WMU’s Environmental Studies Program is based upon a central concern for the long-term health and well-being of the planet and its inhabitants - sustainability in the broadest sense of the term - and a commitment to thoughtful and well-informed action designed to protect and promote that state of health and well-being.

Program Goals

• To provide intellectual and practical experiences that promote understanding of the complex interrelationships between humans, the social and technological systems they develop, and the natural environment in which they are embedded.
• To encourage students to develop appreciation for the many elements of planetary health and to devise creative solutions to environmental problems.
• To prepare students for a professional role in one of many environmentally related careers, and to encouarge students to develop responsible attitudes and skills commensurate with a personally fulfilling, environmentally responsible way of living.

Program Overview

The Environmental Studies Program at WMU was founded in 1972. From the beginning it has required a double major, Environmental Studies (ENVS), plus a disciplinary major of the student's choice from any college of the University. The ENVS courses have been developed by an interdisciplinary team of faculty with input from outside professionals to ensure students the greatest continuity, depth, and integration in their learning experiences.

The ENVS core curriculum embraces the interdisciplinary nature of environmental issues through a combined scientific, social and humanistic approach to undergraduate scholarship. The proposed curriculum envisages a set of core themes, or Domains, that are key aspects of a modern environmental education: the physical and biological sciences; the historical context of human/ecological interaction; the links joining human social culture and the environment; commentary and reflection on the human environmental experience, including literature, ethics and philosophy; decision-making and policy considerations in the political and economic arenas; and synthesis of theory and application through interdisciplinary communications and practical experience.

Students may enter the proposed ENVS curriculum through any one of several different introductory courses, reflecting the many disciplines underpinning environmental study. Students then follow a progression of coursework, in concert with their second major, that promotes a balanced and sophisticated appreciation of environmental issues from a combined physical science, social science, and humanities perspective. Students must take at least one course from each of the principle Domains. Some Domains may have only one option at present, but each Domain is flexible and intellectually adaptive, and the ENVS faculty may include new courses, or appropriate topic courses, as substitutes as they become available.

At the advanced level, undergraduates are encouraged toward an interdisciplinary synthesis of knowledge and experience through a series of individually-selected, approved courses that emphasize practical training in research methods and applications, and through a senior capstone course. The senior seminar brings together ENVS undergraduates from diverse collateral majors, who work together as teams to address and grapple with real, complex environmental issues beyond the classroom.

Career Options

Because of their broad background, graduates from Environmental Studies can work in the commercial, private, government, education, and industrial sectors. Recent ENVS graduates have entered the fields of environmental advocacy, regional planning, environmental compliance management, solid waste management, environmental monitoring, K-12 education, and higher education. They also qualify for many other fields. For instance, with the combination of an Environmental Studies major and a strong background in the natural sciences, a student can prepare for a career as a conservation/restoration biologist or naturalist. Becoming an environmental lobbyist, writer, or government planner are just a few of the numerous other options available.

Full professional competence in many environmental fields requires study beyond the graduate level. The Environmental Studies program serves well as preparation for further study in natural resources management, environmental justice, conservation/restoration ecology, advocacy, law, urban planning and much more.

For further information about the Environmental Studies Program, contact:

Nancy Arneson, Coordinator
Environmental Studies Program
3900 Wood Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5419
Phone: (269) 387-2716
Fax: (269) 387-2272