Environmental Studies Programs at Cornell
Program options in environmental studies
As an environmental studies major, you’ll learn from faculty with diverse interests and expertise from across the liberal arts, and you have multiple options for how you approach your work in fields that support and study our environment. Coursework happens in a wide variety of classroom settings, including the earth sciences, social sciences, humanities, and even political thought.
Your classroom is local and global
Field courses and off-campus studies are a large part of all environmental studies programs. Cornell’s One Course At A Time calendar is ideal for off-campus learning. You might measure species diversity while in Ecuador or a nature preserve close to campus. You could travel to examine coral reef health while in the Bahamas or in cliffsides along the Mississippi river. Maybe you will study glaciers and climate change in New Zealand. A variety of courses provides you with opportunities that can only happen while off-campus.
Get environmental research experience early and often
One of the benefits of attending a school the size of Cornell is that there are multiple opportunities throughout your career to get involved in campus research projects. You’ll be able to learn the research and reporting methods that will be important in the field while completing valuable research to study the issues we’re facing today to help us improve our planet’s future.
In fact, your capstone project in any one of the major areas will comprise a research project that you identify with your academic advisor.
Rogers Internship in Environmental Studies
Organization: University of South Carolina
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Timeframe: Summer
Deadline: Open until filled (early applications and inquiries welcome
The intern will be matched with a site on or near the University of South Carolina. Possible projects include research on pelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, research on policies and practices related to environmental law, or sustainable seafood practices involving the seafood industry, tourism, and economics. Past interns have been placed with the Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies and at the South Carolina Aquarium.
Contact Environmental Studies chair, Rhawn Denniston, to learn more about this opportunity.
Environmental studies honors and awards
You can graduate with honors in environmental studies if you complete the following requirements:
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Your average GPA should be 3.5. What counts towards your average? All courses for your environmental studies major. These include the required courses, your concentration courses, and any course used to satisfy your capstone requirement. (Courses are not required to satisfy the capstone requirement, but you may take courses as part of your capstone experience.)
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Your capstone project should demonstrate your intellectual depth and rigor in order to merit an honors designation in environmental studies. Your honors capstone will be evaluated by your capstone committee and you should discuss your interest in achieving an honors capstone with your committee during the proposal stage of your capstone.
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Your honors capstone project begins with a proposal (use this template [PDF]) that must be acceptable to your capstone chair and committee members prior to the start of your project.