Programs in Environmental Studies

including Summer Institutes, Career Opportunities

A number of schools have programs in environmental studies at which one can sometimes focus on value, policy, and ethical issues.

University of California, Santa Barbara program in environmental studies.

University of Michigan School of Natural Resources

University of Montana, Department of Philosophy, has an MA program in enviromental philosophy. Further information is available at the program's web site: http://www.cep.unt.edu/other/montana.html. There also a M. S. degree in Environmental Studies which is quite interdisciplinary, all the way from hard science to poetry, and can include a concentration in wilderness studies. Tom Roy is Director of the Program in Environmental Studies. There is also, within the School of Forestry, a Wilderness Institute, which provides various resources, and conducts an undergraduate program, Wilderness and Civilization, with considerable field experience, in which graduate students can also participate. See Laurie Yung, Bob Yetter, Wayne A. Friemund, and Perry J. Brown, "Wilderness and Civilization: Two Decades of Wilderness Higher Education at the University of Montana," International Journal of Wilderness 4(no. 2, July 1998):21-24. Address: University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812.

Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in environmental studies, which often contain policy, social science, ethical and philosophical components. The School of Forestry has a long tradition of humanistic aspects of forestry; Aldo Leopold graduated in 1909. The Yale Divinity School has been more cooperatively involved in these programs in recent years than has the Yale Philosophy Department, and one can do a joint degree in the Yale Divinity School and the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. M.A. Programs are 1-2 years. There is a Tropical Resources Institute. Stephen Kellert is a professor there. Contact: John C. Gordon, Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 205 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511. There is an 800 number for prospective students - 800/825-0330.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, has a program: Ecological Economics, Values and Policy (EEVP), with collaboration between the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and the Department of Economics. EEVP offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees. The Professional Masters program was designed for early and mid-career professionals, secondary school teachers, government employees, business people, recent graduates, and leaders of non-profit groups interested in enhancing their skills and expanding their environmental knowledge. Contact the Director of the Ecological Economics, Values and Policy Program, Professor Steve Breyman, phone 518/276-8515, fax 518/276 2659, or email breyms@rpi.edu. Web site: www.rpi.edu/dept/sts/eevp

Union Institute offers a doctoral program with an emphasis in environmental studies. "A University without Walls," the Union Institute offers a core faculty in environmental studies of twenty persons, to be coupled with adjunct faculty in other institutions throughout North America. Several dozen such theses have already been completed. The Union Institute is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This program makes a Ph.D. possible for those who are committed to a job or location (possibly through a spouse with job) and cannot relocate to a university center. Contact: The Union Institute, 440 E. McMillan Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206-9914.

Antioch University has a Master of Arts in Environment and Community. The program is especially designed for professionals working or wanting to work on environmental issues but who are not in a position to leave their jobs to relocate in order to further their studies. The 2 year program is based at the McGregor School of Antioch University, located in southwestern Ohio in the village of Yellow Springs, not far from Dayton. Students attend three two- week sessions on campus, and complete the other studies in their home communities. Contact: Cyde Murley, Chair, Program on Environment and Community, The McGregory School of Antioch University, 800 Livermore St., Yellow Springs, OH 45387-1609. 513/767-6321.

Antioch College New England has a Masters Degree in Environmental Advocacy and Organizing. Training in social justice, history of social movements, globalization, environmental conservation, ethics, policy, organizing skills. Webpage:
http://www.antiochne.edu/prospects/esm/advocacy/default.html
or contact: Steve Chase, Director, Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch New England Graduate School, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431. E- mail: Steven_Chase@antiochne.edu

York University, Faculty of Environmental Studies, North York, Ontario, offers two graduate programs: A Master in Environmental Studies, a long-continuing program since 1968, one of the first such programs in North America, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies, established in 1991. A point of emphasis is the breadth of the program opportunities available. Linda A. Irvine is doing a Ph.D. in Ecological Aesthetics under Neil Evernden. There is also an undergraduate degree program. Graduate students publish an annual, Undercurrents, of critical environmental studies. Contact: Admissions Liason Office, West Office Building, York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario M3J 1P3. Phone: 416/736- 5100.

