The Department of Environmental Studies has created an additional major, and a new minor, for Elon University students with an academic or career interest in the fields of sustainability, wildlife ecology and conservation.
The department now offers a bachelor of science in environmental and ecological science, and a minor in environmental and sustainability studies. The degree and the minor are in addition to an existing bachelor of science and a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies.
With the addition of the major, the department hopes to better serve students interested in careers in environmental science, wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecosystem management and ecosystem restoration.
“The new major has a smaller number of core courses and more elective course choices so that students who wish to work in the area of environmental monitoring can take the advanced chemistry and mathematics courses to support that choice while others will choose coursework to support their career aspirations in wildlife ecology or ecosystem management,” said professor Mike Kingston, interim chair of the department.
The new minor will educate students about the principles of sustainability by providing background in areas such as scientific understanding, the social and cultural aspects of sustainability, and environmental values.
“Given the growing interest of large corporations in developing more sustainable and environmentally benign business practices, this new minor would complement majors in Business and Communications, as well as majors in the College of Arts and Sciences,” Kingston said.
The offerings follow an external evaluation in September 2005 by Marty Hempel, a professor of environmental studies at the University of the Redlands. The major and minor were among the recommendations he submitted to the program.
For more information on degree offerings through the Department of Environmental Studies, contact Kingston at kingston@elon.edu or (336) 278-6182.
Details can also found on the department website: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/elon_college/environmental_studies/
– Written by Caitlin O’Donnell ’13 and Eric Townsend, Office of University Relations