Environmental Studies
About Environmental Studies
Our Program & Courses
Environmental studies is a major and minor at F&M. You’ll study critical issues of our times: global warming and climate change, environmental justice, alternative energy sources, wilderness protection, ecotourism, and natural resource management. By blending knowledge of environmental policy and science with environmental economics, government, anthropology, social sciences, and other fields including business, literature, history, and the humanities, you’ll develop a deep foundation in environmental knowledge and perspectives, empowering you to become an effective leader, professional, and environmentally literate citizen of the world.
If there is a particular area of environmental studies that most fascinates you, you can craft a specialization within the major. While this is not required, you can choose to specialize in environmental policy and law, environmental justice, biodiversity conservation, food and agriculture, climate change, environmental economics and business, or environment and society.
By the time you graduate, you will:
- Have developed an understanding of and broad ability to explain the relationship between humans and the environment and how that association connects to policy, ethics, natural science, history, philosophy, literature, and arts
- Have cultivated an ability to analyze and articulate various environmental challenges and opportunities, such as climate change, environmental governance, wilderness, biodiversity, land ethics, natural resource use and management, and environmental justice
- Be able to evaluate real-world applications of socio-environmental analysis, including
understanding policy responses and the historical and cultural dimensions of social
and ecological systems
Wondering what environmental studies classes are like? Take a look at our course catalog to explore what classes you can expect.
Learning Outside the Classroom
In the Field
F&M’s location provides the perfect landscape for studying the environment. Lancaster County’s flourishing agricultural industry, the nearby Susquehanna River, and F&M’s Spalding Nature Conservancy provide exciting learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Environmental studies students also pursue internships with environmental nonprofits, government agencies, and local organizations. Many of our students intern with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which includes a competitive application process.
Research Opportunities
If there’s an environmental studies area or idea you’re eager to explore, you won’t
have to wait until graduate school to launch your investigation. Every student at
F&M has extraordinary opportunities to work closely with professors in faculty-led research or engage in an independent research
project.
Explore research at F&M
Many of our students get involved with F&M’s Center for the Sustainable Environment
(CSE), our hub for global environmental stewardship and sustainability on campus.
The CSE is home to a seminar room, a field-work laboratory space, a meeting space
for sustainable clubs on campus, and more. Many students work in the CSE or participate
in its extracurricular activities, food composting workshops, wild food tastings,
and guest speaker presentations.Center for the Sustainable Environment
Explore the CSE
Keck Consortium
The Keck Geology Consortium consists of twelve liberal arts colleges focused on enriching undergraduate education
through the development of high-quality research experiences. Each summer, with support
from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Consortium offers a Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (REU) program to engage undergraduate students in four- to five-week
field and laboratory research projects in the earth sciences. Advanced students continue
their summer research projects during the following academic year using cutting-edge
laboratory techniques. All students are encouraged to participate in a professional
conference. The Keck Geology Consortium is currently administered through Macalester
College.
Off-Campus Study
Off-campus study, in the U.S. and internationally, is encouraged. Environmental studies
students have studied abroad in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and
have even spent a semester at sea.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Entrepreneurship at F&M
In the spirit of living up to Benjamin Franklin’s legacy of creating solutions in the service of the public good, Entrepreneurship at F&M is a program that offers exciting opportunities for all students to explore and develop entrepreneurial skills. Environmental studies students have used their education to develop entrepreneurial opportunities in groundwater exploration; environmental consulting, carbon capture and sequestration; and natural resource management.
Dual Degree Programs
Earn Master of Forestry (M.F.) or Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.)
In partnership with Duke University, F&M enables you to earn a bachelor’s degree from F&M and a master’s degree from Duke in a total of five or six years.
M.E.M. and M.F. Professional Master’s Degrees
The Duke Professional Master’s program is a two-year, course-based, non-thesis professional degree program similar to law or business school in its applied focus. In fact, the degree will actually be an M.E.M. (Master of Environmental Management) or M.F. (Master of Forestry), depending on the path you choose. This is not the same as applying to graduate school in the college of arts and sciences, where you might earn a broader, less applied M.S. (master of science) degree in a discipline like zoology or biochemistry.
M.E.M. Specializations
The M.E.M. degree is structured around environment and management concentrations. Students select one from each of the following groups of possibilities, to gain depth of knowledge in a topical area (environment) and to build the skills (management) to put this knowledge into practice:
Environment concentrations:
- Coastal and marine systems
- Ecotoxicology and environmental health
- Energy and environment
- Terrestrial and freshwater environments
Management concentrations:
- Business and the environment
- Environmental analytics and modeling
- Environmental economics and policy
- Community engagement and environmental justice
You may spend either three or four years at F&M, during which time you’ll complete all requirements for your chosen major, and all F&M general education requirements. You will then transfer to Duke for two years of additional study.
Please consult this document for more details about this program and instructions for participation. Contact Professor Elizabeth De Santo at edesanto@fandm.edu with any questions related to this program.
Success Beyond F&M
What do environmental studies majors typically do after college? Many of our graduates go on to enjoy successful careers in a wide range of professions and enroll in prestigious graduate programs. You’ll also find alumni support in the Geoscience Founders Society , an organization committed to maintaining connections between current F&M students and faculty with alumni and friends.
