Virginia Wesleyan University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The Sustainability Management major prepares students to utilize their knowledge of the functional areas of business and management to help organizations both adopt and achieve the goals of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. The major employs a multi-disciplinary approach whereby students will learn not only the scientific principles undergirding sustainable business practices but also the philosophical underpinnings of the global need for sustainability and the various regulatory approaches for achieving it. In addition to significant coursework in a variety of academic disciplines, students will synthesize their studies through a senior-level experience entailing either further coursework with an internship or a sustainability-focused study away experience.

The environmental studies major is designed to teach students how to understand their physical and social environments as the intersection of a variety of overlapping forces, including constraints of biology and climate, as well as the influence of law and public policy, literature and philosophy. The major prepares students for a variety of careers in such diverse fields as law, public policy, scientific research, environmental literature, and teaching. As the major draws upon courses from across all four academic schools of the university, the skills and knowledge imparted to students are correspondingly broad, yet centered around an abiding concern with the environment.

In addition to practicing scientific, social science, and humanities approaches to the study of the environment, students will learn to understand the interrelationships among science, society, technology, culture, and nature. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the major prepares students to recognize and address such challenges as resource depletion, habitat loss, environmental degradation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, with the ultimate goal of fostering a sustainable human society.

Earth and environmental sciences (EES) is a multi-disciplinary field that addresses the interactions between humans and the environment. Study in this field includes an understanding of the basic principles that govern geological, biological, and chemical interactions, as well as the applied context of developing solutions to current environmental problems. The earth and environmental sciences curriculum is designed to provide a solid foundation in both earth science and environmental science and to support coursework in chemistry and biology. The B.A. program is designed to provide a broad background in the fundamentals of earth science for students who plan careers in secondary education, business, law, and other areas, or wish to pursue a double major. The B.S. program is intended for students who plan graduate work in earth or environmental sciences and thus require additional upper-level EES courses and additional preparation in mathematics. Those seeking secondary certification in earth science have additional course requirements and must plan a course of study in consultation with faculty advisors from both the Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Education Departments.

The environmental studies minor is designed to teach students how to understand their physical and social environments as the intersection of a variety of overlapping forces, including constraints of biology and climate, as well as the influence of law and public policy, literature and philosophy. In addition to practicing scientific, social science, and humanities approaches to the study of the environment, students will learn to understand the interrelationships among science, society, technology, culture, and nature. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the minor prepares students to recognize and address such challenges as resource depletion, habitat loss, environmental degradation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, with the ultimate goal of fostering a sustainable human society.

Earth and environmental sciences (EES) is a multi-disciplinary field that addresses the interactions between humans and the environment. Study in this field includes an understanding of the basic principles that govern geological, biological, and chemical interactions, as well as the applied context of developing solutions to current environmental problems.