Welcome to Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies (ES) Program offers a highly interdisciplinary major and minor that explore the interactions between human societies and the environments in which we exist. ES students examine a broad range of environmental issues throughout their coursework, using methods and perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Experiential learning opportunities such as internships, community action, and mentored research enable students to integrate knowledge with experience, to address multifaceted aspects of environmental issues.
Graduates develop a broadly based foundation for recognizing, assessing, and solving environmental challenges.
Experiential Learning
The Environmental Studies Program requires that all majors participate in an experiential learning opportunity before graduating. The most standard ways to satisfy this requirement are to conduct supervised, independent research on an environmental topic with UR faculty (ENVR320, ENVR406, or an approved equivalent course from another department), or participate in an approved environmental internship off-campus and complete ENVR388 during the fall semester.
Campus Environmental Groups
Students can join and contribute to a variety of groups on campus that can enrich their experience in the Environmental Studies Program.
Dual Degree Program
For goal-oriented students who are dedicated to earning at least a Masters's degree in Environmental Studies or Forestry, the University of Richmond offers dual degree programs with Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
Students complete three years at Richmond and then two years at Duke. At the end of their fourth year, they receive their undergraduate degree from Richmond and at the end of their fifth year, they receive their master's degree from Duke.