Does anyone know how Swarthmore’s Environmental Studies program compares to other LACs (e.g. Amherst or Carleton in particular)?
Thanks!
I have a daughter who was an Environmental Studies minor at Swarthmore and a son who was an Environmental Studies major at Carleton, so I can comment on those two schools. At most schools, including the 3 that you asked about, Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program, which means that it doesn’t necessarily have professors or a real department of its own, but uses professors from other departments (e.g. Biology, Economics, Political Science, History, Engineering, Geology, etc.) to teach the courses and run the program.
At Swarthmore, Environmental Studies can be a minor but is not a possible major. That is you must choose a “real” department to major in. My daughter was a Sociology-Anthropology major and Environmental Studies minor. Swarthmore is in a suburban location, though it is set in a very large arboretum. Much of the local field work is done in the Crum Creek valley adjacent to campus.
At Carleton, it is possible to major in Environmental Studies, and I think it is a relatively popular major. As an “ENTS” major you must choose one of 5 concentrations: Food and Agriculture, Conservation and Development, Landscapes and Perception, Water Resources or Environmental Justice. Carleton has a very well regarded Geology department, which is relatively unusual for a LAC, so geology courses are a popular component of “ENTS” majors courses of study. My son really enjoyed his “ENTS” degree program at Carleton. Carleton is set in a more rural environment than Swarthmore, so there seem to be a greater variety of local field work opportunities than at Swarthmore.