Majors & Minors

B.A. in Environmental Studies
Minor in Environmental Studies
Minor in Geology

E.S. Concentrations
Environmental Education
Fine Arts & the Environment
Human Sciences, Policy & the Environment
Natural Sciences and the Environment
Recreation and the Environment
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production

B.A. in Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies at Green Mountain provides students with a solid understanding of ecological processes and a broad background in the range of disciplines which study human interactions with the environment. The major provides all students with basic information and skills from the natural sciences, environmental policy, and economics, and it provides opportunities for students to pursue their interests in sustainable agriculture, public policy, law, writing, philosophy, education, the visual arts, international politics, biology, geology, chemistry, recreation, history, anthropology, GIS, communications, and economics.

PROGRAM GOALS

• Graduates of this program will have strong research and hands-on problem solving skills, which will prepare them for professions in environmental fields and for graduate school.
• Graduates will be empowered to be active citizens in their communities. They will have the reflective and communications skills to listen and respond to diverse perspectives, and they will be skilled in resolving conflicts.
• Graduates will demonstrate critical comprehension of alternative global perspectives and frameworks in a way that is richly responsible to cultural traditions and political complexities.
• Graduates will be environmentally, geographically, and historically literate: locally, regionally, and globally.
• Graduates will have strong scientific reasoning skills, particularly in ecosystemic thinking.
• Graduates will have strong analytical, critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.
• Graduates will have reflected on multiple perspectives regarding the appropriate ethical relationship between humans and nonhuman nature.

Our strong emphasis on regional issues and our deep commitment to interdisciplinary studies prepares students to effectively address the complexities of environmental problems. Vermont’s rich environment provides laboratories for the natural science courses, and local issues engage students in ethics and policy classes. With diverse ecosystems close to campus, rich opportunities exist for field study and outdoor adventure. Off-campus field courses broaden students’ perspectives, and a variety of courses address the global dimensions of environmental problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, and habitat degradation.

In addition to unique opportunities for study and travel through the Ecoleague consortium of environmentally-themed colleges, Green Mountain College’s Recreation and Outdoor Studies program adds a dimension to our Environmental Studies major that is often lacking at other institutions. As a result of people’s increased appreciation of wild places, a recreation profession has arisen which provides services for those in search of relaxation and renewal in nature.

The major consists of a minimum of 45-49 credits which include a set of core requirements and a selection of courses from one or more of the concentration areas listed below. A minimum of 12 credits must be taken from one of the concentrations, and at least nine more credits should be chosen from among other concentrations or from elective ENV course offerings. At least 15 credits in the major must be taken at the 3000-4000 level. First year students are encouraged to take ENV 1001 Introduction to Environmental Studies during their first fall. This course provides an overview of the field of environmental studies, and it counts as an elective in the major.

Environmental Studies students pursue an internship as their capstone experience, usually completed during the summer following the junior year. Internship proposal guidelines are sent electronically to all majors, and they are available from any faculty advisor. Proposals must be approved by faculty advisors and then submitted for review to the Environmental Studies Committee by April 25 for summer or fall interns, and by November 24 for winter or spring interns. On rare occasions, the Environmental Studies Committee approves proposals for a research capstone experience.

During their junior year students take a course titled The Environmental Professional. In addition to preparing for internships and honing interpersonal skills essential to success in environmental fields, students in this course assess their strengths and areas for development in anticipation of their final year of undergraduate education. To prepare for this junior year assessment, all Environmental Studies majors should keep a portfolio of their academic work.
Download the degree requirements (PDF format)

Minor in Environmental Studies
The environmental studies minor is available to all Bachelor’s degree candidates. To fulfill the requirements for this minor, students complete at least nineteen credits in the environmental studies area.
Download the degree requirements (PDF format)

Minor in Geology
The geology minor provides students with an opportunity for interdisciplinary studies within the field of geology and is open to all majors, but is particularly well suited for environmental studies, biology, and education majors. The minor will prepare students considering graduate school for geology, especially those disciplines related to geomorphology/surficial processes. The minor will also provide students with the necessary field skills needed for employment with environmental consulting and geotechnical firms. It is recommended, but not required, that students pursuing a geology minor take a Field Geology.
Download the degree requirements (PDF format)

Departmental Honors
To graduate with honors in the Environmental Studies major, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 in all courses and have a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major. Candidates must successfully petition to the Environmental Studies Committee to be considered for honors. Petitions will be considered only from students who have completed 75 credits. Candidates must form a three-person honors committee to evaluate an honors research project. The committee should include two faculty members who teach in the ES concentration in which the research takes place and one person from outside the department. Candidates must also do a substantive honors research project in the major, write up the project in an honors thesis, and defend the thesis in a public forum. Candidates must take 21 credits in the major at the upper level.

Block Courses
Environmental Studies periodically offers special interdisciplinary block courses, from six to fifteen credits, that focus on complex environmental issues in the region and often involve overnight field trips. These have recently included The Northern Forest, The Lake Champlain Basin, The Hudson River, The Adirondacks, Renewing Civil Society, The Promise and Peril of Biotechnology, The Vermont Wilderness Debate, Soil Ecology, and Food, Agriculture, and Community Development in the Northeast.