Academics and Research

NC State prepares students and innovations for a more sustainable world.

Education about sustainability equips students to solve complex social, environmental and economic challenges that the future holds. Each of NC State’s 11 colleges connects with sustainability, including departmental focuses on agriculture, natural resources, earth sciences, marine sciences, atmospheric sciences, engineering, landscape and architectural design, management, education, economic policy and social sciences. Simply put – sustainability is inherently part of our university’s curriculum.

Find a Sustainability-Related Course Find a Sustainability-Related Degree Program Find Sustainability-Related Faculty Resources
Looking up at the NC State belltower that is lit in red.

Sustainable Futures Initiative

Imagine and implement sustainable solutions for society.

Undergraduate students work on a university boat taking water samples at CMAST

NC State provides real-world experience for students to engage with sustainability.

Not all learning happens in a classroom. Numerous co-curricular opportunities await. Join the Campus As A Classroom internship program to advance campus sustainability. Live on campus in the sustainability-themed EcoVillage. Take a semester to study ecology along the N.C. coast or study abroad. Become a better leader through Student Leadership and Engagement or serve through a sustainability-focused Alternative Service Break trip. Innovate in the lab through undergraduate research opportunities or build a business with help from the NC State Entrepreneurship Initiative. Learn and put sustainability ideas into practice through the Sustainability Stewards or the Social Innovation Fellows.

RESEARCH | More

Planting the Future

With support from the Trolinder graduate student endowment, Weilong He hopes to use machine learning to help breeders more efficiently assess the health of plants and troubleshoot problems for farmers.

NC State researchers solve serious sustainability challenges.

Our faculty, students and partners work across disciplines to address problems impacting the environment, economy and society. This multidisciplinary experience begins with Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions, a virtual course created for all incoming first-year and transfer students. NC State connects research to the real world, innovating in sustainability-related areas, including energy, transportation, materials, human health, economic solutions and policy.

NC State applies sustainability knowledge to improve lives.

As a land-grant university, NC State has hundreds of outreach programs that leverage the academic resources of the university. By partnering with our faculty and students, you can find solutions that can improve the sustainability of the people, businesses, and communities in North Carolina.