Why Study the Environment?
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.
Why PLU?
The mission of the Environmental Studies Program at PLU is to lay the foundation for an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to address environmental problems. The program embraces the broad liberal arts objectives of the university and prepares students for professions in environmental fields. Students develop grounding in science, an understanding of institutional processes, an appreciation of values, beauty and holistic thinking, and a solid foundation in various methodologies and skills.
The Pacific Northwest is ideal for the study of the environment. The northwest is a region striving to balance between the pressures of population growth and the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. Students have the opportunity to explore local, regional and global issues in a theoretical and applied fashion with community experts who are actively involved in dealing with these issues.
Career Opportunities
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
The Program of Study
The Environmental Studies Program at PLU offers two paths of study, a major or a minor. Central to the program is integration and interdisciplinary method. Breadth is provided in courses that introduce students, through offerings in other departments, to the scientific, institutional, ethical and aesthetic dimensions of the environment. Essential depth in a discipline is gained through a required complementary major or minor. Methods, integration and interdisciplinary competency are emphasized in Environmental Methods of Investigation (ENVT 350) and the Capstone Project (ENVT 499). In keeping with PLU's mission of “educating for lives of service,” an internship is required for the major, as students benefit greatly from an experience in the professional world and, in turn, are able to contribute to the community.
Course Requirements
For a list of course offerings check-out the catalog »
The Environmental Studies program is administered by a committee of PLU faculty representing a wide range of disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences and the professional schools. The members of the faculty are also regular Environmental Studies instructors.
Visit www.plu.edu/~envt for more about Environmental Studies major and minor requirements, faculty, course descriptions and watershed projects.
