<p>Which schools have the best programs in environmental studies / environmental science? (as opposed to environmental engineering)</p>
<p>The first two schools that come to mind for me (not saying they are "the best") are University of Vermont and Oberlin.</p>
<p>I recall reading in its propaganda that Middlebury College was the first college in the United States to create a formal Environmental Studies major.</p>
<p>Mamatata, Studying the environment is a popular discipline at most colleges these days and environmental studies departments and concentrations can be found at most from the top to the bottom. They often overlap or intersect with other sciences and social studies and there are as many different perspectives as there are in the real world of environmental activisim.</p>
<p>This thread has a lot of pertinent information:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/533942-northeast-environmental-science-college-tour.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/533942-northeast-environmental-science-college-tour.html</a></p>
<p>Traditional opinion is that the "best" programs are centered at colleges with easy access to nature, e.g. the rurally located colleges-- like Middlebury, Williams, Cornell -- but I don't know that that's universally true for all students. The environment is a big topic right now and some of the "greenist" colleges are in cities where policy is being made.</p>
<p>My advice to you and your son or daughter is to first choose the type of college that appeals to you: small/medium/large, urban/suburban/rural, sporty/political/nerdy, etc., etc. Have a balanced list of selectivity.</p>
<p>Then, after you've established a wish list of ambience and character, start looking at the environmental studies departments.</p>
<p>I think Momrath's got it right. </p>
<p>There are a lot of different environmental science programs, each with their own strengths and feel. A lot of the best environmental science/studies programs are rural. I go to a rural college, and for some of my courses, nearly all of the class was held outdoors (no matter what the weather). I wonder how an urban college could do this. </p>
<p>A lot of the best departments are found in land-grant colleges, many of which aren't considered presitigous on the CC boards. </p>
<p>I would also note that usually a school with a good environmental program will be "green" (recycle, buy renewable energy, compost etc,) but just because a school is green doesn't mean it has a good program.</p>
<p>College of the Atlantic in Maine</p>
<p>Get the course catalog for any school you are considering and compare the breadth and depth of their environmental programs, as well as the research opportunities and facilities. At too many schools, environmental science is cobbled together across departments. </p>
<p>And beware the programs that are heavily oriented towards policy: To get a non-subsistance job in the field, and have credibility in the community, you need a stong science background.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice. My daughter want to become a doctor and is interested in environmental health. She is considering environmental studies/environmental science instead of the usual premed majors.</p>
<p>In the thread about our college tour, we focussed on small colleges in rural areas at least partly because of my daughters general character and upbringing. The topic probably is particularly attractive to people people interested in an outdoor life, and they would tend to be attracted to those types of schools, but such schools are relatively unaffordable and there are great programs at schools with a variety of different characteristics. Most programs focus on the effect of humans on the overall environment, and not the effects of the environment on humans. For someone interested in environmental health, I would suggest looking at schools in urban areas. I haven't looked at many of them, but I did look at Penn and its program did seem to focus on environmental effects on health, e.g. lead paint and air pollution. I don't know anything about the quality of its program.</p>
<p>One other thing for your daughter to check out: Georgetown has a new major in international health. Environmental factors in health may be part of that curriculum.</p>
<p>Warren Wilson.</p>