Environmental sustainability is an interdisciplinary field that integrates natural and social sciences, humanities, arts and education to address complex environmental problems. It attempts to balance human needs and ecological well-being, viewing humans as embedded within environmental systems.
As a student in the environmental sustainability program, you’ll learn how to understand the complex linkages between social and ecological systems and bring together knowledge from many different perspectives and disciplines. You’ll analyze environmental issues, collect data, connect the local and the global, apply various forms of theory, gain technical and applied skills and work collaboratively with others to find solutions to real-world environmental problems.
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sustainability (46-56 credits)
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sustainability, you’ll complete six courses within the major core and an additional 10 courses within your desired concentration.
Core requirements
Take all of the following courses:
Concentrations
Select one of the four (4) concentrations listed below to focus your studies.
Environmental Education
This thematic focus provides you with the necessary foundational knowledge in educational theory and methodology combined with practical leadership and skill development to prepare you for work in a variety of outdoor and environmental education contexts. A minor in a natural science is strongly recommended.
Take both of the following:
Four of the following education or leadership courses*
One of the following cultural courses*
Three of the following natural science courses (at least two must be above 202):
*by petition to the ENSU faculty prior to enrollment.
Environmental Science and Policy
This thematic focus provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to understand environmental and policy systems that allow experts to translate scientific knowledge into governmental action. The collection of courses will prepare future leaders who are capable of crafting realistic alternatives for mitigating and adapting to a range of environmental crises.
Three policy courses:
Both of the following environmental science courses:
Two of the following additional science courses:
One additional politics or society courses:
One of the following human perspective courses:
One of the following statistics, mathematics or methods courses, chosen in consultation with your adviser (may not double count as another course in the major):
Environmental Science and Conservation
This focus examines the distribution, quality, and protection of natural resources. It examines the nature and structure of environments, uses scientific research to explore the ways environmental change occurs, and investigates natural resources as valuable commodities. This focus will prepare you to research human impacts on environmental systems and propose management solutions.
All of the following environmental science courses:
One of the following politics and society courses:
Two of the following upper-level environmental science courses:
One of the following human perspectives courses:
Environmental Culture and Justice
This track focuses on a humanistic exploration of the environment. It explores the ways we conceptualize and represent the environment as well as relations between environment and cultural world views, values, life experiences, identity, and social structures. It includes significant attention to issues of social and environmental justice.
All of the following courses:
One of the following theory courses:
Five additional courses with significant culture or justice content, which can include up to two courses from the subsequent list.
Additionally, the five courses in this category can include no more than two of the following courses; the courses cannot also fulfill another requirement in the major
One of the following methods courses:
One of the following introductory natural science courses, that includes a lab:
For a minor in environmental sustainability, you must take:
Earlham also offers applied minors in sustainability and management and sustainable agriculture.