You Are Here
Environmental Studies
U.S. News and World Report recently named Environmental Studies as one of the top nine "college majors with a future," and Environmental Studies majors at Randolph-Macon College go beyond the classroom, working in project teams to solve real problems. It's a hands-on approach that fosters creative and critical thinking skills vital for addressing the complex issues of the 21st century.
More than a major: Complex challenges demand unique perspectives. Every Environmental Studies major develops an additional area of expertise through a minimum of 15 credit-hours' study in a different discipline, and double majors are encouraged.
Real-world partnerships: Student teams work with real clients, partners, and stakeholders. Recent projects have included restoring a stream for the Town of Ashland and partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the James River Association to develop a restoration and conservation program for the James River's endangered Atlantic sturgeon population. Shannon White '10, now pursuing a master's degree in fisheries and wildlife science at Virginia Tech, conducted field research as a student and as an intern with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Extra options: Environmental Studies majors choose internships with organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Southern Environment Law Center, and private consulting firms. Other options include research projects and study abroad.
Graduate studies: Graduates of R-MC's Environmental Studies program are now pursuing advanced degrees at schools including Johns Hopkins, Duke and Virginia Tech. At the University of Michigan, Adam Rountrey '03 is a postdoctoral fellow and part of the team studying the perfectly preserved, 40,000-year-old remains of a woolly mammoth discovered in Siberia in 2007 and featured in the National Geographic film Waking the Baby Mammoth.
Careers: Graduates apply their interdisciplinary expertise to careers in diverse fields such as public policy, consulting, government and conservation.
| "Conducting research as a SURF student was amazing."
During his four years at R-MC, Josh Harris '10 spent two summers doing field research with Professor Charles Gowan through the Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. The first summer was spent studying brook trout in the Shenandoah Valley. During the second summer, Harris, along with Gowan and another classmate, spent a month camping in the Rocky Mountains while studying stream habitats. Harris calls his field research "the highlight of my R-MC experience." And, after long days working together over the summers, says Harris, "I view Dr. Gowan not only as my professor, but as a friend."
|