Environmental Studies
When you earn a degree in environmental studies at Lewis & Clark, you will learn the newest concepts in the field and cultivate cutting-edge technical and leadership skills to make a difference in the world. You’ll do all of this while benefiting from our proximity to Portland and the diverse natural environments of the Pacific Northwest.
Why Choose a Degree in Environmental Studies?
Our unique program will challenge you to transcend intellectual, geographic, and communication boundaries as you weave insights drawn from across the sciences and humanities; apply them in local, regional, and global contexts; and learn strategies to connect with the people and institutions you encounter. You will draw a larger—potentially more hopeful—circle around environmental issues. You will graduate with a background in environmental science situated in a broader understanding of cultural, political, and other key dimensions, plus skills and experience you can apply to professional opportunities, graduate study, and effective environmental action.
What You’ll Study
We offer a major and minor. The heart of our interdisciplinary curriculum includes core courses in environmental studies, which help build an intellectually coherent understanding of environmental problems and solutions; breadth courses in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, which provide important discipline-specific tools for environmental analysis; elective courses, which offer opportunities to explore key topics; and a quantitative requirement, which builds skills in data analysis and modeling. In addition, many of our students earn course credit toward their environmental studies degree while on an overseas program. Popular programs for our students are Australia, East Africa, Ecuador, India, Japan, and Senegal.
Outside the classroom, the annual Environment Across Boundaries (ENVX) Symposium is organized by a committee of students with support from faculty and staff. This multiday, interdisciplinary event encourages students to expand their search for new scholarly concepts and skills, transcend geographic boundaries as they explore environmental issues around the world, and engage with people on all sides of these issues, ideally working toward mutual respect and collaborative solutions. The symposium offers the Lewis & Clark community and general public an opportunity to experience this broader approach to studying the environment. Our students also regularly engage in constructive environmental dialogue with people from diverse backgrounds in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest, and develop their own engagement projects to reach out to people connected to environmental issues. Graduating seniors have the opportunity to travel to and present their capstone work at the annual Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) national conference. Additionally, many of our students become trip leaders for College Outdoors, taking their peers to spectacularly beautiful sites in the Pacific Northwest. This opportunity provides them with leadership opportunities and professional training for careers in outdoor education.
Complement Your Education With One of These Minors
The most popular minors for our environmental studies majors are data science, Earth system science, and political economy.
What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark
Shoshana Rybeck BA ’20More about ShoshanaL&C has made me more confident in who I am and what I can accomplish. It has also made me more aware of all the change that must be made in our world to cultivate peace and justice.
Qwynci Bowman BA ’23More about QwynciWe are home to a robust campus community that is concerned with both local and national sustainability efforts.
Kaylee Howser BA ’24More about KayleeRegardless of how different my subjects are, each environmental studies class has taught me that every person, problem, and situation is socially, historically, and politically situated.
What Can You Do With a Degree in Environmental Studies?
Our alumni use their BA in environmental studies in a variety of careers in nonprofit organizations, in academia, and at companies and agencies. Many go on to pursue advanced degrees in environmental history, landscape architecture, nuclear engineering, and other fields.
Dedicated Faculty
Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.
Invest in Yourself
A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate in four years with their bachelor of arts degree that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.
Find Your People
Students can join a variety of student-run organizations that relate to their environmental studies degree, like the ENVX: Environment Across Boundaries symposium and Students Engaged in Eco-Defense (SEED). Don’t see what you’re looking for on the club list? Start something new and build your own community of peers!
Skylar Golleher BA ’21More about SkylarLewis & Clark gave me a lot of confidence to express my ideas, opinions, and intentions. I think my favorite thing that I learned was the ability to problem solve.
Tobias Varntoft BA ’21More about TobiasMy cocurricular experiences helped me gain skills in organizational planning, project oversight, and program execution, which have proven to be invaluable skills that I use daily at my job.
Environmental Studies Events
Microbially-driven shifts in marine nutrient cycling in response to ocean deoxygenation and climate change
ENVX Symposium
For full details of the 26th annual ENVX Symposium, see https://college.lclark.edu/programs/environmental_studies/symposium/26th-annual-symposium/
ENVX Symposium: carbon emissions trading game
Participants of this event will participate in a carbon emissions trading game, CarbonSim, which was developed by the Environmental Defense Fund. This event is in partnership with Elizabeth Bennett’s IA 340 International Political Economy class. Pizza will be provided.
ENVX Symposium
For full details of the 26th annual ENVX Symposium, see https://college.lclark.edu/programs/environmental_studies/symposium/26th-annual-symposium/
ENVX Symposium: Keynote Presentations
Keynote presentations by Yuko Aoyama, an industrial economic geographer, and Clarence Edwards, a legislative advocate on climate change and US foreign policy. The title of Dr. Aoyama’s talk is Variable Capitalisms: Understanding Fixity, Fluidity, and Hybridity. The title of Mr. Edwards’ talk is The Type of Capitalism You Practice Matters. The two presentations will be followed by a discussion lead by Jessica Kleiss, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, and audience Q&A.
ENVX Symposium: Keynote Reception
Please join keynote speakers, Yuko Aoyama and Clarence Edwards, for a post presentation reception.
Featured News
Shaking Up Disaster Preparedness With Video Games
Cascadia 9.0 was developed as part of an ongoing research project to determine what motivates young adults to prepare for earthquakes and other natural disasters. Using video games as research and outreach tools, L&C researchers take an interdisciplinary approach to disaster preparedness.
