Environmental Science Minor

The Environmental Science Minor helps students acquire the background they need to be successful environmental scientists or, for those not majoring in science, to use skills learned in their own major to work closely with environmental scientists.

The Environmental Science minor is open to all students regardless of their major, but it is best suited for those who have some interest in science or engineering. Students should complete a semester of chemistry before taking 200 or 400 level environmental science courses. Chemistry may be taken concurrently with permission of the instructor.

The Environmental Science Minor is designed to equip students with:

1. A solid preparation in one of the academic majors at Hope College.
2. A broad interdisciplinary understanding of environmental science. Students are required to take at least two interdisciplinary courses in environmental science, which may include GES 130 - Introduction to Environmental Science , GES 211 - Local Environmental Systems , GES 213 - Global Physical Systems , or GES 215 - Global Change - Humans and Biological Systems .
3. Knowledge of how environmental issues affect and are affected by politics and economics. Students meet this goal by taking GES 310 - Environmental Public Policy . This is an interdisciplinary course taught by faculty in the Natural Science Division, Department of Political Science Department and/or Department of Economics.
4. An ability to work in a team with scientists and non-science professionals from other disciplines. To obtain experience with technical aspects of environmental science, students may take GES 220 - Laboratory Methods in Environmental Science , and students are required to take GES 401 - Advanced Environmental Seminar . In this capstone course students work with colleagues from a number of disciplines to choose and study a local environmental problem.
5. An ability to use principles of sustainability when considering environmental problems and solutions. This is addressed formally in GES 130  and GES 213  and incorporated throughout the minor’s other course offerings.