Environmental Studies Minor
“How will you walk this earth?” asked Wayne Gilchrest, former United States Congressman. His question, posed to a group of ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s environmental studies (ENVR) students in a summer kayaking class, is central to our program. Whether you want to become a professional environmental advocate or enrich your own understanding of the world around you, we encourage you to live deliberately.
Why Choose an Environmental Studies Minor at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½?
For the outdoor adventurer who loves marshes, rivers, forests and barrier islands, there’s no better situated university on the East Coast than ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. With the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean next door, students can:
- Explore some of the mid-Atlantic’s most intact river systems, the Nanticoke and the Pocomoke
- Study coastal barrier islands such as Cedar and Assateague
- Visit major wildlife refuges at Blackwater and Chincoteague
- Observe working watermen’s communities on Smith and Tangier islands
- Investigate close to 100,000 acres of wetlands
Frequent opportunities for research, stewardship and community engagement provide our students with a substantial foundation for further graduate study or meaningful careers. Our students have built bird, bat and bee nest boxes with area high school students, worked with the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ City Council to enhance urban tree canopy and testified to the Maryland Assembly regarding energy policy.
For a more in-depth study, ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ also offers an environmental studies major.
It’s hard to imagine how much environmental studies has grown in the past years – from a minor to a top-ranked program in the country. This is a special place to study the environment.