Environmental Science: A smart path to a long future
Students in the Environmental Science Program examine problems that arise when human beings interact with the environment that surrounds them. As part of a liberal arts education, the Environmental Science major offers breadth of material while developing depth of expertise within the student’s choice of an individual study track. Students may specialize in one of the following four tracks:
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Why become an Environmental Science major?
The Environmental Science Program seeks to train natural scientists who can function in the world of policy, and policy analysts who understand the natural world. This program explores the interconnectedness of both disciplines, graduating students who are well versed in both the science and the politics of environmental issues.
One Program, Many Skills:
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary program taught by faculty in both the Natural and Social Science Divisions. The courses within the program integrate Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, and Political Science. As a result, students learn how to approach complex problems using methodologies and philosophies from multiple disciplines. Continuing the College's commitment to critical and integrative thinking, the program's courses emphasize the development of written, oral, and quantitative skills, and they permit students to use and evaluate a variety of techniques and equipment used to study environmental issues. The Environmental Science Program can easily be combined with a double major in one of the core disciplines of the program.
What can you do with an Environmental Science Major?
The program prepares students for both graduate study and careers in governmental and non-governmental environmental fields. Some examples of career avenues are:
- Government (DNR, EPA, USGS, DOE, NASA)
- Private industry (Environmental consultant/analyst)
- Advocacy groups (Greenpeace, WWF, Sierra Club)
- Science reporting (newspapers, TV, magazines)
- Environmental Education and Outreach
- Graduate School or Law School
Most importantly, the Environmental Science Program guides students toward and beyond the tangible career path, by training them to think critically about the world in which they live.