2020-2021 Academic Catalog

Dec 03, 2024

2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Environmental Science Minor

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Environmental Science Overview

Undergraduate Program

The interdisciplinary environmental science major introduces students to physical, biological, geographical and policy aspects of the natural environment. Following a set of common core courses, majors choose one of three tracks: Earth System Science, Environmental and Conservation Biology, or Environmental Science and Policy. The major provides training for those who want to continue on to graduate school or establish management, fieldwork, or laboratory careers in areas as diverse as ecology, conservation biology, teaching, environmental planning, protection, or regulation, water or air monitoring, and policy development.

Advanced students are encouraged to undertake directed research or internships and may do a senior project for honors. Environmental science faculty come from a wide range of Clark’s departments. Most are from Biology, Geography, and International Development, Community and Environment, but faculty with environmental interests are also to be found in departments as diverse as Chemistry, Economics, Political Science, Management, Philosophy, and Physics. Many of the research faculty of Clark’s George Perkins Marsh Institute are also contributors to the ES major.

For more information, please visit the Environmental Science website.

Minor Requirements

The requirements for a minor in environmental science include a total of six courses. Of these, three are required and three are selected from clusters of approved courses. These six courses introduce students to the program’s three tracks: Earth Systems Science (ESS), Environmental and Conservation Biology (ECB), and Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P).

1. The following three courses are required:

2. In addition, students must take three additional courses, one from each of the three tracks:

One additional Earth System Science (ESS) course is required.

The ESS course must be selected from the categories of introductory or advanced ESS courses (not skills or Human-Environment courses) as listed on the ESS track on the course requirements page .

One additional Environmental and Conservation Biology (ECB) course from among the following three courses:

One additional Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) course from the following list of courses taught by one of the core ES&P faculty:

3. Courses used to fulfill the requirements for the minor in Environmental Science may not be taken with the pass option.

Environmental Science Faculty

Program

Nathan Ahlgren, Ph.D.
Charles Agosta, Ph.D.
John Baker, Ph.D.
Dana Bauer, Ph.D.
Philip Bergmann, Ph.D.
Edward Carr, Ph.D.
Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Patrick Derr, Ph.D.
Timothy Downs, D.Env.
J. Ronald Eastman, Ph.D.
Lyndon Estes, Ph.D.
Susan Foster, Ph.D.
Karen Frey, Ph.D.
Jacqueline Geoghegan, Ph.D.
Elisabeth Gilmore, Ph.D.
David Hibbett, Ph.D.
Robert Johnston, Ph.D.
Dominik Kulakowski, Ph.D.
Kaitlyn Mathis, Ph.D.
Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Ph.D.
Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr, Ph.D.
Deborah Robertson, Ph.D.
John Rogan, Ph.D.
Morgan Ruelle, Ph.D.
Florencia Sangermano, Ph.D.
Christopher A. Williams, Ph.D. - Director of ES program