Environmental Studies

The Environmental Studies Major is a multi-disciplinary, 47-49 credit-hour major that includes course offerings from 14 departments and programs designed to prepare environmental leaders of the future.

The curriculum emphasizes four components: humanities and social sciences,  natural sciences, skills and the capstone experience. It seeks to provide students with an understanding of human attitudes and behaviors toward nature, and provides a grounding in science to prepare them to shape viable environmental policy and practice. The major also prepares students for graduate school in related environmental fields. 

BA in Environmental Studies Worksheet for Majors and Prospective Majors

The curriculum's distinctive feature is that it employs the nearby Adirondack Park as case study and field site, grounding theory in the experience of a protected area of international importance. First-year students are advised to begin with the Adirondacks Environmental Studies Semester. The Adirondack Capstone, which partners with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, centers on a service-learning field experience that is valuable for future employment, placing advanced students in Adirondack fire towers doing public interpretation as summit guides.

Each student is also required to complete a minor in one of the disciplines which offer courses for the Environmental Studies major, with no more than two courses counting towards the major. The program also offers a minor in environmental studies and a minor in environmental science (PDF).

For more information, contact the major coordinator, Dr. John Omohundro (omohunjt@potsdam.edu)