KAHULUI - The University of Hawaii Board of Regents has granted provisional status for the University of Hawaii Maui College to offer a new bachelor's degree in sustainable science management.
The degree becomes the third baccalaureate program offered by UH-Maui College and one of the only degree programs in the UH system to focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation.
The program is designed to provide students with an educational path to careers in industries that are seeking to be more sustainable economically, environmentally and socially, according to a news release. It is an interdisciplinary program that includes classes in energy, ecology, business and management, water and wastewater, agriculture, economics, policy and social science.
"We are particularly excited about launching the first sustainability-focused degree in Hawaii to emphasize the importance of energy efficiency, conservation, generation and storage," said UH-Maui College Chancellor Clyde Saka-moto, adding that the program also would address water, wastewater, solid waste, agriculture, transportation and other sustainable fields.
UH-Maui College Sustainable Science Management Program Coordinator Joie Taylor said that the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has identified Maui as the county with the largest green work-force sector and the largest potential in the state.
