Revised Program [Fall 2021]
If you are concerned about the natural environment and its significance for built environments and human well-being, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Society will give you broad, interdisciplinary knowledge for understanding and critically assessing the interactions between humans and the environment.
Learn
Students develop an understanding of major environmental issues and their potential solutions by appreciating the importance of scientific methods, ethical values and principles, diverse worldviews, and social and political constraints relevant to addressing these issues. Students learn about the complex connections between natural and built environments and between these environments and our social and cultural institutions. Many disciplinary perspectives and tools are employed to understand and analyze these connections, including those offered by the natural and social sciences and the humanities. The Environmental Science and Society program can be the basis for further study in graduate school in atmospheric and climate science, environmental chemistry, environmental law, environmental management, environmental policy, ecology, hydrogeology, landscape architecture, and sustainability studies.
Environment and Society concentration - The Environment and Society concentration provides students with an understanding of the importance of ethical values and principles for framing laws, policies, and economic approaches to address environmental issues. Students in this concentration can also focus on nonprofit organizations and their relevance for addressing environmental concerns. No other minor is needed to complete graduation requirements.
Environmental Science concentrations - Students in the Environmental Science concentration choose an emphasis in Atmosphere and Climate, Environmental Biology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Geoscience, or Environmental Hydrology. The environmental science concentrations offer students an understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, climate variability, hydrologic forecasting, land-use dynamics, environmental chemistry and geochemistry, and biogeochemical cycles. No other minor is needed to complete graduation requirements.
Opportunities
Students in the Environmental Science and Society program are active members of environmental student groups and maintain active social relationships through various events and activities (continually updated through our website).
Many upper-level course projects are completed outdoors at EMU’s Kresge Environmental Education Center at Fish Lake, local nature preserves, and fossil dig sites. They are often done in coordination with local environmental organizations. The Environmental Science and Society program also has capstone requirements that provide real-world experience and help students apply their coursework in professional internships and research projects.
A degree in Environmental Science and Society can have you working in Governmental Agencies; Nature/Science Centers; Consulting firms; Universities and Colleges; Nonprofit organizations; Animal Rehabilitation/Rescue Organizations; Parks, Forests, and other natural areas; and Environmental Conservation/restoration organizations.
The Environmental Science and Society degree prepares students for pursuing several possible careers, such as being an environmental or wildlife advocate, environmental educator, environmental lobbyist, or park ranger. The Environmental Science concentrations prepare students to pursue such diverse careers as environmental consultants, environmental health and safety officers, environmental regulatory compliance officers, environmental technicians, hydrologists, resource managers, restoration ecologists, water quality chemists, and wildlife biologists, or wildlife refuge specialist.
This is a designated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program.