Graduate School
A liberal arts background in environmental studies prepares our graduates to go on to excellent graduate programs after F&M. Many pursue advanced degrees in government, law, sustainability, environmental and energy management, and environmental science.
Fellowships
Environmental studies graduates often pursue teaching and public service fellowships with organizations such as Teach for America and Americorps. They also go on to complete fellowships overseas with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, for which F&M is recognized as a top-producing institution.
Career Paths
Environmental studies graduates are prepared to embark on a wide range of career paths, including positions in government, business, nonprofits, and research. They hold positions such as:
- Environmental, Health, and Safety Specialist
- Environmental Lawyer
- Head of Sustainability
- Vice President, Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
- Forestry Coordinator
- Urban Planner
- Public Health Specialist
- Project Manager
- Associate Director
- Senior Research Associate
- Policy Analyst
- Prospective Gifts Manager
- Senior Consultant
- Director of Communications and Community Engagement
- Manager, Government Relations
F&M's Department of Earth & Environment offers laboratory facilities open to F&M faculty,
staff, and students, as well as colleagues from other institutions for their teaching
and research. We have ongoing relationships with F&M's Departments of Chemistry, Physics
and Biology, Millersville University, colleges in the Keck Geology Consortium, NASA,
the U.S. Geological Survey, and Armstrong World Industries. Explore critical environmental issues of today through a scientific lens. By studying
earth and environmental science at F&M, you will build the necessary biological, chemical,
and geological foundation you need to study the earth and understand the dynamics
between humans and our environment. Become an expert in a vital field that consistently ranks among the best undergraduate
programs in the country. By studying geosciences at F&M, you’ll examine and understand
the dynamic processes that shape our planet, the minerals and rocks that comprise
it, and the features and processes of the Earth’s surfaces and interior. Sustainability planning is an increasing need in the marketplace. F&M’s sustainability
planning certificate provides the glue that bonds biology; earth and environment;
and business, organizations and society to prepare students interested in careers
in sustainable practices.Student Spotlight
Protecting Farmland in Lancaster
Jessica Perfit ’25, an environmental studies and dance double major, spent her summer
surrounded by Lancaster countryside as an intern with Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT).
“Since I arrived in Lancaster to attend F&M, I have developed an appreciation for
agriculture,” she said. “When I saw this internship opportunity, I became very excited
about being able to work for an organization that works tirelessly to protect farmland.”
Perfit helped recruit volunteers and co-managed events for LFT’s farm-to-pantry program,
which donates surplus crops to local food pantries. “I felt this was a great opportunity
to make a tangible difference in my community,” she said.
Read More »Student Spotlight
Transforming Gardens into Classrooms
Moana Franco ’25, an environmental studies and public policy joint major, interned
with The Edible Classroom, a Lancaster-based nonprofit that partners with schools
and communities to create educational gardens. Franco worked as an educator at one
of The Edible Classroom's summer camps, an experience she described as “truly magical.”
"It was a joy to see students' growth, and how their relationships with food, the
environment, and the world around them changed," Franco said. The opportunity to take
what she learned from the classroom into the community was exactly what Franco had
hoped for when she decided to attend F&M. "The liberal arts education at F&M has helped
me discover my passions and is leading me to a career path that not only brings me
fulfillment but also sparks positive change," Franco said.
Read More »Alumni Spotlight
Exploring Sustainable Food Systems in Italy
Jonathan Izzo ’24, an environmental studies major and Italian minor, combined his
twin passions for his family’s Italian heritage and for sustainable food systems by
spending a semester studying in Perugia, Italy. “I was volunteering at a local urban
garden, but for the most part, it was an educational program looking around Italy
at sustainable food systems that exist there,” Izzo said. Izzo compiled his research
into a 20-page thesis written in Italian. “My thesis is about the slow-food movement,
looking into sustainable, traditional practices like preserving traditional culture
of food practices,” he said.
Read More »Earth and Environment Laboratory Facilities
Related Fields of Study
Earth and Environmental Science
Geosciences
Sustainability Planning Certificate
Environmental Studies in Action
March 21, 2025
Ready to Respond: John Allison '25 Gears Up for Disaster Relief Work
John Allison '25 created a highly personalized academic experience and gained the confidence to achieve success at F&M and beyond. Blending government, environmental studies, and hands-on Emergency Management Services training, the senior plans to leverage his custom degree to work with governmental organizations to respond to natural and manmade disasters.
October 30, 2024
Jake Lamb ’25: F&M Transfer ‘One of the Best Decisions I’ve Ever Made’
“Becoming a Diplomat has changed me for the better,” said Jake Lamb ‘25. Learn about his experience transferring to F&M and meet other students who made the switch.
October 16, 2024
Senior Interns to Protect Farmland in Lancaster
Jessica Perfit ’25 spent her summer surrounded by Lancaster countryside. “Since I arrived in Lancaster to attend F&M, I have developed an appreciation for agriculture,” she said. The environmental studies and dance major interned with Lancaster Farmland Trust, a nonprofit focused on preserving farmland.