Doctoral Degree and Professional Certification in Sustainable Development, American Institute of Urban and Regional Affairs, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The American Institute of Urban and Regional Affairs offers the Scholar-Practitioner Doctoral Degrees and/or Professional Certification in Sustainable Development. Either the Doctor of Science or the Doctor of Social Science may be earned. The S-PD is intended to prepare professionals in mid-and advanced career status for senior level assignments as scientists, planners, managers, and similar positions in agencies of government, industry, non-governmental organizations as well as for teaching, research and consulting positions in higher education. In addition to satisfying all requirements for the conventional doctoral degree, the Scholar-Practitioner Doctoral Degrees feature executive leadership and major project management skills that are intended to be institutionally interchangeable. Both the doctoral and professional certification programs employ computer technology for distance learning designed for practicing professionals. There are no Graduate Record Examination or on-campus residency requirements. Liberal credit for appropriate professional experience may be granted to meet the requirements for the doctoral degree. Qualified candidates from any nation may submit applications. Financial assistance and internships are available. Web Site: http://www.intr.net/susdev For program details contact Dr.Troyt B. York, President, AIURA. 19251 Dunbridge Way. Gaithersburg, Maryland. 2087. Fax: 301/948-4789. Phone: 301/948-4327

Susan K. Jacobson, Eleta Vaughan, and Sara Webb Miller, "New Directions in Conservation Biology: Graduate Programs," Conservation Biology 9(no. 1, 1995):5-17. A summary of 51 programs, with representative faculty.

Susan K. Jacobson, "Graduate Education in Conservation Biology," Conservation Biology 4(1990):431-440, evaluates 16 programs: Colorado State University, University of Colorado, Cornell University, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Hawaii, Iowa State University, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Montana State University, Stanford University, Texas A&M University, Tufts University, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin. She finds that the development of programs in conservation biology is inhibited by long-standing academic constraints, including disciplinary structure, communication barriers among disciplines, and lack of reward systems, research funds, model curricula, and evaluation of techniques for cross-disciplinary work.

Education for the Earth: A Guide to Top Environmental Studies Programs. Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Guides, Second Edition, 1994.

Student Conservation Association. The Guide to Graduate Environmental Programs. Covelo, CA: Island Press, 1997. More than 160 in-depth profiles provide information on enrollments, student- faculty ratios, tuition, areas of specializations, facilities, addmission and degree requirements, career counseling and job placements, special program features and more.

Alternatives (a Canadian environmental journal) does an annual survey of Canadian graduate programs. See, for example, "Canadian Graduate Environmental Studies Programs," Winter 2001, v. 27 no. 1, pp. 41ff.

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Department of Natural Resources, has a Program in Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. The program director, at last report, was Richard A. Baer, Jr. The program is a long-standing one, having been in place since 1974. There is also a Human Dimensions Program in the Department of Natural Resources, with particular focus on human dimensions in wildlife.

For the literary dimensions of environmental issues, see the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment, Handbook on Graduate Study in Literature and Environment. Cost $ 5.00, checks payable to ASLE, to Allison B. Wallace, ASLE Treasurer, HC78, Box 200, Unity College of Maine, Unity, ME 04988.

Field Institutes and Specialized Colleges

Sierra Institute, University of California Extension, Santa Cruz, offers Wilderness Field Studies that include units on environmenal ethics, the philosophy of nature, and nature writing. Courses are held in the Sierras, in Yellowstone, in the Olympic Wilderness, in Hawaii, and elsewhere. Ed Grumbine is director of the Sierra Institute. Contact Sierra Institute. Box AA, University of California Extension, 740 Front Street, # 155, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

Four Corners School of Outdoor Education offers several dozen field trips that can carry academic credit though Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona. Some samples: "Teaching Environmental Ethics," focusing on land use in Southeast Utah; "Ecology of a Desert River," the San Juan through the Navajo Reservation; "Winter Wildlife and Geology of Yellowstone National Park." Contact: Four Corners School of Outdoor Education, HC63 Box 78, East Route, Monticello, UT 84535.

Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona has an extensive on campus and field oriented undergraduate and graduate program.

Environmental Careers and Summer Programs

There are four or five main sources of listing of environmental opportunities, permanent positions, summer programs and internships, assistantships, and so on. Many or all of these will be in college and university career centers in paper copy. Most have a website with the same and even more current information.

Environmental Career Opportunities. Published twice a month. HCR 4, Box 65, Leon, VA 22725. Phone 800/315-9777. Fax 540/547-3371. Website: http://www.ecojobs.com $ 129 per year. Typically lists 400+ jobs, in six different categories: (1) Environmental Advocacy and Outreach, (2) Environmental Policy, Legislation and Regulation, (3) Conservation and Natural Resource Management, (4) Environmental Engineering and Technical Service, (5) Environmental Education and Instruction, (6) International Environmental, (7) Environmental Internships.

