• Environmental Studies
• Degree Requirements

Related Links

• Biology & Geology Department
• Chemistry Department
• Physics Department
• Economics Department
• Political Science Department
• Sociology Department
• Religion Department
• Business Division

Students who minor in Environmental Studies usually pursue careers or graduate work in environmentally related fields.  Students explore connections among the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities as they investigate the context in which environmental problems emerge.  The program provides knowledge from a number of perspectives about the relationship between humans and their environment, and involves practical experience in addition to coursework.  Coursework for the program may come from the following departments:  Biology & Geology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Religion and Business.

What To Do:

• Complete Humans and the Earth - preferably in your freshman year
• Meet with Professor Melampy (mmelampy@bw.edu), director of the Environmental Studies Minor before the end of your sophomore year to develop a plan for completing the minor's requirements.
• Capstone experience requirement:  You'll need to think about whether you plan to meet the capstone experience requirement with a senior seminar, or an internship.  If you plan to do an internship, be sure your plan includes a timetable for submitting your internship proposal to the Environmental Studies Committee for approval in addition to actually doing the internship.
  • Seminar - with this option, you would do in-depth research on a particular environmental problem.  The results of your research would then most likely be summarized in a written report.  Seminars would be organized by faculty with specific environmental interests. (Note: At this time, no seminars are scheduled. Students entering the program will be required to complete an internship.)
  • Internship - this allows you to gain practical work experience with an organization or business that regularly deals with environmental issues.  Each internship must be approved by the Environmental Minor Committee and must involve a minimum of one semester's work equivalent to the work involved in a three credit hour course.  Methods for evaluating the internship must be established through collaboration of the student, the Environmental Minor Committee, and the organization/business that provides the internship.
• Additional Coursework - You'll also need to select additional coursework from courses listed in your catalog, including a minimum of six credit hours of coursework in the natural sciences and an additional six credit hours of coursework from social sciences/humanities/business.