Program Overview
The Environmental Studies major equips students with an interdisciplinary understanding of environmental issues at the intersection of science, society, and culture. Graduates are prepared for diverse careers in fields such as law, policy, research, literature, and teaching. Through internships or independent research, students gain hands-on experience applying their knowledge and fostering a sustainable society.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Environmental Studies major is designed to teach students how to understand their physical and social environments as the intersection of a variety of overlapping forces, including constraints of biology and climate, as well as the influence of law and public policy, literature and philosophy. The major prepares students for a variety of careers in such diverse fields as law, public policy, scientific research, environmental literature, and teaching. As the major draws upon courses from across all four academic schools of the university, the skills and knowledge imparted to students are correspondingly broad, yet centered around an abiding concern with the environment. In addition to practicing scientific, social science, and humanities approaches to the study of the environment, students will learn to understand the interrelationships among science, society, technology, culture, and nature. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the major prepares students to recognize and address such challenges as resource depletion, habitat loss, environmental degradation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, with the ultimate goal of fostering a sustainable human society.
Careers:
The environmental studies program prepares students well for a variety of diverse career fields. Students have gone on to pursue careers in law, public policy, scientific research, environmental literature, and teaching.
Other:
All students in the program can conduct an intensive study of the environment through an internship or independent research project. The internship is a practiced, supervised experience in which students apply their knowledge and skills to the workplace. Practical and applied learning in an applied setting gives the student a “competitive edge” for future community and workplace contribution. Placements can include educational settings, grassroots activism, public policy, and habitat management. Independent research can include a variety of potential topics under the mentorship of a VWU faculty member.
