Environmental Studies Minor

Our home, the Earth, is a complex, dynamic system that changes both cyclically and unpredictably. We need to understand these processes and how to protect and manage our natural resources, especially as they are increasingly affected by anthropogenic (human-caused) impacts.

Studying the environment draws on many disciplines, and the Department of Earth and Environment houses interdisciplinary faculty offering innovative curricula in both the natural and social sciences: 

1. Earth and Environmental Scientists interpret field observations and laboratory data using principles from chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, geoscience and environmental science. They link processes that operate within and at the surface of the Earth and its atmosphere. These disciplines help to decipher the impact of human action on the planet and elucidate how Earth systems respond when they are disrupted.
2. Environmental Studies professionals include managers, policymakers, business leaders, lawyers, and other experts working at the science-policy interface, able to address environmental management within cultural, economic, legal, and political contexts. Environmental Studies specialists also frequently work in the education and advocacy fields, engaging with the humanities as well as the social and natural sciences.

At Franklin & Marshall, two majors are available to students who wish to explore these concerns: Earth and Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. Each major has its own core of introductory courses, but there is sufficient overlap between them that students can begin to explore the environmental field without immediately choosing one major or another. If the Earth and Environmental Science major is chosen, students take a series of cognate science courses for breadth, more specialized courses in earth and environmental science, and mid-level courses in geoscience, biology, and/or chemistry. Students then choose electives focused within one of three tracks: Geoscience, Ecosystems, or Environmental Chemistry.

If the Environmental Studies major is chosen, students select two core social science courses in environmental policy, indigenous environmental justice, or environmental history, as well as two Global Perspective courses. They then take a natural science core and build a cluster of mid-level electives around categories reflecting their area of interest and specialization within the Environmental Studies field, including (i) Environmental Management and Biodiversity Conservation, (ii) Environmental History, Society, and Institutions, (iii) Environmental Humanities, and (iv) Climate Change and Environmental Justice.

Both majors include advanced courses, a foundation in research methods, opportunities to engage in research with members of the faculty, and an integrative capstone course. Many opportunities and significant financial support are available for students to study in the field, whether in their courses, on extracurricular field trips, or through a variety of research programs, internships, and/or while studying abroad.

The scope of employment opportunities open to graduates of this program is exceptionally broad. Many go on to study at the Master’s and PhD level in top Environmental Science and Environmental Management programs, as well as law school and business administration. Some of our alumni own or are employed by businesses engaged in earth and environmental fields including the management of resources (such as water and other natural resources needed for modern societies), and aquatic ecosystem restoration. Many others have gone on to successful careers in environmental law and policy, biodiversity conservation, and the energy industry (increasingly in renewable energy fields). Still others are teaching and conducting research in colleges and universities or working in various branches of state and federal government and/or in the environmental NGO/advocacy community.