Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
Incorporating the disciplines of design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning, the Sustainable Design major focuses on the places, things, systems, and policies needed to help solve problems in a sustainable society.
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design
The College of Fine and Applied Arts recognized a unique opportunity to draw on the expertise from across the college to create a new degree program: the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design. Incorporating the disciplines of design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning, this undergraduate major will focus on the places, things, systems, and policies needed to help solve problems in a sustainable society. Through a combination of existing and newly developed classes, students will experience an innovative, interdisciplinary, and unique course of study that will prepare them to enter jobs in the public or private sector guiding institutions and society to greater sustainability or continue their educational pursuits in a variety of graduate programs.
Why a Degree in Sustainable Design?
- Rigorous broad-based education in design with a focus on building sustainable communities through intentional design of environmentally sensitive products, buildings, landscapes, and cities
- Draws on disciplines of design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning
- Focuses on the places, things, systems, and policies needed to help solve problems in a sustainable society
- Β Prepares you for the future in a sustainable world where ideas from many disciplines will be necessary to solve complex problems
- After graduation
- Enter jobs in design firms, planning agencies, industry, nonprofits, and public policy institutes
- Continue preparation in a variety of graduate or professional programs such as landscape architecture, architecture, industrial design, graphic design, urban design, and urban planning or accelerated graduate design programs at Illinois
Study sustainable design at Illinois, a 2025 Gold STARS campus for sustainability performance awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Opportunities and Events for Sustainable Design Majors
Join Sustainable Design and related organizations in these ongoing events and activities, virtually and in person! As the faculty committee learns of relevant opportunities related to the major, they will be listed here. RSOs can emailΒ sustaindesign@illinois.eduΒ to have their events included.
BSSD Newsletter Archives
Catch up on news, opportunities, and events through our weekly newsletter! Subscribe here.
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π BSSD students check out what`s happening during Earth Month!
π April 6- 23 | Fall 2026 Course registration period. View suggested BSSD courses in the link in bio.
βοΈApril 16-17 | UX Days 2026: Systems in FLUX | Siebel Center for Design
This yearβs UX Days explores how designers work within, against, and beyond the systems that shape our world β from institutional and technological frameworks to cultural and ethical ones. Together, weβll ask: What do we keep, what do we break, and what must we rebuild to create more equitable, adaptive, and human futures? Through keynotes, workshops, and conversations, UX Days 2026 bridges the visionary and the practical, inviting students, educators, and professionals to explore how design can remain human-centered in an age of systemic change. Register online at the SCD website
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April 17 | Deadline to drop POT B (2nd 8-week class) via Self-Service
π± April 18 | Sustainapalooza on the Quad | 1:00-6:00pm
Join the Green Leadership Council`s annual Earth Celebration with tabling, crafts, vendors, food (with compostable dishware), clothing swap, live music, and more!
β»οΈApril 22 | Earth Day on the Quad | 11:00 a.m.β1:30 p.m
Join Earth Day festivities on the Quad! Interactive activities include:
-Seed Bomb Making (iSEE)
-βWhatβs in Our Recycling Bin?β activity
-Spin-the-Wheel sustainability trivia
-Make-Your-Own T-Shirt Bag station
-Musical Instruments of Nature (live & streamed sound experience)
-SESE & iSEE information tables
-SESE RSO Display
Join the Illinois Student Council and SECS for a behind-the-scenes tour of UIUC energy. Friday, April 10, 1:30 pm at 1117 S. Oak St. in Champaign
@secsuiuc @illinoisstudentcouncil
π± Today we are highlighting Faye Wettstein`s Research with Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, another student accomplishment supported by a Fall 2025 BSSD Opportunity Scholarship!
BSSD: Tell us about your project and the progress you`ve made thus far.
π± FW: βI was working on mangrove blue carbon ecosystem research with STRI in Panama City. This involved above and below ground biomass measurements, root collection and washing, and GIS work...learned interesting things about environmental field work, root washing and collection, and an introduction to the GIS work, surveying canopy change in urban mangroves.β
BSSD: How has the Scholarship supported your development?
π± FW: βThis scholarship has supported my professional development by allowing me to pursue a very unique opportunity, and supporting the cost of flights and housing for this experience. I got to learn more about Panama City, and understand the ecological conservation work that is being done by STRI scientists. Conversations with my fellow lab members were valuable, and I appreciated understanding the projects that they were undertaking.β
BSSD: What are your future goals or plans for the project?
π± FW: βI hope that in the future I can return to the STRI lab, but in the meantime I believe that I can integrate some of the knowledge I gained into my own projects. I`m undertaking an independent study on green development, and I believe that the field experience and ecological measurement skills I gained will be useful.β
Congrats, Faye!
πΌ The BSSD Student Advisory Committee invites you to Making Seed Bombs!
πΈ All Students are welcome to join BSSD on Wednesday, April 8th, to make Seed Bombs, which can be used to plant wildflowers.
π Congratulations to our BSSD Spring 2026 Opportunity Scholarship awardees Anna Hruska, Kylee Jansen, Aarushi Kaul, Elise Koch, Julia Konrath, and Lauren Wright!!
Interested in a short-term study abroad opportunity this fall? Join the *April 8* info session for UP 491 Urban Sustainability in Vienna, 5:00 pm, TBH 227
BSSD students check out what`s happening over the next two weeks.
π March 30 | Fall registration Time Tickets available to view on Self-Service
π₯ April 6 | BSSD Brown Bag Seminar: Getting involved: RSOs, study abroad, design competitions, and community engagement | 12:30-1:30 pm BSSD Office (210 C Architecture)
π Bring your lunch and share in the community! π BSSD Brown Bag Seminars are informal, student-centered gatherings where you can discuss compelling topics and connect with peers who share your curiosity. This is a space to explore ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another.
π April 6- 23 | Fall 2026 Course registration period. View suggested BSSD courses in the link in bio.
βοΈ Interested in a short-term study abroad opportunity this fall? Join the *April 8* info session for UP 491 Urban Sustainability in Vienna, 5:00 pm, TBH 227
πΌοΈ Ongoing | Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie Exhibition in the Krannert Art Museum features artists exploring dynamic relationships between people and place. The exhibition is currated by BSSD affiliated faculty Professor Terri Weissman and features work by Art & Design faculty, including BSSD Faculty Advisory Committee member Professor of Studio Art Melissa Pokorny.
Join us for our next BSSD Brown Bag Seminar: Getting involved: RSOs, study abroad, design competitions, and community engagement on Monday, April 6th from 12:30-1:30 pm in the BSSD Office (210C Architecture)
π Bring your lunch and share in the community!
π BSSD Brown Bag Seminars are informal, student-centered gatherings where you can discuss compelling topics and connect with peers who share your curiosity. This is a space to explore ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another. Then save the date for our April 29 program: Grad School: Why am I thinking about it, and how can I prepare?
