DD wants to attend an LAC and major in Environmental Science. That major seems to be available in only about 20-30% of LACs. I’ve been encouraging her to also consider schools where she could do a double major in Environmental Studies and Biology or Chemistry. It’s my feeling that in the end the courses she will have taken will not be terribly different, and her prospects for graduate study in Environmental Science not diminished. She remains, however, very reluctant to consider schools without an Environmental Science major. It’s hard enough to get her to consider schools that don’t have a stand-alone Environmental Sciences DEPARTMENT. Is she being too selective, or appropriately so? Thanks.
Can she find enough LACs she likes - reach, match, and safety - with an Environmental Science major to put together a well rounded and long enough list to apply to? If not, I think your idea sounds fine. I would also factor in schools with a decent geology department. Went down a similar decision-making path with one of my kids and we looked at both avenues.
There often is a distinction made between “environmental science” (focused on basic and applied biological and physical science aspects) and “environmental studies” (focused on social science aspects, e.g, environmental economics and policy, and sometimes also including environmental humanities, e.g., ethics, literature, writing). Most “environmental” majors offer tracks in both aspects, however, and students are required to take at least some coursework in both tracks, even though they might emphasize only one of them. I suspect that your daughter is just getting too hung up on the particular title of the major across different schools. The actual content of the major can’t be determined simply from its title. You also have to check specific coursework requirements. Moreover, there is no uniform practice for the title or designation of these programs (or, the degree offered, e.g., BA, BS, major, minor, certificate, etc. ) across different schools.
There are very few stand-alone environmental science/studies DEPARTMENTS at LACs. For the most part, LACs offer environmental science/studies as an interdisciplinary major, minor, or certificate. If your daughter wants a stand-alone environmental science department, she is most likely to find that at a university, not an LAC. (In fact, I suspect it is more likely to be found at a land-grant public university, often in a college of agriculture & natural resources. BTW, students applying to college to study environmental subjects often overlook land-grant universities, which probably offer the most extensive range of programs as well as some of the most innovative programs.)
I agree with you that a double major in environmental studies + biology or chemistry could provide the environmental science focus she wants. Though the double major route may provide somewhat less of a focus on applied aspects, there are many opportunities to obtain this through internships and involvement with on-campus environmental organizations. On the other hand, many chemistry and biology majors. do offer coursework or subspecialty tracks in applied science aspects, e.g., environmental chemistry, environmental toxicology, etc. Compared to an “environmental science” major, the double major route also could provide a stronger grounding in the basic and supporting sciences relevant to environmental problems. This might be an advantage for graduate school preparation, especially if the intended grad program has a research focus as opposed to a strictly applied focus.
Finally, your daughter should consider that even Middlebury uses the designation, “Environmental Studies,” for its major, even though it includes several science tracks. Middlebury is the oldest such undergrad program in the country, and one of the most respected.
Thank you both. At one point I went through the extremely laborious ordeal of constructing a “quiz” for DD. I took the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science major requirements for about 20 schools, stripped from them the name of the school and major, and had her try to identify which were Science and which were Studies. A few were very social science-oriented, and easily picked out by her as Environmental Studies. Very often, she couldn’t tell the difference, though, which is what I had suspected and hoped. It made a bit of an impression on her, but she still is convinced grad schools would give a strong preference to an Environmental Science degree. She can’t prove it, but neither can I disprove it, so we’re at a bit of an impasse.
@zapfino, I’m very interested in your comment that Middlebury is one of the most respected Environmental Science/Studies programs in the country. I’ve had a had time getting a sense of what are the most highly-regarded programs. Any resources I should look into, and/or any more from your personal perspective?
Middlebury had the first program in the country. Bill McKibben, one of the country’s leading environmentalists, and an author of many well known books on the environment, is one of their many famous professors. It’s certainly one of, if not the, top programs in the country.
@rrobb, my mention of Middlebury is largely by its general reputation for environmental studies. As urbanslaughter noted, it was the first program of its type in the country.
Since your daughter is interested in environmental “science,” i should note that I often see that term used in two ways: One is an as interdisciplinary major comprised of the environmental aspects of biology, chemistry, and geology; the other is as an applied field concerned with the monitoring, prevention, and remediation of air, water, and soil pollution. In its latter sense, it often overlaps with environmental engineering (which is often viewed as a subfield of civil engineering).