Environmental Studies First Year Courses

DirectorC. Henke
Program Site
Colgate’s Environmental Studies Program helps students to understand the complexity of environmental issues and to underscore the consequences and impacts of the human experience on the environment. Students in environmental studies learn to think, speak, and write clearly and articulately about environmental issues from a variety of perspectives. The environmental studies curriculum combines interdisciplinary breadth with depth in a chosen field of study.

The Environmental Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program located within the Division of University Studies and staffed by faculty from a number of departments who apply their knowledge and expertise to teaching and research endeavors that cross disciplinary boundaries. 

Major Programs

The program administers five majors: environmental studies, plus four departmentally affiliated majors including environmental biology, environmental economics, environmental geography, and environmental geology. All five majors include a common set of courses that ensures a common interdisciplinary experience. At the same time, each student achieves depth in analytical ability by taking a specified suite of courses, usually in a particular discipline, chosen in consultation with her or his adviser.

Registration Suggestions

Students interested in majoring in one of the Environmental Studies programs should use the information below as a guide when selecting courses for the first semester. Not all courses listed will be available every semester. Use the information below in conjunction with the first-year offerings (button below) to identify course preferences for this fall. 

Environmental Studies:

  • An Introductory Environmental Science elective
    (CHEM 100, ENST 240, GEOG 213, GEOL 101, GEOL 102, GEOL 135, or GEOL 190 + lab)
  • ENST 200 + lab
  • ENST/PHIL 202
  • ENST 232

Environmental biology

  • CHEM 101 + lab or CHEM 111 + lab (see Chemistry for placement info) 
  • BIOL 181 + lab
  • ENST/PHIL 202
  • ENST 232

Environmental economics

  • ECON 151 (can also take it in the spring) 
  • ENST 200 + lab
  • ENST/PHIL 202
  • ENST 232

Environmental geography

  • GEOG 105
  • ENST 200 + lab
  • ENST/PHIL 202
  • ENST 232

Environmental geology

  • GEOL 135
  • ENST 200 + lab
  • ENST/PHIL 202
  • ENST 232