Environmental Science

It’s in the Nature of Things

Combine your passion for the natural world with biogeochemistry, biology, chemistry and ecology to address and solve issues between humans and the environment.

The Environment – Down to a Science

Gain advanced scientific and quantitative understanding of contemporary environmental issues with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science. Take advantage of research opportunities in the region's many lakes and rivers, forests and mountain ranges, or walk outside of your residence hall to the campus pond, fields, maple sugar house, permaculture garden and tree nursery or 86-acre certified tree farm. Combine your classroom and laboratory learning with field studies courses in the Colorado River basin, the desert Southwest, the island community of Martha’s Vineyard, the White Mountains of New Hampshire or the tropical communities of Belize.

Pair your scientific understanding of the environment with the knowledge and skills employers seek by collaborating with peers, faculty and environmental experts on sustainability initiatives and research projects. Partner with classmates to conduct in-depth field work and extended site visits during a team-driven, comprehensive community-based research project. Enhance your individual research skills with an independent research project that familiarizes you with quantitative and qualitative inquiry methods and demonstrate the depth and wealth of your knowledge with a senior Capstone project.

Essential skills developed on campus in the water-quality and ecology laboratories, featuring geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS), will help you move from college into a variety of job possibilities including wildlife biologist, ecologist, geologist, conservation officer, GIS/GPS specialist, natural resources manager, researcher and water quality assessor. Or, pursue graduate studies in any number of environmentally related fields.

Application Information

Walking Our Talk

Environmental stewardship is practiced every day on the Colby-Sawyer campus. You can see it in the spinning blades of the wind turbine, as the solar arrays soak up the sun, on the locally sourced dining menu, and through our affiliations with organizations committed to environmental advocacy. Read more about the student-developed climate commitment that pledges the campus to carbon neutrality by 2050.