Students develop problem-solving skills through integrative course work and experiential learning both inside and outside the classroom. When confronting the challenge of fostering sustainability our students get their boots muddy and their hands dirty with work on applied projects in the areas of climate change, action, and justice; biodiversity and wildlife conservation; agriculture and food systems, with emphasis on food security and sovereignty; circular economies, waste studies, and recycling; Geographic Information Systems (GIS); urbanization, land-use change, and planning; ocean and freshwater systems; geology; and the ongoing stewardship of natural resources. 

Students develop their theory-informed insights in integrative classes; hone their analytical, technical, and laboratory skills through course-based and co-curricular experiences; and test creative solutions in a variety of ways, including

• working with campus and off-campus community partners on ecological restoration, ecological reconciliation, environmental management, and waste reduction projects in the area
• seasonal engagement with food production at the campus farm and Whittaker Environmental Research agroecological field site
• sustained stewardship of the Ursinus Food Forest and other campus greenspaces across multiple semesters
• sustained engagement with the BearShare circular economies endeavor across multiple semesters
• field trips to regional conservation areas and facilities
• and meetings with champions of conservation and sustainability

Majors and minors can choose to focus their exploration of environmental problems broadly or more intensively by selecting one of six concentrations: applied sustainability, biodiversity and wildlife conservation, climate change, earth and environmental science, environmental justice, and food studies. Each concentration offers a distinctive path through the base major and a focused set of course-based and experiential learning experiences. The department also supports students interested in Marine Science. 

 

As part of their learning, students also have the opportunity to  shape the College’s commitment to the Welcome Home Project, working both 1) to affirm the acknowledgment of our campus’ location in Lënapehòkink, or the traditional homelands of the Lenape people, and 2) realize critical elements of the Statement of Mutual Intentions signed by the College with the five federally recognized Tribes (U.S. and Canada) that comprise the Lenape.