Education and Field Sites

Carolina has a long tradition of excellence in the environmental field, with educational programs located in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Public Health, Medicine, Law, Business, Government, and Journalism and Mass Communication. These programs include everything from highly focused studies in the sciences, social sciences or humanities to professional applications. Both our Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and our campus-wide community in environmental policy are routinely ranked amongst the top 10 such programs in the country.

To ensure that students from every discipline can draw on the environmental resources of the campus, and to prepare students who will guide the next generation of environmental decisions, the Institute coordinates specialized environmental degree programs and offers interdisciplinary degree programs. This provides students a variety of options in choosing the path best matched to their career goals. Use the links provided below or to the left to explore:

• Undergraduate environmental majors that integrate the intellectual areas and apply them to the most significant environmental issues of our day. The BS in Environmental Science, BA in Environmental Studies and BSPH in Environmental Health Science are administered through the Institute in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health.
• Other undergraduate majors in disciplines that provide core perspectives on the environmental field, as well as offering distinct tracks focused on applications of that field to environmental analysis. These include the BS in Environmental Geology or BA in Earth Systems; BA in Geography; BA in Public Policy; BA in International and Area Studies.
• Undergraduate minors that allow a student to explore environmental issues. These include the Minor in Environmental Science and Studies; Minor in Marine Sciences; Minor in Urban Studies and Planning.
• Environmental coursework, including coursework in the Environmental Science and Studies program administered by the Institute, and in other departments and curricula.
• Graduate degrees focused on any of a number of areas of environmental study. These include programs in the Ecology Curriculum; and the Departments of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Anthropology; Biology; Chemistry; City and Regional Planning; Geography; Geological Sciences; Marine Sciences; and Public Policy.
• Undergraduate opportunities, including field study, honors research, internships, and awards and scholarships.

To help students decide on an environmental major or minor, the Institute acts as a "one-stop shop" for information, guiding students towards the degree program on campus best suited to their interests. Regardless of the choice of environmental major or minor, these students become part of a vibrant community of faculty and students spread across the campus and united by a common interest: the study of the environment and of the ways in which society affects, is affected by, and can improve that environment. If you are thinking about applying to UNC-Chapel Hill or becoming an environmental major or minor, you should visit our page for Prospective Students and read through the Environmental Science and Studies and Environmental Health Science Major Manuals from the Academic Advising office.

Contact the Institute's Educational Programs Office

Greg Gangi
Director of Academic Programs
Institute for the Environment
CB# 1105, 103 Miller Hall
UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1105
919-962-9805 (direct)
919-966-9920 (fax)
E-mail: ggangi@email.unc.edu