Preparing students for world-changing careers
Join us to…
EXPLORE the world’s most pressing issues, from racial and economic injustice, to unsustainable food systems and food insecurity, to climate change
ANALYZE the social, economic, and environmental transformations necessary to address them
DEVELOP the skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience to make a difference
DISCOVER how you can join the people and organizations leading change
IMAGINE thriving, equitable, and sustainable communities within an ecologically healthy world
Welcome letter from the Department Chair, Dr. Laird Christensen
News
SD Student Sophie Schneider Selected as Chancellor's Scholar
Oct 21, 2026
The College of Fine and Applied Arts is proud to recognize Sophie Schneider, a Sustainable Development major with a concentration in Agroecology and S...
SD Student Kate Borkowski Summits Mt. Kilimanjaro
Oct 11, 2026
Sustainable Development (SD) sophomore Kate Borkowski recently traveled to Tanzania to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, a snow-capped volcano that is Africa’...
The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Department Hosts Inaugural "Front Porch” Event
Oct 8, 2026
On Wednesday, September 16th, The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development (SD) Department hosted the inaugural event of its “Front Porch” series....
What Our Alumni Are Saying
"The Sustainable Development program at App State revolutionized my take on the state of our world. It taught me never to accept things as they are and that if the first answer to my question is the right answer, then I'm not asking the right question. Power relations lie behind everything, and the right answer is never "that's just the way things are." The SD program prepared me to aim high for opportunities with the most potential to affect change, and to create those opportunities regardless of however menial my current situation may feel. It gave me the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to impress in the "real world" and bring new perspectives to those set in their ways."