Maj
Min

Environmental Studies

About

You Can Build a Sustainable World

Environmental Studies students focus on the societal causes of impacts to our air, water, and land in order to find and employ actionable solutions. You’ll take an interdisciplinary approach combining topics such as ecology, sociology, political science, and even business or art to both seek a range of perspectives and to pursue your passions, all while preparing for a career in reversing the impacts of climate change and sustaining the earth and its people.

And what better location to learn about the natural world than Saint Micheal’s College? Our campus abuts a 340-acre natural area and hosts an organic garden that provides farm shares and other purchasing opportunities to the community. We also have several environment-focused clubs on campus including Green Up and others that allow students to engage in the broader dimensions of our society and sustainability including Student Investment Fund and Model United Nations. And all of this is located in northern Vermont, nestled into the Lake Champlain basin and next to the Green Mountains where opportunities for exploration and hands-on learning abound.

In-Depth

The Environmental Studies program is a strong reflection of the mission of the college, centering on service to our community and world. Our students learn to ask difficult and important questions about humans’ relationship with the environment, and then to seek solutions.   

In addition to core classes like Environment and Society, Nature and Culture, and Environmental Research Methods that form the foundation of an Environmental Studies education, you’ll have the chance to explore interdisciplinary classes like Art and Ecology, Environmental Justice, Animal Studies, Environmental Hazards, and The Politics of Food that reflect your unique interests and future career path.  

Outside of the classroom, opportunities abound for student research and engagement. The Institute for the Environment, Career Services, and professors connect students with research projects and social projects to create a more sustainable world and apply what you’ve learned in the classroom. 

Careers

Careers in the field of sustainability and the environment are on the rise, and this growing discipline provides a wide range of career paths, such as:

  • Environmental Policy Analyst
  • Urban Planner
  • Governmental agency work at the federal level in departments such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or
  • Department of the Interior, or at the state level at the Agency of Natural Resources.
  • Sustainability Coordinator/Manager
  • Renewable Energy Specialist
  • Park Ranger or Forest Ranger
  • Environmental Educators and Communicators
  • PeaceCorps and/or AmeriCorps
  • Military Officer or National Guard Officer
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Regenerative and/or Organic Farmer
  • Landscape Designer and Caretaker
  • Wildlife Biologist

Many students also go on to get advanced degrees in environmental science/studies, geography, urban planning, landscape architecture, natural resources, and other adjacent topics such as law or policy.

For more information on environmental careers, check out our Environmental Science major page.

Internships

Our faculty hold many relationships within the field and will help place you in an internship that aligns with your goals and interests. Whether you want to stay local or travel around the world, you’ll have opportunities to make an impact and prepare for your career.

This is just a short list of places our students have interned in the past:

  • Native Energy (carbon-offset business)
  • Shelburne Farms (environmental education)
  • Ben and Jerry’s (wastewater monitoring)
  • The Intervale (organic garden and compost facility)
  • The ECHO Center (environmental education and animal care)
  • Essex Junction Wastewater Treatment Facility (economics of utility management)
  • Sopher Investments (rating environmental practices of businesses for development of green portfolios for environmentally conscious investors)
  • Keeping Track, Inc. (non-profit wildlife monitoring and citizen science organization)
  • Instituto Oceanografico (tropical ecology)
  • 350 Vermont (climate change activism)
  • Vermont Fish & Wildlife (state regulation and conservation)

There are also many opportunities for environmental activism on campus through our student clubs and organizations! For more information on environmental internships, check out our Environmental Science major page.

Research

Environmental studies majors are very active in the college’s student research programs.  Funding is available for students to conduct summer research projects working with faculty.  Recent grant-funded environmental studies student research projects include:

  • Nitrogen Pollution and Phosphorus Stress on NE Trees
  • Nature Deficit Disorder and VT Framework of Learning Standards
  • Perceptions and Reality of Energy Sources in Vermont and NH
  • Nitrogen Pollution and Phosphorus Availability on Soil Microbial Respiration
  • Organic Methods of Pest Control for VT Hops Growers
  • Totum: a Database of At-Risk-Locations
  • VT EPSCOR Water Quality Lab

TOTUS: a student research video on climate change in Alaska by Ross Henry.

Special Opportunities

Environmental Law and Policy

Saint Michael’s has an agreement with Vermont Law School that guarantees Saint Michael’s graduates admission into law school providing they meet the entrance requirements. The Vermont Law School is ranked number one in the US for environmental law.  The environmental studies program at Saint Michael’s provides an ideal foundation for law school through courses that shape critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and oral and written communication skills.

Study Abroad

Saint Michael’s sponsors environmental study trips to places such as India, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cuba, and the United Kingdom.  Recent topics have included Coral Reef Ecology, Sustainable Food Systems, and the Environmental and Aesthetic Study of Sustainable Places. In addition to these two or three week trips, Saint Michael’s is affiliated with the School for Field Studies with longer term environmental programs in the Turks and Caicos, Bhutan, Australia, and Tanzania.

