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B.S. Degree in
Environment and Sustainability
Minor in Environment and Sustainability
Being conscious of the planet, its systems, and all life sustained by it is the responsibility of every human being, and studying the complex ways we impact the environment makes us aware of how we can make a difference.
In Catawba College’s Environment and Sustainability bachelor’s degree program, you will have the chance to use our campus as your first outdoor laboratory as you conduct field studies and roam our 189-acre ecological preserve located in Catawba’s back yard.
The Environment and Sustainability Bachelor of Science degree program at Catawba College offers the choice of four concentrations: Environment and Outdoor Education, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, and Sustainable Planning and Leadership.
Learning in small classes from supportive faculty, you will first gain a special appreciation for air, land, and water resources, from the threats and issues associated with each to the science behind them, building your knowledge and confidence through discussions, hands-on labs, and research experiences. Additionally, our Environmental Field & Skills course will prepare you to delve into your areas of interest within Environment and Sustainability, focusing your major in at least one of these four Environment and Sustainability concentrations:
Environmental and Outdoor Education Concentration
Choose the Environmental and Outdoor Education concentration if you want a career centered on outreach or nontraditional environmental education such as programming at museums, aquaria, or parks. Students completing this concentration will take courses that enable the creation of a portfolio that can be used to pursue North Carolina Environmental Education (NCEE) certification. The NCEE certification program is modeled after the national environmental education standards, making this certification portable in many instances. Learn more about NCEE certification.
Environmental Science Concentration
Select the Environmental Science concentration if you want to pursue a career as an environmental consultant, analyst, conservation scientist, or other environmentally focused career. You can also use your Bachelor of Science in Environment and Sustainability degree to pursue graduate school or law school.
Natural Resource Management Concentration
Choose the Natural Resource Management concentration if you are interested in influencing how we use and manage our open spaces and wildlands. This concentration blends science and policy to prepare students for the complexities of managing our natural resources. Leverage this program into a natural resources career for the government or private agencies or as preparation for graduate study.
Sustainable Planning and Leadership Concentration
Focus your studies in Sustainable Planning and Leadership if you seek to become a sustainability leader in your community or workplace. You will pair this concentration with a minor (or major) in another discipline for a truly interdisciplinary education. This concentration prepares you to manage corporate sustainability programs, conduct research and environmental audits, consult in the green economy, or pursue an advanced degree such as a green MBA.
Catawba offers a minor in Environment and Sustainability.
One of the most valuable skills one can have in today’s scientific, business, and professional realms is first-hand experience with Geographic Information Systems. Our rapidly-expanding GIS program, based in the Department of Environment & Sustainability, incorporates three step-wise courses in GIS, Remote Sensing, and their broad spectrum of applications, as well as several electives ranging from a Drones and UAVs course (including FAA licensure) to Programming to Field Skills. With this particularly special set of tools in a graduate’s toolkit, the next steps in a Catawba ENV graduate’s career are even more promising.
This deeply experiential degree program facilitated by inspired and inspiring Catawba College faculty will also help you decide on how and in what ways you want to work for the health of our planet. From day one in the program, it is hands-on learning, and making an impact as you learn.
As an Environment and Sustainability major, you will automatically qualify for an annual $5,000 scholarship above and beyond your regular Catawba scholarship and financial aid package. Once admitted to Catawba, students declaring their intention to Major or Minor in Environment & Sustainability will have the opportunity to compete for generously-supported ENV Merit Scholarships, including (multiple annual) awards for up to full tuition as well as full tuition plus room and board.
Become a Catawba Environmental Steward and design and implement a campus sustainability service project. Projects have included a recycled fashion show, a campus bike-share program, renovating the Catawba greenhouse, working on biogas digestors, helping install solar infrastructure on campus, sustainability-based educational programming, and more. Students accepted in to this program receive additional scholarship funds for their work , following a year-long “rush” period in which they participate in activities and apply for inclusion in the Stewards Program for their later years at Catawba.
Build your resume and acquire professional skills during an environmental internship with organizations such as the, Land Trust for Central North Carolina, the Natural Resources Conservation, Horizons Unlimited Education Center, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and many others.
Experience local and global environmental issues first hand through travel study experiences in places as diverse as Madagascar, mainland Africa, the Carribean, India, Costa Rica, the Florida Everglades, and the Duke University Marine Lab.
Conduct and present your own environmental research by doing an Independent Study. Environment and Sustainability majors have presented their work at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium in areas such as North Carolina water quality, public opinion on climate change, scavenger behavior in the Catawba ecological preserve and species identification practices in commercial fishing. Students have also presented at regional and national conferences (such as the North Carolina Academy of Science, Association of Southeastern Biologists, Carolinas Society of Toxicology & Chemistry, and American Chemical Society) in the fields of environment, biology, and chemistry. The James M. Beard Student Science Travel Award can help you pay for travel expenses related to your research.
Outcomes
ENVIRONMENTAL JOBS.
Environment and Sustainability majors from Catawba College are making a difference in the following positions:
GRADUATE SCHOOLS.
Catawba College Environment and Sustainability alumni have gone on to earn graduate degrees at the following schools:
“Catawba's Environmental Education degree allowed me to put together my love for the outdoors and my passion for working with the public.
"The small student-to-faculty ratio, the Center for the Environment, the ecological preserve and a wonderful liberal arts institution allowed me to cultivate (pardon the agriculture pun) my education into my vocation."
Sarah Moore, ’12
Biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah, Georgia; Earned her master’s degree from Duke University
Environmental Facilities
CENTER FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT
SUSTAINABLE
FACILITY
189-ACRE
ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE
Put your passion for the environment to work and develop leadership skills as part of Environment Catawba Outreach (ECO), the college’s campus club dedicated to raising environmental awareness on campus.
Faculty
Curriculum
