Environmental Studies, Minor

Program Code: ENVST_UMNR

Program Description

The interdisciplinary minor in Environmental Studies gives students a broad-based introduction to the natural environment and human interactions with it. Students gain awareness and understanding of environmental issues from the perspectives of several disciplines in:

  • relevant natural sciences (ecology, biology, geology, and/or environmental chemistry, for instance),
  • the social sciences (environmental economics and/or public policy), and
  • the arts and humanities (environmental history, ethics, and/or literature).

Core courses in environmental studies, emphasizing applied and experiential learning, serve to integrate and synthesize knowledge from the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. The goal of the program is "ecological literacy." Students completing the minor gain sufficient awareness and understanding of environmental issues to put environmental problems in a variety of contexts and to apply pertinent skills and knowledge (from studies in both their major and the minor) in addressing those problems. The minor helps prepare students for employment in the private sector or with government agencies and environmental advocacy groups, or for postgraduate study in environmental science, public policy, the humanities, or law.

What is Environmental Studies?

Environmental Studies provides a broadly-based liberal arts background for the study of environmental issues, blending the principles of the natural sciences with the intellectual traditions of the humanities and the social sciences. Emphasis is placed on experiential learning, ecological literacy, and problem-solving with a goal towards purposeful action.

Program Requirements

Requirement Credits
Requirements for the Minor 18

Requirements for the Minor

A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).

Prescribed Courses
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
ENVST 1003
Additional Courses
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
ENVST 200Research Methods in Environmental Studies3
or ENVST 400W Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies
Select 3 credits of the following:3
Biology: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity Keystone/General Education Course
Biology: Populations and Communities
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
Literature and the Natural World Keystone/General Education Course
Planet Earth Keystone/General Education Course
Landforms of the World Keystone/General Education Course
American Environmental History
Seminar in Environmental Ethics
Introduction to Biostatistics Keystone/General Education Course
Supporting Courses and Related Areas
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better
Select 9 credits (at least 6 credits at the 400-level) in consultation with an academic adviser, 3 credits in each area listed below: 19
a. Natural Sciences
Biology: Function and Development of Organisms
Invertebrate Zoology
Evolution
Ecology of Lakes and Streams
Physiological Ecology
BIOL 450
Special Topics in Environmental Studies
Forest Ecology
Conservation Biology
Introduction to Environmental Geology
Geomorphology
Mammalogy
b. Social Sciences
Biocultural Evolution
Indigenous North America Keystone/General Education Course
Hunters and Gatherers
ANTH 456
Special Topics in Environmental Studies
GEOG 423Y
Human Use of Environment
Government and the Economy
Policy Making and Evaluation
Wilderness, Technology, and Society
c. Arts and Humanities 2
Mapping Identity, Difference, and Place
Advanced Fiction Writing
Advanced Nonfiction Writing
Science Writing
Advanced Expository Writing
The American Renaissance
Special Topics in Environmental Studies
HIST/STS 151
The Darwinian Revolution
1

Other courses may be substituted with program approval.

2

When topic appropriate and with program approval:

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Altoona

Lisa A. Emili
Associate Professor of Physical Geography and Environmental Studies
Hawthorn Building 221
3000 Ivyside Park
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-5627
lae18@psu.edu

Contact

Altoona

DIVISION OF MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL SCIENCES
Hawthorn Building 221, 3000 Ivyside Park
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-5627
lae18@psu.edu

https://altoona.psu.edu/academics/bachelors-degrees/environmental-studies