Major Environmental Studies

Environmental science seeks to understand and solve environmental problems from a technical and scientific standpoint, especially as they pertain to the interrelationship between human society and the environment. The National Center for Education Statistics outlines the various fields of study that contribute to environmental science, including biology, chemistry, physics, geosciences, climatology, statistics, and mathematical modeling. Using tools from these disciplines, environmental science analyzes the environmental factors that contribute to subjects like food safety and human disease.

Environmental science and environmental studies share a similar goal of explaining and resolving environmental issues, but they approach the task in different ways. Where environmental science uses the lenses of biological, chemical, and physical sciences to address environmental concerns, environmental studies also includes human sciences such as communications, sociology, psychology, and political science.  A problem can’t be truly solved unless the solution is both scientifically sound and also practical from political, economic, and ethical viewpoints.  In that sense, environmental studies is true to the spirit of a Randolph-Macon College liberal arts education.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, environmental studies includes instruction in the basic principles of ecology and environmental science and related subjects such as policy, politics, law, economics, social aspects, planning, pollution control, natural resources, and the interactions of human beings and nature. Although environmental science is a core component of environmental studies, environmental studies casts a broader net to better understand the human/societal impacts of people on the environment, and vice-versa.

Because solving any environmental problem requires knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, environmental professionals always work on interdisciplinary teams.  Successful professionals are skilled at team problem solving and also contribute expertise in a specific discipline to the team.

At RMC, a major in environmental studies is focused on the two core requirements to be a successful environmental professional: the ability to collaborate on an interdisciplinary team, and the ability to contribute expertise to the team in a specific discipline.  Skills in team problem solving are developed by working for real off-campus clients to address a real-world environmental problem.  Each student completes three “Problem Solving” courses with a new client and problem each time.  Expertise within a specific discipline is developed by the student selecting another major (any other major that RMC offers) and taking upper level courses toward that area of expertise. These courses are counted towards the EVST major, and this double-counting allows most EVST students to double major.

Because of the broad nature of environmental studies as a discipline, there is a wide variety of careers available to environmental studies graduates. The largest employers of environmental scientists and specialists per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are government (local, state, and federal), consulting, and engineering.

Career website Indeed.com reports some of the top jobs pursued by environmental studies majors, which range from various types of scientists (environmental scientist, wildlife biologist, meteorologist, geologist, ecologist, biologist, geophysicist, biostatistician) and engineers (geotechnical, geospatial, environmental, civil, fire protection, sustainability, chemical, mining, aerospace), to environmental consultant, natural resource specialist, policy analyst, environmental health and safety (EHS) manager, professor–and even some surprising roles like veterinary technician, forensic scientist, and emergency medical technician. Majors are also prepared for careers in business, economics, and public policy.  Environmental studies majors may choose to pursue additional specialized knowledge in the form of a Master’s/PhD, law degree, or MBA.