Social Justice

We acknowledge that the multi-century legacy of racism against people of color -- particularly against those who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian -- pervades environmentalism, where White voices and agendas continue to dominate. Environmentalist doctrines have been – and continue to be – used to justify eugenics, genocide, and the displacement of indigenous people from their ancestral homelands. 

We affirm that social justice and ecological justice are both integral to achieving sustainability. We commit ourselves to deep reflection on the many ways that we as individuals are socialized into white supremacy and that our organizational culture, policies, and practices reflect it.  This intentional process of study will enable us to identify the changes required of IES as we move towards becoming an anti-racist, multicultural organization that advances racial, social, and environmental justice through our teaching, research, and service.

For more, see Carolyn Finney’s Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors and this “Statement On Racism in the Environmental Field” among other sources.

Curriculum Overview

Environmental problems are multifaceted and cannot be adequately understood and addressed through a monochromatic lens. As such, all SES majors share ten common environmental courses totaling 26 to 27 credits. These standard courses cover an introduction to environmental science, statistics, ecology with a lab, economics, politics, justice and ethics, environmental careers, an engaged learning experience, and a capstone experience.

Additional core courses in biology (8 credits) and chemistry (12 credits) are required for each of the BS majors. In addition, all majors require either specialty courses (0 to 14 credits), free electives (3 to 15 credits), or electives in the categories of Society, Ethics and Justice (3 to 6 credits), Policy, Economics and Resource Management (0 to 6 credits) and Methods and Analysis (0 to 3 credits). The BS majors require a total of 67 to 70 credits to complete. The BA majors require a total of 51 to 54 credits to complete. A student who wishes to double major within SES must complete at least 15 credit hours of coursework that is unique to each major.

Students wishing to add an SES minor can share 9 of 21 credits needed for either the Environmental Action and Leadership minor or the Environmental Science minor with their SES major. For those choosing the Environmental Economics and Sustainability minor, 6 of the 18 credits required for the minor can be shared with the major. Students minoring in either Sustainable Management, administered by the Quinlan School of Business, or Environmental Communication, administered by the School of Communication, can share 6 of the 18 credits required for either of those minors with their SES major.

Core Courses

Undergraduate Programs

Double-Dipping Policy 

1. SES students may not major and minor in the same discipline.
2. Majors: No fewer than 15 credit hours in the individual student’s transcript must be unique to each major; that is, the courses in question are considered as actually fulfilling requirements of one major, not of more than one major.
3. Minors and interdisciplinary minors: no fewer than 8 credit hours in the individual student’s transcript must be unique to each minor; that is, the courses in question are considered as actually fulfilling requirements of one minor, not of more than one minor or major.

Writing Requirement 

SES students must complete two writing intensive courses. Please note that these two courses cannot be taken simultaneously. Students who transfer in more than 60 credit hours are waived from one writing intensive course. UCWR 110 Writing Responsibly must be taken in the first year and must be completed with a grade of "C-" or better before any writing-intensive section may be taken. 

Language Competency Requirement 

Competency at the 102-level or higher in reading, writing, and speaking a language other than English is required of all SES 
students. This requirement can be met by:
1. Passing (C- or higher) a 102-level or higher course in a language other than English. 
2. Obtaining a waiver through Advanced Placement examination. A passing AP score does not earn course credit, but waives a student from the Foreign Language requirement of SES. 
3. Demonstrating language competency by passing a 102-level (or above) language competency exam. Schedule a competency exam with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures online: https://www.luc.edu/modernlang/placementcompetency/foreignlanguagecompetencyexam/.

Academic Advising

All junior, senior, and transfer students will be advised by the SES. First and Second Year students will be advised by First and Second Year Advising (FSYA). Eligible students can declare or drop a major or minor in LOCUS. Students who want to switch to SES from another school at Loyola (or vice versa) must apply for an internal transfer.

Graduation and Commencement

SES students who have earned at least 85 credit hours are eligible to apply for graduation. To be eligible to graduate, you must complete a Graduation Application. The application is available online through LOCUS. Early application ensures that you will receive an audit of 
your remaining degree requirements prior to enrolling in your final semester’s classes. When you submit your application, you initiate an "audit" of your Core, major, minor, and school requirements by your SES academic advisor. Your  advisor will e-mail you a copy of the graduation degree audit, which details your remaining requirements for graduation. You may also choose to schedule an appointment to review your remaining requirements with your academic advisor. Deadlines for graduation applications are as follows:
Fall (December) Graduation = applications due by March 1
Spring (May) Graduation = applications due by October 1
Summer (August) Graduation = applications due by October 1
Students who do not apply by the application deadline must contact their academic advisor for a late application form. 

Students earning 60 or more graded Loyola credits are eligible to graduate with laudatory honors. This outstanding accomplishment will be noted on the student's diploma and official transcript. Note: GPA is not rounded up for laudatory honors. Students who are eligible for Commencement will receive an invitation to participate in the ceremony. Commencement ceremonies are held only in May. Students who complete their degrees in December, May, or August may participate in the May ceremony if they wish.

University Policies

Please see University Policies for academic policies that supersede those of academic units within the University

Undergraduate Policies and Procedures

Please see Undergraduate Policies and Procedures for academic policies that supersede those of academic units within the University.