Environmental studies majors learn about the ecology of natural areas and about the political, economic, geographic, and social aspects of nature and its management. Students focus on natural resource and environmental issues confronting society as they look for solutions that can sustain both the natural environment and human communities.

• Human Impacts on the Environment: This emphasis addresses issues such as human population and industrialization, global climate change, natural disasters, and environmental history.

• Communications: This emphasis helps students understand how to communicate issues pertaining to natural resources and the environment through writing, public speaking, and other forms of communication.

• Business and Economics: This emphasis teaches economics, legal and ethical business practices, management, and marketing in the sphere of natural resources and the environment.

• Environmental Policy: In this emphasis, students learn about recreation policy, natural resources law, water law, and conflict management in natural resources.

• International: This emphasis covers sociological principals, such as contemporary people and developing societies, sustainability, world geography, and human-environment relationships.

• Planning and Analysis: This emphasis covers biogeography, recreation policy, conflict management in natural resources, natural disasters, city planning, and river management.

• Environmental Stewardship: This is a custom emphasis. Students pursuing this option must fill out an emphasis form describing educational goals and specific courses to be taken. A university-approved minor may be used to meet this requirement, subject to approval by the student’s advisor and department head.

 With a degree in environmental studies, graduates can pursue the following careers:

•     Environmental communicators or educators in business, government, or nonprofit organizations
•     Advocates for environmental causes or natural resource constituencies
•     Public land management
•     Manage organizations’ compliance with environmental regulations
•     Conduct audits of internal environmental efficiency
•     Work with international programs fostering sustainable development
•     Sustainable forestry network and the native forest council
•     Natural resources defense council member
•     Geographic data analyst
•     Laboratory analyst
•     Industrial environmental manager
•     Environmental scientist
•     Environmental activist