Environmental Studies - BA

Visit our Environmental Studies Program Website 

Our environmental studies program is very hands on. Nearly all of our students participate in field research and internships. As a student, you will have the opportunity to examine many local and regional issues, including water quality, forestry, conservation, game management, local agriculture, energy exploration, and alternative and emerging energies. You'll do that on a campus that is surrounded by opportunity: the Allegheny River, the Allegheny National Forest, Allegany State Park and even the Tunungwant Creek (affectionately called The Tuna), which runs along the southern end of campus.

Our program is also an interdisciplinary program, and you will study global environmental concerns as well: natural resource management, soil erosion, deforestation, ocean health, global warming and food scarcity. Then, when you graduate, you'll be prepared for many types of jobs related to the environment. You can study it. Clean it. Manage it. Write stories about it. Even create laws to protect it. Or, you can take what you've learned and go to graduate school.

What can you do with a degree in Environmental Studies. Suggested 4-year plan of study.

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements:

• ENVSTD 0102 - INTRO TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
• BIOL 0118 - ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY or
• BIOL 0217 - PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
• CHEM 0106 - CHEMISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
• ECON 0102 - INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMICS
• ECON 1307 - ECONOMICS OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
• ENG 0218 - INTRO TO LITERATURE & ENVIRON
• ES 0112 - INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• GEOL 0109 CONCEPTS IN GIS

• PHIL 1445 - ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
  
  
• PS 1367 - ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS or
• PS 1385 - GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
  
  
• ENVSTD 1451 - CAPSTONE: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Three Lab sections:

Students must complete three lab sections in biology and/or chemistry approved by their advisor.

One course in statistics

One course in statistics, choose one of the following:

• PSY 0201 - STATISTICS
• MATH 0133 - STATISTICS
• ECON 0204 - STATISTICAL METHODS

Note:

Many of the courses in the core, as well as the electives, can be utilized to satisfy your general education requirements. You should consult with your primary advisor as soon as possible to set up a program of study.

Environmental Studies Elective Requirements

In addition to the core requirements, five additional classes, two of which must be upper-level, must be taken from an approved list of environmental studies electives. You should consult with your advisor as to which classes would best serve your professional interests and career goals.

Total Elective Credits: 15-20

Please be advised

Please be advised that some programs or courses of study require that students complete rotations, fieldwork, internships/externships and/or teaching assignments at facilities external to the university, while other programs or courses of study may offer voluntary internships or externships at facilities external to the university. Depending on the program or course, such facilities will or may require a criminal background check, an act 33/34 clearance (if applicable), and perhaps a drug screen to determine participant qualification or eligibility. Additionally, in order to become licensed, many states will inquire as to whether the applicant has been convicted of a misdemeanor, a felony, or a felonious or illegal act associated with alcohol and/or substance abuse.

Additional Information:

Note: Many of the courses in the core, as well as the electives, can be used to satisfy your general education requirements. You should consult with your primary advisor as soon as possible to set up a program of study. 

Visit our Environmental Studies Program Website 

These are just some of the positions our recent graduates have.

• Department of Agriculture, Erie, PA
• Regulatory affairs, Gernatt Asphalt Products in Collins, NY
• Biological sciences technician, U.S. Forest Service
• Environmental scientist, Dieffenbauch & Hritz, Morgantown, WV
• Operations assistant, Halliburton, Zanesville, OH
• Field technician/staff scientist, LetterLe & Associates, Inc., Allison Park, PA
• Corrosion technician, Spectra Energy in Harrisburg, PA
• Quality assistant, Allegheny Bradford Corp.
• Law enforcement ranger, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• Field technician, Wellington Energy, Warrendale, PA
• Nuclear engineer trainee, U.S. Navy
• Field researcher, Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Cerulean Warbler Project 
• GIS specialist, Department of Agriculture
• Laboratory and field technician, Penn State DuBois

Graduate School:

• Johns Hopkins University's Boomberg School of Public Health
• Appalachian State University
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Vermont Law School