Jack Rabbit Trail in Keene, NY.
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Why Major in Environmental Studies?
The EVST Program provides a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to
environmental issues than does a traditional Yale major. Environmental Studies
prepares students for leadership at local, national, and international levels.
"Leadership" may involve work for a nongovernmental organization (NGO), state
and local government, Congressional or federal-agency staff, or corporate
management. Environmental Studies is a problem-solving discipline, good
preparation for graduate study in law, medicine and public health.
Environmentally-aware Yale graduates have also pursued careers in teaching,
writing, resource management and conservation.
Challenges of the 21st Century
The six-fold increase in human population during the past 200 years, coupled with technology advances and escalating per-capita consumption, has created unprecedented pressure on environmental quality, natural resources, and non-human species. The natural world is complex and understood imperfectly, but management of human impacts is critical. Our actions can have unexpected consequences that are hard to reverse.
Environmental Studies majors study how physical and biological processes maintain life, and how humans affect nature, from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. History and the social sciences provide insights into why people behave as they do. People's values, as expressed by our social, political, and economic institutions, can motivate action but also can limit the scope of "logical" policy initiatives. Effective policies in the 21st century will reflect knowledge of basic science, technology, social science, and cultural norms. Environmental Studies students can apply courses in all these areas toward the major.
Graduates of the major are broadly educated, actively engaged citizens who can analyze complex environmental problems and respond appropriately to their intellectual, social, and ethical dimensions.
Summary of the Major Requirements
Number of Courses: Thirteen or fourteen course credits in addition to the prerequisites. All courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade.
Prerequisites: CHEM 113 or 114 or EVST 160a/G&G 160a, MCDB 120a or EEB 122b. One semester of laboratory - either CHEM 116La or MCDB 121La or EEB 123Lb, MATH 112 or above or PHYS 150 or above. Students with sufficient advanced placement may exempt prerequisites. Students doing experimental work in the social or natural sciences take one statistics course STAT 101-106, or 230b.
Distribution of Courses: Choose at least two core courses from Group A, humanities and social sciences, and the two core courses from Group B, environmental sciences with approved laboratories. Select six upper level courses to form a coherent interdisciplinary area of concentration. At least two of the six should be chosen from disciplinary groups outside the department of the immediate area of concentration.
Required Courses: Two courses from Group A and two from Group B along with their associated laboratories. EVST 466a, the junior seminar.
Senior Requirement: EVST 496a or b senior research project and colloquium.
Here's a sample undergraduate course plan, followed by the requirements. Individual needs and background vary, so it's important to meet with an advisor as soon as possible to keep this major as an open option. Students wishing to gain an overview of contemporary environmental issues may choose one of the introductory courses, such as E&EB 115a, Conservation Biology, G&G 110a, Introductory Geoscience, or CENG 120a, Environmental Engineering.
One benefit of this major is that students can use both core and concentration courses to satisfy Yale College distribution requirements. This gives the hypothetical freshman below a lot of room to study mixed sciences or other interests.
It is strongly recommended that students complete the chemistry and biology requirements as a freshman.
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer |
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| Freshman | -CHEM 114a: Chemistry -MATH 112a: Calculus |
-CHEM 114b: Chemistry -EEB 122b & 123Lb: Biology -Group A core course. |
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| Sophomore | -Group B core course. -One concentration course. |
-Group A core course. -Admission to the major. -Plan for area of concentration. |
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| Junior | -EVST 466a: Junior Seminar -STAT 105a: Statistics |
-One concentration course. -Senior project prospectus. -Plan for degree completion. |
Internship |
| Senior | -EVST 496a: Senior Research -Two concentration courses. |
-One concentration course. -Senior essay due. |
Official Yale College program information is found in the Yale College Programs of Study, available on line at www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps
YALE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM CHAIR, JOHN WARGO
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