Environmental Policy is an uncommon major, minor, or concentration program that involves a foundation in the study of the environment and climate change layered with policy courses, economics courses, and natural resource management courses. Environmental Policy programs explore the connection between dollars and nature, and the economic and social forces that impact the environment. Students that pursue this program dig into the balance between environmental use and protection, and students with this major may go work for public or private agencies that are involved in the management or planning of natural resources.
As said at the very start, Environmental Policy is not a common major at the undergraduate level — so if you want to study it in college, you’ll have to do some digging. Schools that do have a program in environmental policy stand out, but they don’t all offer the same degree. When comparing schools, you need to look at the curriculum to see if there is an economics focus, a politics focus, or a science focus so that the school you pick in the end has what you want to pursue.
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University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Environmental Policy and Application program at Penn is a concentration in within the BA in Environmental Studies. It shouldn’t surprise you that this program is an environmental studies major at its core, with a focus on the “social and management aspects of environmental problems.” Courses include “Global Climate Change” and many economics and policy courses.
Duke University — Durham, North Carolina
Duke offers a major in Environmental Sciences and Policy that is an interdisciplinary program that challenges students to “blaze new and better approaches to climate change and other environmental issues.” Students pick a three-course “sub-discipline” focus in a topic like climate change, ecotoxicology, or environmental justice. Many students in this major do independent research and 40% are double majors.
University of California - Berkeley — Berkeley, California
The major in Environmental Economics and Policy at Berkeley is in the Rausser College of Natural Resources and the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department. Students “explore aspects of economic and political institutions that affect the development and management of natural resources and the environment” while pursuing a foundation in micro-economic theory. The major is grounded in a problem-solving approach, and they expect students to be strong in math and statistics.
Washington University in St. Louis — St. Louis, Missouri
The Environmental Policy major at WashU is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and prepares students to become environmental consultants, pollution remediators, scientists, and more. Students “study how humans shape, affect, and are affected by their natural environments,” and undertake a broad course of study spanning political science and the natural sciences. Example courses include “Earth and the Environment” and “Public Policy Analysis, Assessment and Practical Wisdom.”
Syracuse University — Syracuse, New York
The major in Environment, Sustainability, and Policy at Syracuse is an Integrated Learning Major (a term unique to Syracuse) that brings together environmental science, sustainability, and policy and is layered on top of a “base major.” Housed in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, this program leads students towards a greater understanding of “the nature of our changing plant” and to create the solutions needed for greater sustainability.
University of California - Davis — Davis, California
Students in the major in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UCDavis “explore the relationships among the environment, law, policy, people and community planning.” The major combines courses in economics, agricultural econ, political science, and sociology in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Students pick one of seven specializations including city and regional planning, climate change policy, and water management and internships are highly encouraged.
Boston University — Boston, Massachusetts
The major in Environmental Analysis and Policy at Boston University takes a broad social sciences training approach with a specialization in the environment. Students learn about “Natural resource planning, management, and policymaking” and courses include “Environmental Change and Sustainability” and “Food, Energy, and Water Policy.” Those pursuing this major can also apply to live in Earth House, a sustainable living-learning community, and to take part in study abroad programs like the University of Copenhagen Exchange and the Sydney, Australia Internship Program.
Virginia Tech — Blacksburg, Virginia
Students in the Environmental Policy and Planning major at Virginia Tech “obtain the knowledge and skills needed to function as policymakers and planners who can understand complex environmental issues and develop enduring solutions.” The program builds on the Public and Urban Affairs degree core, and the program is less economics-heavy than many other environmental policy majors, instead offering a sequence of courses focused on environmental policy and planning, land use, and environmental law.
The Ohio State University — Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State offers a major in Environmental Policy and Decision Making through the School of Environment and Natural Resources. Students in the program explore “the protection of long-term natural resource us and environmental quality through changes in human behavior and policy,” and look in particular at how policies are designed and implemented. Students in the program choose one of three specializations: Communication and Behavior Change, Environmental and Social Justice, or Policy and Governance.
Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois
Northwestern doesn’t offer a major in Environmental Policy, but they do offer a minor called Environmental Policy and Culture. The minor is open to all undergraduate students at Northwestern and is focused on how humans interact with the environment. Courses that count towards the minor include “That Nature of Plants”, “World Biogeography,” and “Native American Religions.”
Environmental Policy isn’t a widespread undergraduate major, so if you know that you want to study it you need to make sure that you pick a school that actually offers it — and that approaches it in the way you want to study it.
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