BA Environmental Design and Sustainability at University of Washington

Programme overview

The Environmental Design and Sustainability major explores how the process of design and the science of sustainability can be integrated to solve pressing environmental, social, and governance issues facing society today and in the future such as climate change and environmental justice. Working within a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum, students focus their education on design technologies, practice, or equity within the built environment.

Faculty: College of Built Environments | Department: Landscape Architecture | Location: Seattle, WA, United States

What you will study

General Education Requirements; English Composition (C) (5 credits); Additional Writing (W) (10 credits). Can be met by general education or major courses.; Arts and Humanities (A&H) (20 credits); Social Sciences (SSc) (20 credits); Natural Sciences (NSc) (20 credits); Reasoning (RSN) (4 credits); Diversity (DIV) (5 credits). Can be met by general education or major courses.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Students in good academic standing may declare this major at any time. Continuation Policy All students must make satisfactory academic progress in the major. Failure to do so results in major-level academic notification, major-level warning, and major-level alerts, which can lead to dismissal from the major and being precluded from subsequently declaring the major in a future quarter. For the complete continuation policy, contact the departmental adviser or refer to the department website.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,664 a year (2026-27). Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and fac Source

International applicants: USD 44,580 a year (2026-27). Non-Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and Source

First-year entry quarters: Autumn (begins late September), Winter (begins early January; not open to international first-year applicants), Summer (begins mid-June; most degree-seeking students apply for Autumn). Spring quarter is not open to first-year applicants.

Transfer entry: Autumn and Summer quarters; Spring quarter transfer admission is open only to applicants to specific departments in engineering and computer science.

First-year applications for Autumn (and Summer) open August 15 and close November 15; notification March 1-15. Winter applications open August 1 and close September 1, with notification in November and December. The UW does not offer early decision or early action. Apply through the Common App.

First-year application fee is $85 for U.S. students (fee waivers available) and $95 for international students (no fee waivers). Application requires a Common App essay and a self-reported academic record in STARS. SAT/ACT scores are not required for most applicants; homeschooled applicants and applicants from schools without letter or numeric grades must submit SAT or ACT scores. International applicants submit TOEFL or IELTS scores meeting the minimum English proficiency requirement.

Transfer applications for Autumn and Summer open December 15 and close February 28; notification May 1 to June 30. Transfer application fee is $85 (U.S., fee waivers available) or $95 (international, no fee waivers). SAT/ACT scores are not required for transfer applicants.

Apply through the official page: https://admit.washington.edu/apply/

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