Bachelor in Environmental Studies

Applying Your Knowledge

Susquehanna’s environmental studies major presents many opportunities for internships, summer research, and club activities, so you’ll be able to participate in community projects, fieldwork, and hands-on application of your knowledge. You can join the Beekeeping Club, Geoclub, work in the campus garden, or live in the Sustainability House. Our majors intern with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PA Fish and Boat Commission, local law firms, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection. They work in the Freshwater Research Institute, the Sustainability Office, edit and write for the newspaper, and work on mapping projects, tree surveys, and conservation research.

The capstone course for the major asks students to design a community development project; one year, students built resilience into Selinsgrove’s waste, transportation, and flood management systems; another year, they created an interpretive nature trail on campus. Your work will leave a legacy that benefits future generations while building a powerful resume that employers will notice.

Requirements for Major

When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.

Environmental Studies Major

To earn a B.A. in environmental studies, students must complete62 semester hours of coursework, all with grades of C- or higher. All majors must complete 50 semester hours of program foundation courses and 12 semester hours of electives.

Double-counting restriction for Environmental Studies major

Students in the Environmental Studies major may double-count a maximum of 20 semester hours toward another major or minor.

50 Foundation

• 4 ECOL-/BIOL-220 Biostatistics
• 4 EENV-101 Environmental Science OR ECOL-100 Introduction to the Science of Ecology OR BIOL-101 Ecology and Evolution or BIOL-010 Issues in Biology when the topic is one of the following: Biology of Climate Change, Conservation Biology, Environmental Biology, or Human Ecology
• 4 ENST-110 Sustainability and Society
• 4 EENV-105 Energy and the Environment or EENV-332 Sustainable Energy Resources
• 4 EENV-242 Climate and Global Change
• 4 ENST-335 Environmental Laws and Regulations
• 4 ENST-201 Environmental Humanities
• 4 ECON-105 Elements of Economics
• NOTE: ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics or ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics may be substituted with the approval of the Program Coordinator.
• 4 ENST-301 Current Topics in Environmental Studies
• 4 ENST-505 Environmental Studies Community Project
• 4 POLI-212 Introduction to Public Policy
• 4 RELI-235 Environmental Ethics or PHIL-226 Philosophy, Ethics and the Environment
• 2 Internship (must be approved by Program Coordinator)

12 Electives: Students must complete 12 semester hours forming a cohesive focus, with advisor approval. No more than 4 semester hours may be taken at the 100 level or lower, and at least 4 semester hours must be taken at the 300 level or higher. It is not necessary for students to complete all 12 semester hours from the same category.

Biology/Ecology/Earth Sciences

• 4 BIOL-332 Population Biology
  • and BIOL 333 Population Biology Lab
• 2 BIOL-560 Interdisciplinary Explorations in Biology when the topic is Sustainable Food Systems, Biology of Invasive Species, Amphibian Population Decline, or Biology of Climate Change
• 4 ECOL-201 Community and Ecosystems Ecology
• 4 ECOL-408 Aquatic Ecology and ECOL-409 Aquatic Ecology Lab
• 4 EENV-213 Oceanography
• 4 EENV-220 Water Resources
• 4 EENV-313 The Susquehanna River
• 4 EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems
• 4 EENV-383 Soil Science

Cultural Studies

• 4 ENGL-205 Literature Studies when the topic is Literature of Climate Change or Shakespeare and the Environment
• 4 ENGL-390 Special Themes and Topics, when the topic is Sustainability Literature
• 4 ENST-117 American Environmental History
• 4 HIST-324 Pennsylvania’s Pasts and Their Publics
• 4 PHIL-125 Justice
• 4 PHIL-150 Race, Class, and Ethics
• 4 RELI-101 Introduction to Religious Studies
• 4 RELI-105 World Religions
• 4 RELI-208 Buddhism
• 4 RELI-305 Topics, when the topic is Eco-Theology

Economics/Business

• 4 ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics (if not taken for Foundation credit)
• 4 ECON-202 Principles of Microeconomics (if not taken for Foundation credit)
• 4 ECON-313 Intermediate Microeconomics Theory
• 4 ECON-335 Economic Development
• 4 ECON-338 International Political Economy
• 4 ECON-373 Political Economic Thought
• 4 INFS-174 Data Collection and Modeling
• 4 INFS-472 Data Insight and Visualization
• 4 MGMT-230 Exploring Entrepreneurial Opportunities
• 4 MGMT-240 Principles of Management
• 4 MGMT-290 Non-Profit Management
• 4 MGMT-333 New Ventures: Start-Up to Exit
• 4 MGMT-373 Managing for Sustainability
• 4 MGMT-437 Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Political Science

• 4 POLI-111 American Government and Politics
• 4 POLI-215 Law and Politics
• 4 POLI-333 Development, Globalization, and Society
• 4 POLI-334 International Organizations and Law
• 4 POLI-352 Environmental Policy

Public Relations

• 4 COMM-211 Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations
• 4 COMM-314 Public Relations Writing and Campaigns
• 4 COMM-321 Crisis Management

Sociology/Anthropology/Psychology

• 4 ANTH-152 Public Culture
• 4 ANTH-162 Introduction to Anthropology
• 4 ANTH-310 National, Transnational, Diasporic Communities
• 4 ANTH-311 Regulating Bodies: Food, Sex, Drugs, and the Economy
• 4 PSYC-232 Environmental Psychology
• 4 SOCI-413 Critical Race Theory

Honors

To graduate with honors, environmental studies majors must:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a GPA of 3.50 in the program,
• Request nomination from the ENST program coordinator at the beginning of their senior year and,
• Complete and publicly present an honors-quality project at the Senior Scholars’ Day in the spring of their senior year.

