Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes the study of the relationship between humans and the environment. Managing the environment requires the specialized tools and knowledge of the social and natural sciences, the ability to understand and express ideas and values, and the dissemination of these ideas through business, education, nursing and other professions.

The mission of the Environmental Studies Program at PLU is educate students to engage actively and critically the complex relationships between people and the environment, drawing upon integrated and interdisciplinary perspectives.

The Environmental Studies Program prepares students for employment in laboratories, consulting firms, environmental and regulatory affairs offices in corporations and government, and non-profit organizations that focus on environmental concerns. Some recent PLU graduates have earned Fulbright scholarships and some have gone on to work in such fields as:

• Environmental protection
• Journalism
• Medicine
• Evaluation of groundwater contamination
• Environmental law
• Sustainable forestry practices
• Sustainable agriculture
• Environmental consulting firms
• Urban landscape design