Integrating Sustainability Into Engineering Education

Author

• Riley R. MollerFollow

Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3349

Date of Award

6-2026

Degree Name

MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department/Program

Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Rebekah Oulton

Advisor Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Advisor College

College of Engineering

Abstract

Engineering decisions shape lasting technology that affects environmental integrity, public safety, economic stability, and social equity. As global challenges such as climate change, infrastructure vulnerability, and rapid technological advancement intensify, the responsibilities placed on engineers continue to expand. Sustainability provides a framework for addressing these interconnected pressures through systems-based design and long-term thinking. Yet, sustainability education within engineering programs remains unevenly integrated, often positioned as elective or peripheral rather than as a foundational component of professional preparation.

Prior research shows that sustainability is most frequently addressed through stand-alone courses rather than embedded across required curricula, reflecting disciplinary structures that prioritize technical problem-solving over interdisciplinary systems thinking [1]. Even when sustainability learning objectives are articulated, they are inconsistently translated into coursework and assessment, constrained by limited faculty support, insufficient training, and weak institutional incentives [2]. This thesis examines how these structural challenges manifest across engineering education using a multi-scale analytical framework (Figure 1) and proposes opportunities for integration of sustainability-focused material into existing curricula.

At the national level, this study examines ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering programs across the United States to understand how sustainability is represented in program requirements, policy language, and required coursework. At the institutional level, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is used as a case study to evaluate students’ exposure to sustainability-focused content and identify barriers to integration through curriculum analysis, faculty input, and student survey data. At the disciplinary level, the study looks at how sustainability can be applied within specific fields, including AI-supported workflows in Computer Science, sustainability-focused senior design checklists in Mechanical Engineering, and life-cycle assessment tools in Environmental Engineering.

By examining sustainability-focused engineering education across these three levels, this research shows that sustainability can be integrated into core engineering courses without sacrificing technical rigor. It also finds that students are highly interested in engaging more with sustainability. Overall, the results offer practical, evidence-based guidance for educators, universities, and accreditation organizations working to strengthen sustainability in engineering education.