Academic Advisor
Sheryl Bolstad
612-624-3034
132 Skok Hall
Len Ferrington
612-624-3265
306 Hodson Hall Admissions
CFANS Admissions
612-624-6768
Program Description
Population growth and human impact on the environment have led to concerns over water quality degradation, sustainability, global climate change, environmental pollution, and ecosystem health. Successful solutions to such interrelated problems require environmental professionals from a broad array of disciplines to collaborate, work together, and consider multiple factors and perspectives in tackling these problems. Our Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management (ESPM) major focuses on interdisciplinary knowledge and research, capitalizing on the University's expansive environmental expertise to educate the next generation of environmental professionals and leaders.
ESPM provides students with the opportunity to develop a specific area of environmental expertise across the environmental sciences and policy spectrum within the same major. Students in the major take similar classes their first year, and then choose one of the following tracks to focus their studies during their second year:
- Conservation and Resource Management
- Corporate Environmental Management
- Environmental Education and Communication
- Environmental Science
- Policy, Planning, Law and Society
Each track has a strong focus on integrating coursework in the areas of environmental policy, management, communication, and law with the applied aspects of social, physical, and biological sciences. This integration gives students the ability to approach environmental problems from multiple perspectives and separates the ESPM major from other environmental majors that tend to be more discipline-specific. In all of these tracks, students further define their area of expertise by working with their faculty advisor to select a set of courses that specifically meet their interests and career goals. For example, in the Environmental Science track students can specialize in areas such as hydrology, wetland science, or soil science. ESPM also emphasizes experiential learning. In addition to the required field courses and internships, students are strongly encouraged to include a study abroad experience as part of their program and participate in undergraduate research opportunities.
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