Environmental Studies
At Roanoke College in Environmental Studies, you will...
Get real.
Students are encouraged consider their own place in the environment and how their actions can create real, sustainable change.
Get connected.
Students examine the many interconnected factors that shape environmental realities-including the natural sciences, culture, economics, resource management and politics.
Get out there.
The environmental program takes students far beyond the traditional classroom. Roanoke students spend much of their time out in the world-applying their skills toward positive results. One day students might be assessing the health of waterways. The next, they might be grafting heritage trees. In the capstone course, students work collaboratively as environmental consultants to solve a real-world problem in the community. Students are encouraged to explore additional firsthand learning experiences through research, internships, independent studies and study abroad.
The Environmental Studies Program at Roanoke College engages you in:
- investigating pressing environmental problems from the local to the global level
- gaining insight into your relationship with nature
- shaping your role in creating an equitably sustainable world
THE MAJOR & MINOR
We're proud to offer both a major (B.S. degree) and a minor in environmental studies:
CORE CURRICULUM
- Intro to Environmental Science (with lab)
- Intro to Environment and Culture
- Intro to Environment and Society
- Geographic Information Systems
- Environmental Practicum
TRACKS
- Environment, Society and Science: Environmental Social Sciences grounded with scientific literacy
- Conservation and the Earth's Critical Zone: Scientific exploration of environment, emphasizing Ecology and Earth Science
- Justice, Culture, and Environment: Exploring environmental problems and solutions through understanding the human experience
Real-World Learning
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New Courses
- Environmental Justice
- Conservation Science (with lab)
- Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
- Critical Zone Science (with lab)
- Sustainable Cities
- Sustainability and Spirituality in the Pacific Northwest
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Research and Internship Opportunities
- Urban agriculture
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy internships
- Environmental justice
- Food systems and farming: scientific, sociological and political science research
- Critical Zone Science; land use impacts at the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory, Sumter National Forest, South Carolina
- GIS-applications to environmental problems
- Community ecology and invasive species in Roanoke Valley
- Societal impacts of mountaintop removal
- Native Americans, indigenous cultures, Asian religions and environmental thought
The Environment Center
Roanoke College's Environment Center is an outdoor classroom and research laboratory. By connecting with it, our students expand their world. Learn more.
