DePaul Sustainability Scholars

Institute for a Sustainable Future
  • DePaul Sustainability Scholars

Become a DePaul Sustainability Scholar

Are you passionate about making a difference for people and the planet? The DePaul Sustainability Scholars program is your chance to be part of a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of changemakers.

Each year, 20 incoming freshmen from any major are selected to join a dynamic cohort of students who care about environmental and social sustainability. As a Scholar, you’ll explore big ideas—like climate change, social justice, ethical leadership, and sustainable business—through courses that fit right into your existing degree plan. You will:

  • Take classes that count toward your major and Liberal Studies requirements
  • Learn from faculty across a variety of disciplines, including science, policy, business, ethics, and community engagement
  • Work in teams to design and carry out a real-world sustainability research project
  • Build leadership and problem-solving skills that prepare you for any career path

This is more than a scholarship—it’s a chance to grow, lead, and make a lasting impact at DePaul and beyond. As a DePaul Sustainability Scholar, you will:

  1. Understand sustainability from multiple perspectives: Learn how different fields—like science, business, ethics, and public policy—work together to address sustainability challenges.
  2. Collaborate across disciplines: Work in diverse teams to solve real-world problems using ideas and tools from different academic areas.
  3. Explore sustainability through DePaul’s mission: Understand how caring for people and the planet connects to DePaul’s values of social justice and community engagement.
  4. Learn key sustainability concepts: Define and apply ideas like planetary boundaries, resilience, equity, and the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit).
  5. Use research to find solutions: Apply evidence-based thinking to explore and propose solutions to environmental and social sustainability issues.
  6. Gain practical skills for your future: Build hands-on experience with sustainability tools and assessments that can support your career (e.g., LEED, STARS, B Corp).