Environment & Sustainability Studies

Environment & Sustainability Studies Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Program Type:
Major
Career Path:
STEM (Engineering, Science)
Program Site:
College or School:
Why study Environment & Sustainability Studies?
The Environment & Sustainability Studies program teaches students how to think across disciplinary boundaries to address environmental challenges and to act within their communities for environmental justice. Recently created but right on time, the major provides a holistic education in Wake Forest’s finest tradition of collaborative, forward-thinking studies.
- This highly interdisciplinary major calls on the expertise of faculty in more than 15 different undergraduate departments; and and graduate programs in Arts an Sciences, Business, Divinity and Law.
- Among those partners is the Andrew Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability, which seeks to benefit “environmental protection, sustainability and climate change from the jungles of Peru to the campus of Wake Forest University.”
- Graduates of the Environmental program have worked as a conservation strategist for the San Diego Zoo; a park ranger for the National Park Service; a communications specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); a photographer for National Geographic; a bank vice president; ecologists for various public and private employers; and in several other sectors and professions.
The Environment & Sustainability Studies (ENV) degree is offered as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.).
What classes would I take?
Our model and curriculum educate the whole person and often help students discover interests they had never previously discovered. Students generally take 100-200 level courses during their first year of college, while registering for higher level courses as upperclassmen.
Sample courses that you may take as an ENV student include:
100-200 level*
- Environmental Issues
- Environmental Solutions
- Leadership for Sustainability
- Introduction to Earth Science
- Methods for Environmental Community Collaboration and Justice
300+ level*
- Earth’s Dynamic Surface
- Climate Change
- Cultivating Food Justice
- Water Resources
* Courses listed above are offered during the current academic year. Course availability and offerings can change at any time. Refer to the Academic Bulletin to view all major requirements.
Are there extracurricular activities?
Joining a club or organization is a great way to get involved and do more with your major. Our ENV students participate in the following programs:
- Wake Adventure Club
- Women in STEM
- Campus Kitchen
- Campus Garden
- Bioethics Club
- Sustainable WFU
What kind of job can I get?
Careers that often interest ENV majors, and fields our graduates work in, include:
- Environmental Engineer
- Sustainability Director
- Sustainability Manager
- Sustainability Specialist
Generally speaking, a recent Wall Street Journal analysis concluded that Economics majors have the second-highest mid-career salaries of any discipline outside of Engineering.
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