Growing concerns for the environment has spurred the college movement of opening up majors pertaining to energy and sustainability. With the rapid addition to these university curricula, students are scrambling and quickly filling the classes opened relating to green courses.

From a prediction by the Obama administration, jobs in energy and environment-related fields (such as welding, architecture, and electrician fields) will grow 52% from 2000 to 2016, whereas other occupations are slated to grow at an average of 14%. Nationwide, over 100 majors, minors, and certificates have been created focusing on sustainability and energy programs at big and small colleges alike. This was a huge step compared to the 3 programs added in 2005, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. This driving surge can be due to employers looking for graduates, as well as a number of students interested in sustainability careers.

Here are just a few colleges with green programs:

- Arizona State University – ASU started its undergraduate program in sustainability, with a focus on solar energy. Currently, it has about 600 students with a declared sustainability major.

- Illinois State University – ISU currently has 65 majors related to renewable energy, with employers in the district hoping to hire graduates studying wind energy.

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT has launched a minor in energy studies, with 43% interested freshmen and sophomore. On a similar note, the campus student energy club has gained a total of 1,700 members, a major jump from several hundred years back.

- University of California-Berkeley – UC Berkeley has an introductory energy class that has attracted a variety of students, going from 40 to 270 registrations in a couple of years.