Our Program

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program, and utilizes existing courses given in various Arts and Sciences departments. The program is designed to provide a broad, but rigorous education in environmental issues and problem-solving, as opposed to a traditional, discipline-based training. The Environmental Studies major draws from curricula in the earth and natural sciences as well as the social sciences.

The purpose of the major is to train students in the cause, scale, and remediation strategies of the major environmental problems in the United States and the world. Students will acquire an awareness of the complexity of factors relating to human interaction with the environment. They will become acutely aware of the fact that environmental problems have both human and biophysical components, and gain knowledge of the general principles of human-environmental interaction, global habitability, environmental change, and sustainable human societies.

Residential Hall Academic Program

Undergraduates have the opportunity to participate in the Baker Residential Academic Program, which offers smaller courses and a cohort of students with interest in the environment. See our BRAP page for more information.

Minors and Double Majors

There is no minor in ENVS but many students majoring in ENVS obtain minors in other departments or gain double majors. There is substantial required curriculum overlap with other majors and thus minors and double majors are relatively easy to obtain.

What our students say

Caroline Schley, ENVS '05.

"I was an ENVS major with a hydrology specialty. ENVS was an involving and exciting major that allowed me to pursue interests ranging from political science to oceanography. It provides a well-balanced systematic overview of environmental functioning in this world. No angle of hydrology was overlooked, from the political and physical geography of water hungry African countries, to the geological structure of the planet which determines water flow and percolation, to hands-on scientific research classes which taught me how to operate water quality and flow measurement tools. ENVS as a department is also very knowledgeable about extracurricular environmental activities and clubs on the CU campus. It was through my ENVS classes that I became interested in working for the state PIRGs and the CU Environmental Center. There is a lot of innovative environmental work being done through CU Boulder, everything from water management programs on campus to climate monitoring atop Niwot Ridge, and ENVS gave me the opportunity to be involved with it all."

Drew Bailey ENVS ‘05

"Hello prospective ENVS'ers! I am a recent graduate from the Environmental Studies program and cannot say enough about my experience here. I entered the program because I was an outdoor fanatic and figured this would be the best place for me. I did not realize at the time, however, that the program would open up many new doors for me. The Environmental Studies program at CU spans multiple fields and incorporates many disciplines. The result for me was a well-rounded education with unlimited and diverse career opportunities. Through my experience at CU and with the help of the ENVS program, I was fortunate to get involved in Sustainable Development, Historic Preservation, and CU's 2005 Solar Decathlon team. I helped build our winning solar powered house for the competition, achieved Summa Cum Laude through the ENVS Honors program in Green Building, and I am now pursuing a masters degree at CU-Denver in Historic Preservation. These experiences have led me to the formation of Eco-Op, a Green Building company here in Boulder. The possibilities truly are endless! I would highly encourage new students to explore all the options offered through the Environmental Studies Department, and to strike up relationships with the faculty and staff to see how the program might best suit your educational objectives. The Environmentalist inside will thank you!"

More about the Drew's participation in the Solar Decathalon:
"The CU Solar Decathlon team was open to all students, but was mainly supported by the Engineering school and the Architecture school. As an ENVS student specializing in sustainable development and with thesis work in green building, I took classes in Engineering and Architecture that exposed me to the team and the competition. I thought the project would correlate well with my ENVS thesis topic and so I dove in. With assistance from Jim White and Dale Miller, I was able to customize my ENVS thesis work, incorporating the Engineering and Architecture classes. With the diversity of acceptable topics provided for in the department, I was able to pursue this exciting field. In late March, I defended my thesis on Green Building and then focused on graduation, and the Solar Decathlon. That summer we designed and built our solar powered house, transported it to Washington D.C., and then eventually won the competition. The goal of the competition was to push the technological envelope in green building as well as educate the public. One of the individual competitions within the decathlon was charging an electric car that was given to each team. At the conclusion of the competition, the CU team took a victory lap around the grass mall in D.C. on their electric car."

Undergrad Program:

- Faculty Focus -

Lloyd Burton

The intersection of law, culture, and the environment; especially the handling of values conflicts over natural resource and environmental health decision making in domestic and international contexts

- Featured Image -

Suwanee River, Georgia, source of humic-rich water