Iowa State University
AC-4: Graduate Program

The Sustainable Agriculture Interdepartmental Graduate Program at Iowa State University builds on a solid foundation of agricultural science and provides students opportunities to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Our program was the first in the U.S. to offer both an MS and PhD with a major in Sustainable Agriculture and is the only graduate program that allows students to pursue a true interdisciplinary curriculum that includes the biological, social, and economic elements of sustainability.

The purpose of this program is to provide doctoral students with multidisciplinary training in the skills required for conducting research at the disciplinary interface between engineering, atmospheric science/meteorology, agriculture/economics, and journalism/communication. The thematic basis is that mitigating global climate change requires energy system transformation to reduce greenhouse gases from the electric sector; wind energy must play a central role in this, which will occur only through interdisciplinary leadership in advancing pertinent science, engineering, technology, and policy. The vision is to strengthen the nation’s wind energy resources by producing technical experts, effective communicators, and ethical decision-makers who will lead the U.S. transformation to a high wind energy portfolio. The research will increase wind energy growth rate, decrease its cost, and extend its penetration limits. Our education program includes a 3-6 month industry internship, a 3-month international experience, and a 3-level curriculum to provide breadth, interdisciplinary research strength, and advanced training and depth in WESEP.

The urban design degree reflects a deep commitment to resilient and just urban environments within the context of an increasingly concentrated, connected and diverse urban world. Accordingly, the coursework engages emerging urbanization topics, including: the formation of more adaptable, flexible and resilient cities; the exponential growth of megacities and steady decline of investments in traditional urban economies in the 21st century; the transformation of industrial landscapes, particularly within the Midwestern context, and the global impact of transnational economic operations; the spatialization of informal economies, practices and services across the south-north global divide; and a reexamination of the potentials of hard and soft infrastructures, principles of the circular economy and a reframing of the urban-rural divide.

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering http://www.abe.iastate.edu/graduate-students/agricultural-engineering/ Biorenewable Resources and Technology http://catalog.iastate.edu/interdisciplinaryprograms/graduate/biorenewableresourcesandtechnology/ Community and Regional Planning https://www.design.iastate.edu/community-and-regional-planning/degrees/master-of-community-and-regional-planning/ Environmental Science http://catalog.iastate.edu/collegeofagricultureandlifesciences/environmentalscience/#graduatetext Natural Resource Ecology and Management https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/phddegrees Rural, Agricultural, Technological, and Environmental History https://history.iastate.edu/graduate-study/rate-ph-d/ Sustainable Environments https://www.design.iastate.edu/interdisciplinary-programs/sustainable-environments/

The Master of Design in Sustainable Environments (MDesSE) is an advanced interdisciplinary degree that focuses on holistic design strategies for the production of sustainable, resilient environments and artifact

The Graduate Minor in Biorenewable Chemicals allows students from a variety of allied disciplines to understand the opportunities for developing biorenewable chemicals via a combination of biocatalytic and chemical catalysis steps. In addition, students in the minor gain explicit entrepreneurship experience, a background in the general issues related to production and processing of biorenewable resources, and exposure to the economic and environmental realities of the chemical industry.

The graduate program in Biorenewable Resources and Technology (BRT) offers students advanced study in utilizing plant and crop-based resources in the production of biobased products (fuels, chemicals, materials, and energy). The BRT program was the first graduate program in biorenewable resources established in the United States.

Biorenewable Resources and Technology http://www.elo.iastate.edu/graduate-certificates/biorenewable-resources-and-technology-graduate-certificate-online/ Community and Regional Planning https://www.design.iastate.edu/community-and-regional-planning/degrees/master-of-community-and-regional-planning/ Education for Social Justice https://www.education.iastate.edu/graduate-programs/teaching-learning-leadership-policy/social-justice-certificate/ Energy Systems Engineering http://www.elo.iastate.edu/graduate-certificates/energy-systems-engineering-graduate-certificate-online/ Family Well-being in Diverse Society https://www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-programs/graduate-certificates/ Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health https://www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-programs/graduate-certificates/ Preservation and Cultural Heritage https://www.design.iastate.edu/programs-minors/certificates/preservation-and-cultural-heritage/ Rural, Agricultural, Technological, and Environmental History https://history.iastate.edu/graduate-study/rate-ph-d/ Sustainable Agriculture http://catalog.iastate.edu/collegeofagricultureandlifesciences/sustainableagriculture/ Technology and Social Change http://catalog.iastate.edu/interdisciplinaryprograms/minor/technologyandsocialchange/#graduatetext