The Environmental Studies Major

The interdisciplinary environmental studies major requires a minimum of 48 credits, including an area of concentration. Recommended concentrations are conservation, ecosystem science, environmental politics, geoscience, nature/history/culture, organismal biology, and sustainable development. See the Environmental Studies chapter of the course catalogue for detailed information about requirements for the major.

The Environmental Studies Minor

The minor requires a minimum of 20 credits, beginning with Environmental Studies 100, Introduction to Environmental Studies. Minors take at least 16 credits above the 100 level, including one 300-level course. See the Environmental Studies chapter of the course catalogue for additional information about requirements for the minor.

The Concentration in Environmental Studies

Environmental studies majors must choose an area of concentration around which to organize their advanced course work. Students must choose their concentration by advising period of the second semester of their sophomore year. The recommended concentrations (and advisors) are:

Conservation (Hoopes)
The Conservation Concentration allows students to focus on the science and policy behind conserving biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Ecosystem Science (Bubier)
Ecosystem Science is a field and lab-based interdisciplinary science concentration that examines the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Environmental Politics and Policy (Amy, Christiansen)

Geoscience (Dunn, Millette, Werner)
Nearly all environmental issues occur near or at the earth surface and involve earth materials.  A Geoscience concentration introduces students to the geology associated with Environmental Studies issues.

Nature/History/Culture (Savoy, Schwartz)

Organismal Biology (Rachootin)
The Organismal Biology concentration puts natural history, biodiversity and the evolutionary half of biology in the context of theory and field experience. Cognate areas of geology and physical anthropology are also appropriate for this concentration.

Sustainable Development (Batra, Hooker, Kebbede)
The Sustainable Development concentration deepens student understanding of methods and approaches that allow present generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.