The Environmental Science major equips students to take a rigorous scientific approach when developing and evaluating effective solutions to environmental problems. It does this by combining four elements:
- a foundation in an environmentally-focused science discipline (biology, chemistry, or geology)
- broader interdisciplinary experiences and systems concepts that enable students to work and communicate across disciplines
- an understanding of political, economic, and regulatory aspects of environmental decision-making
- an outlook informed by tenets of sustainability.
The Environmental Science major supplies students with background knowledge, skills, and intellectual tools that are fundamental to addressing complex and multifaceted environmental problems. Solutions to these problems, however, demand both breadth and depth of knowledge, so students planning a profession in environmental science are strongly encouraged to take courses in one or more science disciplines beyond those required for an Environmental Science major, as well as to choose environmentally-related courses throughout the curriculum.
Students completing the environmental science major choose from one of three concentrations, in biology, chemistry, or geology. Students with interests in computer science, engineering, physics, or other fields in which there is not a designated concentration are strongly encouraged to combine a major in their field of interest with the environmental science minor. All environmental science major degrees are awarded as Bachelor of Science degrees.
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