Sustainability

RIT is a leader in groundbreaking sustainability research, education, and engagement. The RIT campus is a living laboratory for sustainable technologies, practices, and philosophies within our built and natural environment. Every day, in all that we do, we live the principles of a sustainable community.

Key Facts

2030

Target year for RIT to achieve carbon neutrality

74%

Academic departments that offer sustainability-related courses

8

LEED certified buildings

15

Student clubs involved with sustainability

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Golisano Institute of Technology

Golisano Institute for Sustainability

Sustainable Systems MS

Sustainability Ph.D.

Master of Architecture M.Arch.

Applied Research Centers

Sustainability Institute

Degree Programs in Environmental Studies and Sustainability

Undergraduate Programs

In RIT’s civil engineering technology degree, you’ll gain the practical theory, knowledge, and skills necessary to analyze and solve complex challenges posed by our nation’s growing infrastructure needs.

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RIT’s clean and renewable energy option in electrical engineering will prepare you to develop and implement solutions that reduce, prevent, or mitigate serious environmental threats to our planet.

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The energy and environment option is focused on identifying, developing, and effectively utilizing alternative energy systems.

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Create a sustainable future for our planet in this innovative bachelor’s degree in environmental science, where you’ll combine a love for nature with cutting-edge research.

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In RIT’s environmental sustainability, health and safety degree you’ll become an effective champion in making organizations and companies more sustainable and less polluting and employees safer at work.

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Pursue an innovative packaging science degree where you’ll learn how to design, develop, and test sustainable product packaging for a variety of industries including food, medical products, and consumer goods.

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Forge your path to engineering excellence with Pre-Baccalaureate Studies in Engineering. Build your foundation.

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Lay the groundwork for a scientific future with Pre-Baccalaureate Studies in Science and Mathematics. Explore the unknown.

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Graduate Programs

A NAAB-accredited master of architecture program that provides a well-balanced education that integrates design, technology, and research with sustainability to prepare graduates to enter the modern field of architecture.

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An environmental science master’s degree that balances environmental conservation, human well-being, and economic development to tackle the biggest problems plaguing our environment.

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In our master’s in environmental health and safety you'll acquire a foundation in the managerial aspects of developing and implementing environmental health and safety management systems to help companies meet sustainability and safety standards.

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The master’s in packaging science enables you to create visually stunning, environmentally friendly packaging that’s functional and durable enough to be aesthetically pleasing and sustainable for the environmental while also withstanding the stresses of distribution and transportation.

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The Ph.D. in sustainability fosters innovation and creativity in solving real-world challenges within social, economic, technological, and business realms. In this inherently interdisciplinary program, you’ll become part of a network of academics from across RIT who are working to optimize sustainable systems and practices in engineering, manufacturing, energy, education, and more.

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A sustainability degree that teaches you to apply sustainability science principles to any field to help solve the world’s grand challenges—including pollution, food scarcity, public health crises, and more.

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More sustainability-related degrees and courses

Latest News

April 28, 2025

Research opportunities at RIT position grad to pursue Ph.D.

Hannah DeFelice’s research at RIT focused on how to improve animal welfare. The same research now takes her to Cornell University this fall to pursue her doctoral degree in biogeochemistry, the study of how living things interact with the physical and chemical environment.
April 25, 2025

How college campuses in Rochester are fighting food waste with composting

WXXI speaks to Don LaFlam, executive director of RIT Dining; Neha Sood, director of Sustainability; and Jack Penland, student and zero-waste ambassador, about how RIT is handling food waste.
March 18, 2025

Pollution Prevention Institute at RIT accepting Community Grants Program project applications

The program, founded in 2008, is part of the NYSP2I’s ongoing efforts to make the state more sustainable for workers, the public, the environment, and the economy through pollution prevention.
February 21, 2025

RIT Ph.D. student and visiting assistant professor driving global sustainability

Since 2008, Thiab has been an active practitioner in the field of sustainable business and contributed to several programs and initiatives focused on sustainable solutions in Jordan and more recently the United States.