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Contact

David Barnhill, Director
Environmental Studies Program

313 Swart Hall
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901

Phone: (920) 424-1397
Fax: (920) 424-1418
E-mail:es@uwosh.edu

 

Brief Overview of the Curriculum

Environmental Studies is the study of relationships between human society and its biophysical environments. Its purpose is to understand the social, cultural, and ecological variables that lead to environmental degradation and to inspire critical thought and action in response. It is a course of study for people who care about environmental issues and want to contribute to the resolution of environmental problems as professionals, activists, and citizens

Environmental Studies at UW Oshkosh

The program consists of an interdisciplinary curriculum based in the liberal arts that incorporates the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. As such, it is the only major of its kind in the University of Wisconsin System. Students earn credits from many departments at the UW Oshkosh in addition to taking core ES courses that provide a solid background in key environmental issues and the various analytic tools required to address them.

The Program offers opportunities for interactive classroom learning as well as for field study, internships, and student-organized events and projects. As a young but growing program, ES at UW Oshkosh provides an intimate learning environment that both students and faculty find intellectually rigorous and personally enriching.

The major and the minor are available to students from all colleges at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. They are certified for licensure by the Department of Public Instruction for College of Education students preparing to teach Elementary or Middle School, or High School for students specializing in the Natural Sciences. 

For a more detailed discussion of the UWO approach to Environmental Studies, click here.

ES Program Objectives

  • To provide quality instruction for students seeking careers or advancement in environmentally-related occupations in the public sector, private sector, or who seek to continue academic work in environmental studies or related disciplines. 
  • To provide a broad-based, interdisciplinary understanding of environmental problems, drawn from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. The broad training provided by an interdisciplinary program can impart the communication skills needed to work collaboratively toward practical solutions with diverse stakeholders.
  • To provide opportunities for students to develop practical problem-oriented expertise through involvement in internship and senior seminar experiences.
  • To promote environmental literacy and responsible citizenship among our students. To this end, we aim to ensure that all of our students are equipped to think critically and act responsibly in response to contemporary environmental problems, and are prepared with the skills necessary for crafting solutions and understanding the obstacles to environmental problems.

Requirements in the ES Curriculum

Both majors and minors complete a Core of eight courses. Majors in addition take two upper-level electives in the sciences, and two upper-level electives in other divisions. For a detailed list of the courses that count for the majors, see the Checksheet.

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