Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
How to Save a Planet
Oregon is home to a variety of ecosystems, from its high desert to old-growth forests to coastal estuaries. The environmental studies program encourages students to take a fresh look at these outdoor landscapes from various angles.
Environmental studies majors take courses in a wide variety of departments across campus. “This is a very broad interdisciplinary field,” says Program Director Alan Dickman. “We require that all students have some breadth by taking a set of core courses in different areas, including science, social policy, and humanities. A student may also focus his or her undergraduate studies in a wide range of possible areas, including ecology, policy, analysis, literature, philosophy, or fine arts.”
The program is supported by nationally and internationally recognized faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, the School of Journalism and Communication, and the School of Law.
Learn creative problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. How can environmentalists and timber companies agree to harvest our natural resources and still protect wildlife? What happens when plans for a new freeway impinge on a wetland? How does a shopping center change water quality? Eugene provides a close-up look at these issues and how they affect local communities.
When you graduate with a degree in environmental studies from the University of Oregon, you will have a solid understanding of the factors involved in making resource management decisions. A degree opens doors in a wide range of professions. Become a government analyst, a political activist, a park ranger, or a planning consultant. You can be a catalyst for change by contributing to the creation of effective policies that will protect the health of our planet for future generations.
Climate change affects us all. Help be part of the solution at a major university that has pioneered environmental studies.
Points of Interest
- Participate in the Environmental Leadership Program by teaming up with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses to monitor waterways, map forests, and educate communities
- Activities in the Environmental Club include outdoor adventures, environmental community service, and campus outreach programs
- Write for Ecotone, an annual journal published by undergraduate students in the program
Sample Courses
- Introduction to Environmental Studies: Natural Sciences explores the contributions of the natural sciences to the analysis of environmental problems
- Ecological Footprint of Energy Generation involves a detailed study of the ecological consequences of all forms of energy generation including fossil fuels and alternative energy sources
- Perspectives in Nature and Society examines the comparative exploration of social science approaches to environmental issues. The course focuses on the interaction of social institutions, culture, politics, and the economy with the physical landscape
- Wetland Ecology and Management examines management, law, and policies related to wetlands in an ecological framework. Topics include the definitions of wetlandwetlands, their classification, distribution, formation and development, and restoration
- Political Ecology looks at how social, economic, and cultural control of natural resources shape human interactions with the environment
- Environmental Justice explores the law and history of environmental justice and its impact on current decisions. The class focuses on civil rights law, perception of risk, and the relation of sustainability and equity
Practical Learning
The Environmental Studies Program encourages service in the community as a way to apply what’s taught in the classroom. Students have fanned out across Oregon—and the world—to help on a wide variety of projects. Some UO students teach local schoolchildren about the unique ecosystem in the West Eugene wetlands. Others accompany groups to the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the mountains east of Eugene to explore the dynamics of forest ecology. In the Willamette National Forest, UO environmental studies students teach children about streams and the creatures that live in them.
One student’s work—helping an elementary school perform a green audit—was featured in the local newspaper.
Team with the Institute for Sustainability Education and Ecology on local projects. Help out the Oregon Green Schools Program. The choices are endless. It’s a meaningful way to translate your newly acquired knowledge into direct action.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
The Environmental Studies Program was redesigned to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the environment. Fifteen faculty members serve as primary advisers of the program, and more than 100 faculty members offer courses from a wide range of subjects including law, anthropology, architecture, biology, and political science. The goal of the program is to promote environmental change by increasing awareness of environmental issues across disciplines. The faculty and staff can help you choose a path that fits your needs and interests.
Student Work
Trafton Bean says he’s been inspired by the Environmental Studies Program and hopes to inspire others by being a teacher. “Learning and teaching about the environment really makes sense to me. It’s going to be really vital to pass on this knowledge. The next generation is going to be critical.” The interdisciplinary nature of the department program appealed to Bean as he was deciding on a major. “I’ve taken classes in geography, biology, economics, and international studies. Getting to go across departments is great.” Bean is looking forward to joining the ExStream Team, a program with the Environmental Learning Program that monitors waterways and teaches elementary school children about the outdoors. He adds that his teachers lead by example. “The environmental staff practices what they preach. They’re inspiring to learn from.”
Melanie Giangreco wrote us from Mexico, where she was acquiring independent study credits for research into food security issues in the port city of Sonora. “The city is a prime example of how geographic factors impact political and economic situations,” she writes. She says that most of the water is shipped into the city, and much of it is contaminated. She is studying how this factor and other issues affect the food supply. “My current independent study has been the most exciting project that I have worked on at the UO, as it has given me a chance to combine a variety of interests into one project.” Giangreco is enthused about the Environmental Studies Program. “It may take a little bit of extra time and energy in planning, but if you have an idea for a project, you can make it happen.”
Selected Faculty Work
Ted Toadvine is an assistant professor of philosophy and environmental studies. He teaches a variety of courses, including those in environmental aesthetics and environmental ethics. Toadvine organized a four-day international summit at the UO that brought together representatives of the design and environmental humanities communities. His book, Merleau-Ponty’s Philosophy of Nature, was published by Northwestern University Press.
Peter Walker, an associate professor of geography, is a core faculty member in the Environmental Studies Program. He teaches a class on interdisciplinary perspectives on global warming and political ecology. Walker’s research interests include human-environmental relations, political and cultural ecology, land-use change, politics and policy, ideas of nature, the Western United States, and Southern Africa. He has won awards for his innovations in teaching and has written numerous journal articles on political ecology, Africa, and other topics.
Trudy Ann Cameron is the Raymond F. Mikesell Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics at the UO. Her work has focused on measuring the social benefits of environmental regulations and policies. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Health Canada. Cameron has been a policy adviser on the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Career Opportunities
Interest in the environment and global warming is heating up—no pun intended—so there are plenty of jobs available to the graduate who is dedicated to positive change. Become the communications director for a nonprofit organization. Launch a career as a field organizer who works to convince industry CEOs that helping the environment makes sense. Teach, write, or land a job in public policy. Become a conservation technician. Graduates have gone on to become university professors, environmental lawyers, and other high-profile players in the greening of our planet.