Requirements for Minor

When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.

Minor in Environmental Studies

Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to study environmental problems from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Drawing on courses from the departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Political Science, English and Creative Writing, Economics, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, and others, students develop a holistic, applied approach to environmental problem-solving.

The minor in environmental studies requires 24 semester hours. Only courses completed with a grade of C- or higher may be counted toward the minor. No more than 8 semester hours may be taken at the 100-level or lower.

Double-counting restriction for interdisciplinary minors

Only 8 semester hours of this minor may be double-counted toward the student’s major or another minor.

Courses applied to the environmental studies minor must include the following (see below for detailed lists):

1. Introductory (100-level) environmental science, biology, or ecology (4 Semester Hours)
2. Upper-level (200-level or higher) environmental science, biology, or ecology (4 Semester Hours)
3. Political science, law, or economics (4 Semester Hours)
4. English, philosophy, religious studies, sociology/anthropology, or creative writing (4 Semester Hours)
5. Sustainability Electives list (4 Semester Hours)
6. ENST-301 Current Topics in Environmental Studies (4 Semester Hours)

4 Introductory (100-level) environmental science, biology, or ecology courses:

• EENV-101 Environmental Science
• EENV-105 Energy and the Environment
• ECOL-100 Introduction to the Science of Ecology
• BIOL-101 Ecology and Evolution
• BIOL-010 Issues in Biology (Biology of Climate Change, Conservation Biology, Environmental Biology, or Human Ecology only)

4 Upper-level (200-level or higher) environmental science, biology, or ecology courses:

• EENV-213 Oceanography
• EENV-220 Water Resources
• EENV-242 Climate and Global Change
• EENV-313 The Susquehanna River
• EENV-332 Sustainable Energy Resources
• EENV-383 Soil Science
• BIOL-332 Population Biology
• BIOL-560 Sustainable Food Systems
• BIOL-560 Biology of Invasive Species
• BIOL-560 Biology of Climate Change
• ECOL-201 Community and Ecosystems Ecology
• ECOL-408 Aquatic Ecology and
• ECOL-409 Aquatic Ecology Lab

4 Political science, law, or economics courses:

• ECON-313 Intermediate Microeconomics Theory
• ECON-335 Economic Development
• ECON-373 Political Economic Thought
• ECON-338 International Political Economy
• ENST-335 Environmental Laws and Regulations
• POLI-212 Introduction to Public Policy
• POLI-215 Law and Politics
• POLI-333 Development, Globalization, and Society
• POLI-334 International Organizations and Law
• PPOL-352 Environmental Policy

4 English, philosophy, religious studies, or sociology/anthropology:

• ANTH-152 Public Culture
• ANTH-311 Regulating Bodies: Food, Sex, Drugs, and the Economy
• ENGL-205 Literature of Climate Change
• ENGL-205 Shakespeare and the Environment
• ENST-201 Environmental Humanities
• PHIL-125 Justice
• PHIL-150 Race, Class, and Ethics
• PHIL-226 Philosophy, Ethics, and the Environment
• RELI-208 Buddhism
• RELI-235 Environmental Ethics
• RELI-305 Topics, when the topic is Eco-Theology
• SOCI-316 Social Justice
• SOCI-410 Economic Sociology WRIT-241 Environmental Writing
• SOCI-413 Critical Race Theory

4 Sustainability courses from the following:

• EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems
• ENGL-390 Special Themes and Topics, when the theme is Sustainability Literature
• ENST-110 Sustainability and Society
• ENST-117 American Environmental History
• INFS-174 Data Collection and Modeling
• MGMT-373 Managing for Sustainability
• MGMT-437 Sustainable Entrepreneurship
• PSYC-232 Environmental Psychology

4 ENST-301 Current Topics in Environmental Studies

Courses Options

• ENST 110 Sustainability and Society, Credits: 4
• ENST 117 American Environmental History, Credits: 4
• ENST 201 Environmental Humanities, Credits: 4
• ENST 301 Current Topics in Environmental Studies, Credits: 4
• ENST 335 Environmental Laws & Regulations, Credits: 4
• ENST 400 Independent Study, Credits: 1–4
• ENST 505 Environmental Studies Community Project, Credits: 4

Learning goals

• Students will be able to describe broad environmental problems in terms of their interrelated scientific, political, economic, ethical, and human dimensions.
• Students will attain factual, in-depth knowledge of contemporary environmental issues from multiple disciplinary backgrounds.
• Students will develop critical thinking, research, and analysis skills.
• Students will understand the inherent complexity of environmental problems and will be able to communicate a position effectively to various stakeholders.

Environmental studies graduates find jobs as:

• Sustainability specialists (corporate, nonprofit, or higher education)
• Environmental nonprofit managers
• Environmental lawyers
• Environmental educators
• Natural resources/conservation specialists
• Environmental policy analysts
• Communications specialists
• Environmental consultants