Undergraduate Education
Sustainability & the Built Environment (SBE)
The Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment (BSSBE) enables students to explore creative solutions for the planning, design and construction of human structure and settlements. Whether it is the redesign and rehabilitation of existing structures or innovative new design, students will be provided a theoretical foundation for seeking sustainable solutions to problems in the built environment. The degree program is supported by faculty who are experts in sustainability and who bring global experience.
We offer both a major and a minor degree and welcome students who select us as incoming freshmen, find us through a change of majors, or join us as a transfer student. We are proud to participate in UF’s Innovation Academy.
Degree Requirements
The SBE major is a four-year, 120-credit hours degree program leading to Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment (BSSBE). The degree offers two specializations and three degree disciplinary domains. Students within both specializations are required to take a series of common SBE courses (such as DCP 1003, LAA 1330, DCP 3200, DCP 3210, DCP 3220, and DCP 4290). The SBE minor is offered to other majors across campus, 15 credit hours required.
Explore the BSSBE Curricula
Students within the BSSBE Major get to enjoy a wide variety of core courses controlled by the SBE Program, as well as required and elective courses across a variety of academic disciplines across the University of Florida.
SBE Program | Undergraduate Specializations
Interdisciplinary Specialization
- Disciplinary Domain Details
- Unique Features
- Exploratory training in sustainability science and the application of green building principles and practices and/or community resilience adaptive capacities in social-ecological systems (via clustered electives)
- Elective client and case study contextualization through a green building studio and/or a community resilience course (via DCP 4214 and DCP 4930)
- UF Undergraduate Catalog Resources
Geodesign Specialization
- Disciplinary Domain Details
- Unique Features
- Sequential training in spatial and temporal analytics and alternative future scenarios design through geographic information systems (GIS) theory and application (via DCP 2001, DCP 2002, URP 4230, and URP 4283)
- Note: As of the 2022/23 Academic Year, this sequence must begin no later than an undergraduate student’s sophomore spring (semester four) at UF.
- Required client and case study contextualization through a geodesign studio (via DCP 4945)
- Sequential training in spatial and temporal analytics and alternative future scenarios design through geographic information systems (GIS) theory and application (via DCP 2001, DCP 2002, URP 4230, and URP 4283)
- UF Undergraduate Catalog Resources
Admissions
Current Students
UF students seeking to change majors into the program should meet with a college adviser to review the program and qualifications. Students must have at least a 3.0 minimum UF GPA in order to enter the major. Please contact an adviser at advising@dcp.ufl.edu for more information.
Transfer Students
The SBE is an unlimited-access major available for transfer students from within and outside the University of Florida. All students applying for transfer must complete the UF Application for Transfer. Students are advised to apply for transfer well in advance of the published deadline.
Apply Now
Students interested in the SBE Major or Minor are encouraged to visit the DCP Advising Center located on the 3rd floor of the Architecture Building in room 331 ARCH. Matriculation into the SBE program is managed by Pat Dejong, Director Academic Advising for the college. Students may also see Bahar Armaghani, SBE Program Director. Additional contact information for the SBE team can be found here.
Beyond the Classroom
To the greatest degree possible, the SBE program utilizes an active learning model which leverages hands-on experiences, self-directed and mentored research projects, internships, as well as course-based field trips, both local and long distance.