strongest colleges undergraduate enviromental sciences

College Search & Selection
1

<p>What are the strongest enviromental science colleges?</p>

2

<p>MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, Mudd</p>

3

<p>For something different you might want to look at College of the Atlantic.</p>

4

<p>With the exception of Stanford, I disagree with RML’s post. Earth science and environmental science are not at all the same, and colleges strong in one are not necessarily strong in the other.</p>

<p>Lots of colleges have good environmental science programs. We need more information. What are your stats? How big a college do you want? What can you afford to pay? What are you looking for in a college?</p>

<p>Erin’s Dad stole my favorite suggestion. COA offers everything from marine biology to lichenology to biochemistry, with a tremendous amount of flexibility. The college is quite small (~300 students) and situated in a beautiful setting, although it gets a bit touristy in the summer. Here’s a few others to consider, varying widely in selectivity. </p>

<p>Allegheny
Arizona State
Bates
Beloit
Bowdoin
Brown
Carleton
Colby
Colgate
Connecticut College
Cornell
Denison
Dickinson
Duke
Earlham
Eckerd
Harvard
Humboldt State
Middlebury (best LAC for environmental science)
Notre Dame
Oberlin
Oregon State
Penn State
Princeton
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
Swarthmore
U Colorado
UC Davis
UC Santa Cruz
U Georgia
U Michigan
UNC Chapel Hill
U Rhode Island
U Vermont
U Wisconsin
Warren Wilson
Washington State
Wesleyan
Whitman</p>

5

<p>Now for a bit about environmental science at Duke!</p>

<p>Academics
Duke has six options in the Nicholas School.

<p>The different tracks allow you to pursue an academic path that is best suited to your interests and career goals. Earth & Ocean Sciences offers courses in geology, oceanography, paleontology, volcanology, etc. Environmental Science offers courses in energy policy, climate change, GIS, ecology, forestry, etc.</p>

<p>Facilities
The EOS department is housed in Old Chem, next to Perkins/Bostock library on the main quad. It has labs, rock/fossil collections, and most equipment that you would need as an EOS major.</p>

<p>The Environmental Science department is housed in the Levine Science Research Center on Science Drive, next to the physics and engineering buildings. The LSRC is HUGE, fairly new, and has extremely nice labs and workspaces. </p>

<p>Duke has one of the largest collection of plant samples in the US in its [herbarium[/url</a>] and has the largest collection of algae. For those interested in botany, the [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.biology.duke.edu/plantfacility/phytotron/]phytotron[/url”&gt;http://www.biology.duke.edu/plantfacility/phytotron/]phytotron[/url</a>] (greenhouse with different microclimates) is also of interest.</p>

<p>Duke’s [url=&lt;a href=“http://lemur.duke.edu/]primate”&gt;http://lemur.duke.edu/]primate</a> center](<a href=“Front Page | Herbarium”>Front Page | Herbarium) contains several species that are otherwise found only in Madagascar, including the extremely rare aye aye, and roughly 25,000 fossils. Duke’s [evolutionary</a> anthropology](<a href=“http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/]evolutionary”>http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/) program (formerly biological anthropology) is centered around this amazing resource.</p>

<p>The [Duke</a> Forest](<a href=“http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu/]Duke”>http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu/), located right off campus near the Washington Duke, provides opportunities to do fieldwork in ecology and forestry. As far as I know, Duke is only one of only a few colleges to own over 8000 acres of forest (Berry College and Sewanee are a couple others). Thanks to the [Duke</a> Bikes](<a href=“http://parking.duke.edu/alternative_transportation/bicycling/duke_bikes/]Duke”>http://parking.duke.edu/alternative_transportation/bicycling/duke_bikes/) program, students can borrow bikes for free. The [Outpost[/url</a>] also lends out camping equipment and other gear.</p>

<p>Duke’s most valuable resource, in my opinion, is its [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/]Marine”&gt;Duke University Marine Lab | Nicholas School of the Environment]Marine</a> Lab](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs). It attracts about 30 students in the fall and spring semesters and about 80 in the summer. It has a great location, and students even have the opportunity to work with the conservation of wild horses on a nearby island. Beaufort is pretty unique in its animal populations because NC is often the boundary for animal ranges; the lab gets both sub-tropical and temperate fauna. The chef has been with the marine lab for ages, and the food is quite tasty. The dorms, library, and research and teaching facilities are very much up to date, both in quality and environmental impact. </p>

<p>Research and Off-campus Study
----Marine Lab
Most courses require field research. The Biological Oceanography class culminates in a research cruise where you collect data for your project, for example. The other courses are equally fascinating. Where else could you study [sea</a> turtle conservation in Puerto Rico](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology125]sea”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology125) or [urban</a> ecology in Singapore](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology216]urban”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology216)? For more of a taste of life at the marine lab, read this article in [Duke</a> Magazine](<a href=“Duke Mag”>Duke Mag).</p>

