Learning Outcomes

The Environmental Studies major prepares students for careers as leaders in understanding and addressing complex environmental issues from a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary perspective. Students:

• Master core concepts and methods from ecological and physical sciences and their application in environmental problem solving.
• Master core concepts and methods from economic, political, and social analysis as they pertain to the design and evaluation of environmental policies and institutions.
• Appreciate the ethical, cross-cultural, and historical context of environmental issues and the links between human and natural systems.
• Understand the transnational character of environmental problems and ways of addressing them, including interactions across local to global scales.
• Apply systems concepts and methodologies to analyze and understand interactions between social and environmental processes.
• Reflect critically about their roles and identities as citizens, consumers and environmental actors in a complex, interconnected world.
• Demonstrate proficiency in quantitative methods, qualitative analysis, critical thinking, and written and oral communication needed to conduct high-level work as interdisciplinary scholars and/or practitioners.

The Environmental Studies minor supplements other majors to facilitate students’ understanding of complex environmental issues from a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary perspective. Students:

• Understand key concepts from economic, political, and social analysis as they pertain to the design and evaluation of environmental policies and institutions.
• Appreciate concepts and methods from ecological and physical sciences and their application in environmental problem solving.
• Appreciate the ethical, cross-cultural, and historical context of environmental issues and the links between human and natural systems.
• Reflect critically about their roles and identities as citizens, consumers and environmental actors in a complex, interconnected world.

The Environmental Science minor supplements other majors to facilitate students’ understanding of complex environmental issues from a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary perspective. Students:

• Understand core concepts and methods from ecological and physical sciences and their application in environmental problem-solving.
• Appreciate key concepts from economic, political, and social analysis as they pertain to the design and evaluation of environmental policies and institutions.
• Appreciate the ethical, cross-cultural, and historical context of environmental issues and the links between human and natural systems.
• Appreciate that one can apply systems concepts and methodologies to analyze and understand interactions between social and environmental processes.
• Reflect critically about their roles and identities as citizens, consumers and environmental actors in a complex, interconnected world.