Environmental Studies
If you want to be involved in studying and preserving the environment as a knowledgeable professional, consider Environmental Studies at UNC Asheville. The department provides a strong and necessary grounding in environmental science and issues, with a curriculum that offers an interdisciplinary perspective. The fields of economics, geology, psychology, biology, sociology, public policy, chemistry, physics and management are integral to the basic understanding and resolution of the complex nature of many environmental problems confronting society.
Program of Study
The program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies offers several concentrations, as well as options for students interested in other areas of environmental studies. The concentrations are as follows:
- Pollution Control. Focuses on the study of water, air and soil contamination with a rigorous emphasis on the design and operation of various pollution monitoring and control technologies.
- Ecology and Environmental Biology. Provides a full complement of specialty biology courses designed to prepare students to be ecologists, wildlife managers, freshwater biologists, environmental botanists and for other occupations.
- Environmental Management and Policy. Integrates core environmental science courses with the foundation in management, economics and public policy needed to succeed in the field of environmental management.
- Earth Science. Involving an understanding of earth processes through basic soils and geology courses, this concentration may be tailored to careers and/or graduate school in soils, environmental geology and general geology.
- Earth Science with Teacher Licensure. Offered for students who want to obtain North Carolina Class A Initial Teacher Licensure in this area.
- Individual Concentration in Environmental Studies. Allows a student to select a course of study of at least 25 credit hours in preparation for potential careers in such areas as environmental policy, environmental journalism, environmental planning or human ecology, according to their interests.
Internships
All degree concentrations require an on-the-job internship that provides valuable career preparation and increases the possibility of job placement after graduation. Many opportunities are available with federal, state, local and private agencies in Western North Carolina.
Faculty
The eight full-time Environmental Studies faculty members hold doctoral degrees and have received numerous research grants, including project funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, as well as state and county environmental control and planning departments. Faculty members publish regularly in leading professional journals and involve students in their field research, including one of the longest running wetlands restoration projects in the U.S. (in Graham County, N.C.). Environmental Studies draws on faculty expertise from other departments and from adjunct instructors who contribute experience and perspective.
Facilities
The Environmental Studies Department is located in Rhoades-Robinson science building, which offers well-equipped teaching and research spaces. The surrounding Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains provide unparalelled resources. These wonderful natural laboratories give students opportunities for field trips and undergraduate research projects within a one-hour drive. The Botanical Gardens at Asheville, adjacent to campus, showcases several thousand plants native to the region, and the U.S. Forest Service Southeastern Forest Experiment Station on campus is another valuable resource for students.
Post-Graduate Opportunities
Students attend graduate school or go into the workforce with state and federal agencies, private preserves, environmental organizations and other employers. They attend graduate schools across the country, most recently at the University of California-Davis, UC-Ervine, Arizona State, Iowa State, University of New Hampshire, UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State, Duke, University of Montana, Idaho State, Penn State, Clemson, University of Georgia, University of Florida, Virginia Tech, Colorado State, University of Tennessee and Cornell.
More Information
Environmental Studies Department
226 Robinson Hall, CPO # 2330
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804-8511
828.251.6441