<p>Recently Duke implemented the [Rachel</a> Carson Scholars program](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/scholars]Rachel”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/scholars), named after the marine biologist who spent a lot of her time down at Beaufort and has a reserve named after her there. The program has resulted in the university bending over backwards in an effort to provide research opportunities and funding to interested students. In addition to faculty mentors and guided research, students are given money to present their research at conferences. </p>

<p>----Stanback Internships
The [Stanback</a> Internships](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/career/stanback]Stanback”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/career/stanback) are paid internships available specifically to Duke students in the field of earth/environmental science. I’ve had friends study turtle ecology in Florida, tornado chasing in Oklahoma, and water resources in Tanzania. Every year there are so many internships that most go unfilled. </p>

<p>----Dannenberg Awards
The [Dannenberg</a> Award](<a href=“http://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/programs?id=12]Dannenberg”>http://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/programs?id=12) is specifically intended for pre-major students (freshmen and first semester sophomores). This pairs you with a faculty mentor and provides grant money for a research project.</p>

<p>----DukeEngage
[DukeEngage[/url</a>] provides funded summer opportunities across the US and globe. </p>

<p>----Earth Day
Although not research, Earth Day at Duke is quite fun for an EOS/ENV major and looks good on a CV. In addition to activities set up by Duke students, the event draws over 40 vendors displaying smart cars, alternate energy sources, sustainably grown food, etc.</p>

<p>Environmental Science in Practice
Duke practices what it preaches. A lot of the food on campus is grown from sustainable practices, and students are provided free energy-efficient lightbulbs if requested. Duke annually ranks in the top 10 of the nationwide RecycleMania contest, and walking around campus you’ll see solar-powered trash compactors.</p>

<p>Duke has been recognized for its Green efforts by many organizations.</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“Domain parked by OnlyDomains”&gt;Domain parked by OnlyDomains]Green</a> College Spotlight: Duke University](<a href=“http://dukeengage.duke.edu/]DukeEngage[/url”>http://dukeengage.duke.edu/)
[10</a> of the Greenest Colleges in America - Colleges Going Green - The Daily Green](<a href=“http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/10-greenest-colleges-460708]10”>10 of the Greenest Colleges in America - Colleges Going Green)
[Sustainability</a> : Duke Scores Big on Green College Reviews / August 14, 2008](<a href=“http://www.duke.edu/web/ESC/news_events/items/2008_08_14GreenSchools.html]Sustainability”>http://www.duke.edu/web/ESC/news_events/items/2008_08_14GreenSchools.html)</p>

6

<p>Middlebury has an excellent environmental studies program. As someone said, it would help to know what size place you want and your stats.</p>

7

<p>I was going to say Middlebury, and add its rather similar neighbor in new hampshire, Dartmouth, as well. Both are very strong, and it helps that their both rather, um, very much in the environment, as it were.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the response to my husband’s question (jerrywbe)
We are looking specifically for enviromental science not studies. The studies minor appears to be in the humanities. My son thinks he wants to do research on wildlife and it planning on getting a major in biology with a minor in a enviromental science specialty. </p>

<p>Dear warblerrules, What do you know about the co op between college of wooster and duke’s nicholas school? Wooster boasts of a masters from Duke and a BS from Wooster with this program.</p>

9

<p>Princeton doesn’t even have a major in environmental sciences/studies. It has a certificate program or something like that. It’s kind of like a minor.</p>

10

<p>

It’s course offerings that matter rather than the title of the major, and both ecology and earth/ocean science are exceedingly strong at Princeton; the certificate in environmental science is mere icing on the cake. Any way you look at it, environmental science is taken more seriously at Princeton than at a good many other schools.</p>

<p>On the environmental studies side of things, Princeton offers an excellent environmental policy major as a joint program between the geology department and Woody Woo.</p>

<p>

I don’t know anything about that particular program, but there are many schools with such joint programs with Duke. Some guarantee admission after the student graduates in the normal four years, while others are a 3+2 program (3 years at a LAC for a BA, 2 years at a university for a MS). </p>

<p>In general, I wouldn’t let such things be a deal-breaker. Even a student dead set on environmental science may eventually change his/her mind (I did), and it’s good to have options at the graduate level as well. 3+2 programs are frequently advertised for engineering as well, but in both fields they are rarely used – most students end up not wanting to shave a year off their education.</p>

11

<p>In California, the top schools for environmental science would be :</p>

<p>(1) UC Davis and
(2) UC Berkeley</p>

<p>UC Davis in particular was originally established specifically as the UC campus that would focus on agriculture and environmental science.</p>

<p>It should also be noted that the only graduate program in the country specifically geared to providing a joint major in environmental science and management is at UC Santa Barbara (in fact the school is called “Bren College of Graduate Studies in Environmental Science and Mangement”)–but they provide no undergraduate program.</p>

<p>I’m not familiar enough with environmental science programs in other states to comment on their offerings–except for the program that offers a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources with a major in Environmental Science and Resource Management at the University of Washington–which is said to be excellent (according to my cousin who is a department chair for one of the other environmental programs at the school).</p>