Program Description
Environmental scientists understand the scope and severity of the problems facing human society. We also now recognize the importance of considering people’s attitudes and preferences in the search for solutions to preserve the natural systems on which all life relies.
The Environmental Studies B.A. degree program at Purchase College reflects this new, interdisciplinary focus on the interactions among the sociopolitical, economic, and ecological systems where the natural world and human society overlap.
This new approach offers challenges and opportunities for those motivated to help improve the health of our environment and the quality of human existence. In addition to nine foundation courses in three categories—natural sciences, social structure and function, and research and data analysis—students choose courses from an allied discipline, according to their personal interests and career goals. Former students have investigated environmental issues from the standpoint of biology, policy, and economics.
The program culminates in the senior project—an extensive research project undertaken in collaboration with a faculty member. Senior research projects vary widely in topic and method, but all incorporate a common theme: environmental impacts cannot be addressed without consideration of human society. A recent senior project, for example, evaluated the economics of regulatory and market-based options for reducing aviation emissions of greenhouse gases.
Requirements for the Major
- Introduction to Environmental Science
- General Ecology (with lab)
- Geology (with lab)
- Microeconomics I
- Environmental Economics
- Environmental Policy
- Behavioral Statistics
- Geographic Information Systems
- Outdoor Skills or Scuba or Rock Climbing
- Human Ecology
- Environmental Regulations or Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environmental Studies Internship
- Environmental Studies Junior Seminar
- Electives in the field of focus
- Senior Research Project
Representative Elective Courses
Animal Behavior
Applied Terrestrial Ecology
Aquatic Pollution
Conservation Biology
Ecology of Urban Environments
Environmental Education
Environmental Justice
Environmental Sociology
Field Biology of Local Landscapes
Globalization, Development, and Poverty
Government and Politics Worldwide
Introduction to International Relations
Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology
Law, Energy, and the Environment
Marine Ecology
Natural Resources
Physical Geography
Vertebrate Zoology
Representative Alumni
- John Brasino ’78, Ph.D., co-owner, Environmental Partners, Inc.
- Carolyn Cunningham ’77, J.D., attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council
- John Fusco ’98, senior project manager, ATC Associates, Inc.
- Louis Iannacchino ’99, environmental account specialist, Zurich U.S.
- Patrick Limber ’03, NOAA Coastal Management Fellow (2006–08), North Carolina Division of Coastal Resources Division; Ph.D. student in earth and ocean sciences, Duke University
- Donald Pierson ’78, Ph.D., hydrologist, Institute of Limnology, Uppsala University (Sweden)
- Scott Ollinger ’89, Ph.D., assistant professor, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire
- Lindsay Randall ’07, environmental sustainability coordinator, Purchase College
- Ronald F. Robbins ’84, area environmental compliance specialist, U.S. Postal Service
- Carl Safina ’77, Ph.D., Rutgers University; co-founder and president, Blue Ocean Institute; founder of the Living Oceans Program and former vice president for ocean conservation, National Audubon Society
- Mackenzie S. Schoonmaker ’04, J.D., Pace University School of Law; associate with a general environmental, litigation, and regulatory practice, Beveridge and Diamond, P.C., Washington, D.C.
- David Yozzo ’87, Ph.D., University of Virginia; research scientist and senior program manager, Barry A. Vittor & Associates, Inc.
For more information, visit the Environmental Studies site in Academic Programs or e-mail naturalsciences@purchase.edu.
Updated May 27, 2008
