Dallas - Southern Methodist University recently became one of the few universities in the world to offer a certificate exploring the environmental, economic, and social tenets of sustainable design. The Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering (ENCE) convened its new graduate-level program in sustainability this fall, and some students are already applying what they learn in positions they hold as lawyers, landscape architects, interior designers, facilities managers, and human resources professionals, among others.

“Very few universities offer a sustainability program like this one,” said Dr. Bijan Mohraz, Interim Chair, ENCE. “Change is on everyone’s agenda right now and we want to equip our students to serve as leaders and innovators in their respective industries to make a difference in the world, whether constructing green buildings, advocating air pollution control, or designing water supply and wastewater management systems.”

SMU School of Engineering launched the Sustainability Certificate program in August for the 2008/2009 academic year. Students, with diverse backgrounds but a shared commitment to the environment, will complete coursework by the end of the spring 2009 term. Equipped with a Sustainability Certificate, they will enter a job market that offers security and growth in an economy that makes headlines every day for its uncertainty.

Environmental engineering, according to Fortune Magazine, has an expected growth of 54.3 percent, exceeding other engineering professions; and according to the Princeton Review, “green jobs” are expected to quadruple in the next 30 years.