Director: Stefan Schnitzer, Ph.D.
The major and minor offer interdisciplinary studies on issues related to the environment. Students take core and elective courses that address the environment from a wide range of fields, including anthropology, biology and ecology, chemistry and physics, economics, history, political science, sociology, theology and ethics. The major is ideal for students who intend to pursue a career that focuses on the environment (e.g., environmental management, restoration, mitigation, consulting, policy, economics), or who intend to pursue graduate or professional school in environmental science, law, business, policy, economics, philosophy, theology or ethics.
The specific learning outcomes for graduates of the Environmental Studies major are to:
- understand the basic organization of ecosystems and their response to environmental factors
- quantitatively analyze scientific and economic data related to the environment
- have a fundamental understanding of the social, economic, political and historical components that influence the decision-making process with respect to the environment
- understand philosophical and ethical aspects of environmental issues
- gain practical experience working on environmental issues via internships
- understand and synthesize the study of the environment from the perspective of multiple disciplines
Environmental Studies Minor
The goal of the minor is to provide an overview of environmental studies, which includes the study of the ecology of natural ecosystems and the processes by which humans influence, exploit, evaluate, value, mitigate and restore their environment. Students learn to understand and address pressing environmental issues through an interdisciplinary approach. Students complete three required courses (9-10 credits) and four elective courses (12-13 credits) that cover subjects from the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
| |
BIOL 1001 | General Biology 1 | 3 |
BIOL 3400 | Ecology | 3 |
PHYS 1009 | Earth and Environmental Physics | 3-4 |
or CHEM 1080 | Chemistry in the World |
| 12-13 |
| |
| Advanced Ecology | |
| Experimental Ecology and Field Biology | |
| Tropical Ecology in Panama | |
| Conservation Biology | |
| Experimental Microbiology | |
| Environmental Engineering | |
| Environmental Chemistry | |
| Water Resources Planning and Management | |
| Sustainable Engineering | |
| Chemistry in the World | |
| Earth and Environmental Physics |
| Survey of Meteorology | |
| |
| Human Geography | |
| Demography | |
| Culture Change and Development | |
| Environment and Society | |
| Global Aid and Humanitarianism | |
| |
| Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | |
| Development Economics | |
| Environmental History: Ecology and Society in the Modern World | |
| Philosophy of the Environment | |
| Public Policy Analysis | |
| Environmental Politics and Policy | |
| The Political Economy of Development | |
| Foundations of Ecological Ethics | |
Total Credit Hours: | 21-23 |