On-Campus Sustainability and Leadership Opportunities

Students at Saint Michael’s College have many opportunities to engage in projects that promote campus sustainability, raise awareness on campus and locally of pressing environmental issues, and hone leadership skills through challenging outdoor wilderness activities.  The campus organic garden offers paid summer positions and academic year volunteer opportunities, while four active environmentally-themed clubs develop environmental citizenship skills through fair trade, divestment and local food campaigns.

In-Depth

The Environmental Studies program is a strong reflection of the mission of the college, centering on service to our community and world. Our students learn to ask difficult and important questions about humans’ relationship with the environment, and then to seek solutions.   

In addition to core classes like Environment and Society, Nature and Culture, and Environmental Research Methods that form the foundation of an Environmental Studies education, you’ll have the chance to explore interdisciplinary classes like Art and Ecology, Environmental Justice, Animal Studies, Environmental Hazards, and The Politics of Food that reflect your unique interests and future career path.  

Outside of the classroom, opportunities abound for student research and engagement. The Institute for the Environment, Career Services, and professors connect students with research projects and social projects to create a more sustainable world and apply what you’ve learned in the classroom. 

Careers

Careers in the field of sustainability and the environment are on the rise, and this growing discipline provides a wide range of career paths, such as:

  • Environmental Policy Analyst
  • Urban Planner
  • Governmental agency work at the federal level in departments such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or
  • Department of the Interior, or at the state level at the Agency of Natural Resources.
  • Sustainability Coordinator/Manager
  • Renewable Energy Specialist
  • Park Ranger or Forest Ranger
  • Environmental Educators and Communicators
  • PeaceCorps and/or AmeriCorps
  • Military Officer or National Guard Officer
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Regenerative and/or Organic Farmer
  • Landscape Designer and Caretaker
  • Wildlife Biologist

Many students also go on to get advanced degrees in environmental science/studies, geography, urban planning, landscape architecture, natural resources, and other adjacent topics such as law or policy.

For more information on environmental careers, check out our Environmental Science major page.

Internships

Our faculty hold many relationships within the field and will help place you in an internship that aligns with your goals and interests. Whether you want to stay local or travel around the world, you’ll have opportunities to make an impact and prepare for your career.

This is just a short list of places our students have interned in the past:

  • Native Energy (carbon-offset business)
  • Shelburne Farms (environmental education)
  • Ben and Jerry’s (wastewater monitoring)
  • The Intervale (organic garden and compost facility)
  • The ECHO Center (environmental education and animal care)
  • Essex Junction Wastewater Treatment Facility (economics of utility management)
  • Sopher Investments (rating environmental practices of businesses for development of green portfolios for environmentally conscious investors)
  • Keeping Track, Inc. (non-profit wildlife monitoring and citizen science organization)
  • Instituto Oceanografico (tropical ecology)
  • 350 Vermont (climate change activism)
  • Vermont Fish & Wildlife (state regulation and conservation)

There are also many opportunities for environmental activism on campus through our student clubs and organizations! For more information on environmental internships, check out our Environmental Science major page.

Research

Environmental studies majors are very active in the college’s student research programs.  Funding is available for students to conduct summer research projects working with faculty.  Recent grant-funded environmental studies student research projects include:

  • Nitrogen Pollution and Phosphorus Stress on NE Trees
  • Nature Deficit Disorder and VT Framework of Learning Standards
  • Perceptions and Reality of Energy Sources in Vermont and NH
  • Nitrogen Pollution and Phosphorus Availability on Soil Microbial Respiration
  • Organic Methods of Pest Control for VT Hops Growers
  • Totum: a Database of At-Risk-Locations
  • VT EPSCOR Water Quality Lab

TOTUS: a student research video on climate change in Alaska by Ross Henry.

Special Opportunities

Environmental Law and Policy

Saint Michael’s has an agreement with Vermont Law School that guarantees Saint Michael’s graduates admission into law school providing they meet the entrance requirements. The Vermont Law School is ranked number one in the US for environmental law.  The environmental studies program at Saint Michael’s provides an ideal foundation for law school through courses that shape critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and oral and written communication skills.

Study Abroad

Saint Michael’s sponsors environmental study trips to places such as India, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cuba, and the United Kingdom.  Recent topics have included Coral Reef Ecology, Sustainable Food Systems, and the Environmental and Aesthetic Study of Sustainable Places. In addition to these two or three week trips, Saint Michael’s is affiliated with the School for Field Studies with longer term environmental programs in the Turks and Caicos, Bhutan, Australia, and Tanzania.

On-Campus Sustainability and Leadership Opportunities

Students at Saint Michael’s College have many opportunities to engage in projects that promote campus sustainability, raise awareness on campus and locally of pressing environmental issues, and hone leadership skills through challenging outdoor wilderness activities.  The campus organic garden offers paid summer positions and academic year volunteer opportunities, while four active environmentally-themed clubs develop environmental citizenship skills through fair trade, divestment and local food campaigns.