About Our Master's

SUS takes an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to sustainability, defining it as the sustenance of ecological and social well-being that centers on resilience, flourishing, equity, democracy, justice, and interdependence. The complexity of this definition strengthens our students as community leaders because they have the skills to understand and act in response to a variety of approaches to sustainability, and also challenge those frameworks as they strive toward justice.

Our graduates enter the workforce ready to engage with their communities through transformative careers. Some examples of career fields following graduation include:

• municipal and regional governance
• environmental, sustainability, and social justice education
• non-profit program coordination
• sustainable food systems
• natural and sustainable building
• community organizing
• justice and equity leadership

Find out what our alumni are up to!

Social and Ecological Justice The SUS program asserts that social and ecological justice are foundational to any sustainable community. Without equitable access to the resources that make a vibrant, healthy, autonomous life possible, sustainable communities are not possible. Through coursework and community engagement, students learn about the systems, institutions, and histories of power and domination that shape ongoing struggles for justice and sustainability. We prioritize visions of long-term, radical transformation of oppressive systems, and also give students the chance to work pragmatically for change. Community Engagement All of us in the SUS program recognize that we are embedded within the fabric of both the NAU campus and our regional communities. Community engagement includes the reflexive examination and use of various models of activism, organizing, historical analysis of movements for social change, and other democratic practices. Through community engagement, students directly learn from and participate in the creation, maintenance, and renewal of communities, interacting with, and in some cases becoming, local leaders. Interdisciplinary Research Interdisciplinarity is integral to all aspects of the SUS  program, how we teach, and the students we mentor. Students from varied disciplines join the program, and faculty from an array of disciplines teach within it. Our work to understand, reflect, and act toward just and sustainable communities embraces problem-solving theories and methods from a wide array of academic fields. This enables our students to excel at interdisciplinary thinking, writing, problem-solving, and organizing. Applied Scholarship Scholarship in the SUS program is grounded in both rigorous theory and practice. Students in the program are encouraged to synthesize theoretical discussions in class with on-the-ground initiatives that respond directly to the needs of communities. SUS students may engage in applied scholarship in their classes, research projects, internships, and graduate assistantships. Social Transformation Students in the SUS program critically study and practice the arts of social transformation. We believe that sustainable communities require widespread social transformation at political, economic, and cultural levels. While individual change is one component of social transformation, SUS places its focus upon broader, collective forms of transformation with the greatest potential to address the socio-ecological crises we face.   see also "What is Sustainability?" above

We offer tuition waivers and graduate assistantships on a competitive basis to students who:

• are admitted to the Sustainable Communities program
• are enrolled as full-time graduate students (taking a minimum of 9 hours per semester)
• maintain a 3.0 GPA (with no grades below B and no grades of “incomplete”)

The Sustainable Communities Program is also offering a fully funded GAship in the 2024-2026 cohort. This "School Gardens" GAship is seeking a high-level Spanish speaker who is passionate about local food systems. Click here to learn more about financial aid in the SUS program!

No matter what state or country you’re from, NAU will be a home for your intellectual, personal, and professional growth. You’ll join more than 29,000 students from 80 countries who have all chosen to pursue their educational passions here. Located in the stunning southwestern United States, Flagstaff, Arizona is nestled in the mountains and experiences all four seasons. It’s the perfect place to pursue your studies—and there is no place quite like it. Check out our FAQ page and take part in virtual tours of our campus and the Flagstaff area to learn more.

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