Environmental Opportunities, a monthly publication listing jobs open in environmental affairs, has been published for over eighteen years, the oldest in the field. The editor is Sanford Berry, 103 Roxbury St., # 5, Keene, NH 03431. Phone/fax: 603/357-5940. $ 46.00 per year. The publication is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Department, Antioch/New England Graduate School, Keene, New Hampshire 03431. This listing is typically fifteen pages a month. Environmental Opportunities has about 4,000 subscribers.

The Job Seeker lists current vacancies in the environmental profession. Website: www.tomah.com/jobseeker There are two issues per month, typically about 18 page, listing over a hundred jobs. Subscriptions are $78 per year for individuals. Address: The Job Seeker, 28672 Cty EW, Warrens, WI 54666. Phone 608/378-4920. E-mail: jobseeker@tomah.com

Earth Work. The Student Conservation Association, P. O. Box 550, Charlestown, NH 03603-0550. $ 48.00 a year. Lists 100-200 jobs, often for students and summers, but many are permanent. Website: www.sca-inc.org E- mail: earthwork@sca-inc.org Phone: 603/543-1700. Fax 603/543-1828.

AEE Jobs Clearinghouse. Association for Experiential Education, 2305 Canyon Blvd., Suite 100, Boulder, C) 80302. About 30 pates of jobs. Website: www.aee.org E-mail: jch@aee.org

The Career Center Office at Colorado State University has a Natural Resource representative and office and maintains a web site: http://www.cnr.colostate.edu/careers/
This is a quite elaborate site, with connections to over three hundred (!) other websites. Options include JobsOnline, Job Search (tips on job searching), Resume (writing a resume), Interviewing, CSU natural resource departments, U.S. Federal information, and International. JobsOnline is the job listing option, listing jobs from thousands of sources in all fields. Major categories include natural resources, natural sciences, agricultural sciences, engineering (including environmental engineering), as well as liberal arts, law, and others. You can also sort by geographic region. The site in general can be used by anyone, but to use the JobsOnline free you must either be a CSU student or alumnus/ae. The general public can enroll to use the JobsOnline option for a fee of $ 25 per semester. The office also maintains a Job Board for Colorado natural resource jobs. The natural resource liason person is Jonne Kranning, and the office is 103 Natural Resources Building. Phone 970/491-2668. Fax 970/491-0279. E-mail: jonne@cnr.colostate.edu

The Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) is a U.S. national nonprofit organization with five regional offices (California, Florida, Great Lakes, Northeast, Pacific Northwest) that seeks to place persons seeking employment, short-term and long-term, in environmental careers. They have placed more than 4,500 aspiring environmental professionals, about 300 persons each year. Contact: The Environmental Careers Organization, 286 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210-1009.

Environmental Field Studies Abroad. The School for Field Studies offers semester and summer environmental field research programs around the world. All courses carry college credit through Boston University; tuitions range from $ 2,600 to $ 10,300; considerable scholarship help is available. Over 6,000 students have participated in the program, from 150 home institutions. Five major centers are involved, in Australia (rainforests), Mexico (marine mammals), Costa Rica (sustainable development), Kenya (wildlife management), Turks and Caicos Islands (marine conservation), and Palau, U.S. Trust Territories (islands). Headquarters: 16 Broadway, Beverly, MA 01915-4436. Phone 508/927-7777. Fax 508/927-5127.

The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers in the 21st Century, Environmental Careers Organization. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999. An earlier edition, with a slightly different title, was in 1993.

Cohn, Susan, Green at Work: Finding a Business Career that Works for the Environment, rev. and expanded ed. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1995. Includes environmentally focused, nontechnical careers in a wide array of fields--communications, banking and finance, consulting, public policy, and more.

Moody, Joan and Wizansky, Richard, Earth Work: Resource Guide to Nationwide Green Jobs. New York: HarperCollins West, 1994. Produced by the Student Conservation Association.

Stienstra, Tom and Schlueter, Robyn, Sunshine Jobs: Career Opportunities Working Outdoors. Boulder, CO: Live Oak Publications, 1997. Live Oak Publications, P. O. Box 2193, Boulder, CO 80306. Phone 303/447-1087.

Quintana, Debra, 100 Jobs in the Environment. New York: Macmillan, 1996.

Fasulo, Michael, and Walker, Paul, Careers in the Environment. Lincolnwood, IL; VGM Professional Careers Series, VGM Career Horizons, 1995. Address: 4255 West Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood (Chicago), IL 60646-1975.

Revised December 1, 1999