Environmental Studies & Sciences Majors and Minor

Addressing today鈥檚 environmental challenges comes down to more than science and policy 鈥� it calls for perspectives from the humanities and social justice, too. Ask big questions and explore creative solutions at Skidmore.

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Environmental studies and sciences (ESS) students learn about complex environmental issues through experiences in the classroom, on campus, locally, and abroad. Whether you focus on the science side or the social and cultural side, you鈥檒l build practical, flexible skills to pursue what matters most to you.

What will you learn?

Skidmore鈥檚 ESS Department is all about understanding and tackling real-world problems at every level. Students can join existing research and field opportunities or design their own 鈥� learning to propel creative ideas with scientific evidence, critical thought, and clear communication. Courses toward a major or minor focus on skills necessary to frame, describe, analyze, and offer feasible solutions.

Where will you go?

Our students go on to exciting, fulfilling careers with nonprofits, consulting groups, governmental agencies, and educational institutions and top graduate schools in the sciences, public policy, and law.

Career paths	Recent employers	Graduate schools and programs
Environmental/agricultural consultant Environmental attorney Environmental campaign coordinator Environmental educator/teacher Environmental journalism/writing Environmental policy analyst Environmental scientist Environmental remediation and regenerative agriculture GIS technician Renewable energy consultant	Caney Fork Farm Harvard University Inter-Fluve Engineering National Park Service NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Riverkeeper Rights of Nature & Indigenous Rights鈹侫SHA鈹侴ARN The Rainforest Alliance The Nature Conservancy US Department of Energy US Environmental Protection Agency	Columbia Climate School Fulbright Programs International London School of Economics Northwestern University Environmental Sciences, Energy, and Sustainability Tulane University Law School Tufts Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning University College Dublin and Justus-Liebig University Environmental Sciences University of Denver Business Administration and Management University of Idaho Natural Resources Yale School of the Environment

Why not branch out?

Find out what鈥檚 possible when you explore new environments and creative thought in a supportive setting.

Two students work in a green field with various tools to research soil, including a 4x4 vehicle

Nurture your network

Connect to vast networking opportunities 鈥� at Skidmore and globally. The Soil Inventory Project (TSIP) and Coast to Coral Reefs Environmental Dynamics Lab are both facilitated by our faculty and offer exceptional research experiences.

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A student crouches down in a red jacket and black hat looking out over a lake and mountain with a blue sky in the background in Bolivia.

Get inspired abroad

Our students and faculty study all ecosystems and regions of the world. Many of them conduct environmental research abroad and bring their unique experiences back to campus to enrich our curriculum.

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Two students stand pouring water onto green plants with a whiteboard in the background

Blossom in an internship

Skidmore ESS encourages internships and provides competitive funding to support them. Build skills for success as an environmental advocate and citizen while engaging with community, regional, and international stakeholders.

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Rooted in sustainability

Our highly ranked Sustainability Office is the perfect partner to our exceptional ESS curriculum.

Three students and a professor examine a small object in one person鈥檚 hand during an outdoor field study.

See the fruits of your labor

Students can make a real difference in sustaining and improving our healthy campus environment 鈥� like those in Professor Erika Schielke鈥檚 Pollinators in Peril seminar, who designed and planted a campus pollinator garden.

A student smiles in overalls while holding a gardening tool next to a large compost bin made out of mesh wire and a wooden frame.

Everyone gets a turn

Campus composting work parties featuring solar-baked s鈥檓ores are just one example of why The Princeton Review ranks Skidmore among the top 10 schools in the country where 鈥淕reen Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation.鈥�

Two students watch a gardener pull back plants being grown in a tray to explore their root sytem

Find a homegrown community

The first-year students in Skidmore鈥檚 Gardenside Living-Learning Community say they love this housing option, which introduces them to other environmentally-conscious students and the ins and outs of campus sustainability efforts.

A tree trunk stands in the forefront of a wooded trail with a bright green trail marker for the North Woods that includes a black graphic of a newt on it

Take in the sights and sounds ...

Skidmore is uniquely surrounded by beautiful, abundant natural resources and people who are passionate about the environment. Enjoy unforgettable field experiences in our own North Woods, the nearby Adirondack Park, and community farms, and collaborate with a diversity of social and environmental justice organizations actively working at a grassroots level.