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- Environmental Studies Major
This information is part of the Colgate University catalog, 2025-26.
Advisers Baptiste, Cardelús, Frey, Globus-Harris, Helfant, Henke, Kawall, Levy, Loranty, McCay, Pattison, Perring, Roller, Ury
The environmental studies major provides students with interdisciplinary training in the topics, methods, and perspectives to research and critically analyze environmental studies questions and challenges. The courses below are required for the major.
Major Requirements
All of the Following
Environmental Science: Challenges and Solutions
Environmental Ethics
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESEE in the course offerings.
Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG 245 - Geographic Information Systems and GEOG 245L
Environmental Justice
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESEJ in the course offerings.
One of the following:
Environmental Economics and Policy
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESEP in the course offerings.
One of the following:
- ECON 228 - Environmental Economics
- ENST 250 - Environmental Policy Analysis
- ENST 335/POSC 335 - US Environmental Politics
Environmental Science
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESEN in the course offerings.
One of the following:
- CHEM 100 - The Chemistry of Altered and Natural Environments
- ENST 240 - Sustainability: Science and Analysis
- GEOG 231 - Geography of the Physical Environment
- GEOL 101/101L - Environmental Geology
- GEOL 102 - Sustainable Earth
- GEOL 135 - Oceanography and the Environment
- GEOL 190 - Evolution of Planet Earth
Environmental Arts and Humanities
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESAH in the course offerings.
One of the following:
- ALST 250 - Representations of Africa
- ARTS 271 - Architectural Design I
- ENST 274 - Sustainability and the Built Environment
- ENGL 152 - Plant, Animal, Mineral: American Literature and Extractive Industry
- ENGL 204 - Native American Writers
- ENGL/ENST 219 - American Literature and the Environment
- ENGL 420 - Emerson and Thoreau
- ENST 202/PHIL 202 - Environmental Ethics
- ENST 324 - Hunting, Eating, Vegetarianism
- ENST 334 - Carnivores Across Cultures
- HIST 224 - Introduction to Environmental History
- HIST 302 - Global Toxic History
- LGBT 310 - Imagining Queer Caribbean Futures
- LGBT 340 - Rural Sexualities and Genders
- PHIL 313 - International Ethics
- PHIL 333 - Topics in Environmental Philosophy
- RELG 236 - Religion, Science, and the Environment
Environmental Studies Electives
Courses fulfilling this requirement have an attribute of ESEL in the course offerings.
Two courses with the following stipulations:
- one of these courses must be an ENST offering (or cross-listed with ENST)
- one of the courses must be taken at the 300-level or above
- A single course may satisfy both of these requirements, but two electives in total are required.
- Courses may not double count for both an elective and the other major requirements listed above.
- ARTS 271 - Architectural Design I
- ENST 274 - Sustainability and the Built Environment
- BIOL 181/BIOL 181L - Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity
- BIOL 330 - Conservation Biology
- BIOL 329 - Tropical Ecology
- BIOL 335/BIOL 335L - Limnology
- BIOL 336 - Advanced Ecology
- BIOL 340 - Marine Biology
- CHEM 100 - The Chemistry of Altered and Natural Environments
- CORE C175 - Wilderness
- CORE S178 - Water
- ECON 228 - Environmental Economics
- ECON 383 - Natural Resource Economics
- ENGL 204 - Native American Writers
- ENGL 219/ENST 219 - American Literature and the Environment
- ENGL 420 - Emerson and Thoreau
- ENST 202/PHIL 202 - Environmental Ethics
- ENST 232 - Environmental Justice
- ENST 234 - Case Studies in Global Environmental Health
- ENST 240 - Sustainability: Science and Analysis
- ENST 241 - Sustainability and Climate Action Planning
- ENST 250 - Environmental Policy Analysis
- ENST 291 - Independent Study
- ENST/GEOL 308
- ENST 309 - Australian Environmental Issues (Study Group)
- ENST 321 - Global Environmental Justice
- ENST 324 - Hunting, Eating, Vegetarianism
- ENST 334 - Carnivores Across Cultures
- ENST/POSC 335 - US Environmental Politics
- ENST 358 - Ecosystems, Environmental Threats, and response in Trinidad and Tobago (Study Group)
- ENST 389 - Conservation Biology & Policy
- ENST 391 - Independent Study
- GEOG 105 - Climate and Society
- GEOG 107 - Is the Planet Doomed?
- GEOG 211 - Geographies of Nature, Economy, Society
- GEOG 231 - Geography of the Physical Environment
- GEOG 307 - What's in Your Cup? The Geography of What We Drink
- GEOG 321 - Transnational Feminist Geography
- GEOG 322 - Ecologies of the City
- GEOG/REST 323 - Arctic Transformations
- GEOG 325 - Water and Society
- GEOG 326 - Environmental Hazards
- GEOG 328 - Sustainability & Nat Resources
- GEOG 329 - Environmental Security
- GEOG 331 - Environmental Data Science
- GEOG 332 - Weather and Climate
- GEOG 335 - Soil Geography
- GEOG 336 - Biogeography
- GEOG 338 - Earth System Ecology
- GEOL 101 - Environmental Geology
- GEOL 102 - Sustainable Earth
- GEOL 135 - Oceanography and the Environment
- GEOL 190 - Evolution of Planet Earth
- GEOL/GEOL 215L - Paleontology of Marine Life
- GEOL 310 - Environmental Economic Geology
- GEOL 315 - Conservation Paleobiology
- GEOL/GEOL 335L - Hydrology and Geomorphology
- GEOL 303 - Geochemistry
- GEOL 450 - Paleoclimatology
- HIST 224 - Introduction to Environmental History
- HIST 302 - Global Toxic History
- LGBT 310 - Imagining Queer Caribbean Futures
- LGBT 340 - Rural Sexualities and Genders
- PHIL 313 - International Ethics
- PHIL 333 - Topics in Environmental Philosophy
- RELG 236 - Religion, Science, and the Environment
Community-based Study of Environmental Issues
-
ENST 450 - Community-Based Study of Environmental Issues
and ENST 450L
Note: By permission of the director, ENST 389 may be taken in place of ENST 450
Honors and High Honors
Students interested in pursuing honors can find the additional requirements on the Environmental Studies program page.
Environmental Studies Program
For more information about the department, including Faculty, transfer credit, awards, etc., please visit the Environmental Studies program catalog page.