Environmental Studies
About Environmental Studies
Our Program & Courses
If there is a particular area of environmental studies that most fascinates you, you can craft a specialization within the major. While this is not required, you can choose to specialize in environmental policy and law, environmental justice, biodiversity conservation, food and agriculture, climate change, environmental economics and business, or environment and society. You can further customize your degree by adding a second major in earth and environmental science, which is designed to complement the environmental studies major.
By the time you graduate, you will:
- Have developed an understanding of and broad ability to explain the relationship between humans and the environment and how that association connects to policy, ethics, natural science, history, philosophy, literature, and arts
- Have cultivated an ability to analyze and articulate various environmental challenges and opportunities, such as climate change, environmental governance, wilderness, biodiversity, land ethics, natural resource use and management, and environmental justice
- Be able to evaluate real-world applications of socio-environmental analysis, including understanding policy responses and the historical and cultural dimensions of social and ecological systems
Learning Outside the Classroom
In the Field
F&M’s location provides the perfect landscape for studying the environment. Lancaster County’s flourishing agricultural industry, the nearby Susquehanna River, and F&M’s Spalding Nature Conservancy provide exciting learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Environmental studies students also pursue internships with environmental nonprofits, government agencies, and local organizations. Many of our students intern with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which includes a competitive application process.Research Opportunities
If there’s an environmental studies area or idea you’re eager to explore, you won’t have to wait until graduate school to launch your investigation. Every student at F&M has extraordinary opportunities to work closely with professors in faculty-led research or engage in an independent research project.Explore research at F&M
Center for the Sustainable Environment
Many of our students get involved with F&M’s Center for the Sustainable Environment
(CSE), our hub for global environmental stewardship and sustainability on campus.
The CSE is home to a seminar room, a field-work laboratory space, a meeting space
for sustainable clubs on campus, and more. Many students work in the CSE or participate
in its extracurricular activities, food composting workshops, wild food tastings,
and guest speaker presentations.
Explore the CSE
Keck Consortium
The Keck Geology Consortium consists of twelve liberal arts colleges focused on enriching undergraduate education through the development of high-quality research experiences. Each summer, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Consortium offers a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program to engage undergraduate students in four- to five-week field and laboratory research projects in the earth sciences. Advanced students continue their summer research projects during the following academic year using cutting-edge laboratory techniques. All students are encouraged to participate in a professional conference. The Keck Geology Consortium is currently administered through Macalester College.Off-Campus Study
Off-campus study, in the U.S. and internationally, is encouraged. Environmental studies students have studied abroad in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and have even spent a semester at sea.Explore off-campus study at F&M
Entrepreneurship at F&M
In the spirit of living up to Benjamin Franklin’s legacy of creating solutions in the service of the public good, Entrepreneurship at F&M is a program that offers exciting opportunities for all students to explore and develop entrepreneurial skills. Environmental studies students have used their education to develop entrepreneurial opportunities in groundwater exploration; environmental consulting, carbon capture and sequestration; and natural resource management.Explore entrepreneurship at F&M
Dual Degree Programs
Earn Master of Forestry (M.F.) or Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.)
In partnership with Duke University, F&M enables you to earn a bachelor’s degree from F&M and a master’s degree from Duke in a total of five or six years.
M.E.M. and M.F. Professional Master’s Degrees
The Duke Professional Master’s program is a two-year, course-based, non-thesis professional degree program similar to law or business school in its applied focus. In fact, the degree will actually be an M.E.M. (Master of Environmental Management) or M.F. (Master of Forestry), depending on the path you choose. This is not the same as applying to graduate school in the college of arts and sciences, where you might earn a broader, less applied M.S. (master of science) degree in a discipline like zoology or biochemistry.
M.E.M. Specializations
The M.E.M. degree is structured around environment and management concentrations. Students select one from each of the following groups of possibilities, to gain depth of knowledge in a topical area (environment) and to build the skills (management) to put this knowledge into practice:
Environment concentrations:
- Coastal and marine systems
- Ecotoxicology and environmental health
- Energy and environment
- Terrestrial and freshwater environments
Management concentrations:
- Business and the environment
- Environmental analytics and modeling
- Environmental economics and policy
- Community engagement and environmental justice
You may spend either three or four years at F&M, during which time you’ll complete all requirements for your chosen major, and all F&M general education requirements. You will then transfer to Duke for two years of additional study.
Please consult this document for more details about this program and instructions for participation. Contact Professor Elizabeth De Santo at edesanto@fandm.edu with any questions related to this program.
Success Beyond F&M
Graduate School
A liberal arts background in environmental studies prepares our graduates to go on to excellent graduate programs after F&M. Many pursue advanced degrees in government, law, sustainability, environmental and energy management, and environmental science.Fellowships
Environmental studies graduates often pursue teaching and public service fellowships with organizations such as Teach for America and Americorps. They also go on to complete fellowships overseas with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, for which F&M is recognized as a top-producing institution.Learn more about fellowships
Career Paths
Environmental studies graduates are prepared to embark on a wide range of career paths, including positions in government, business, nonprofits, and research. They hold positions such as:- Environmental, Health, and Safety Specialist
- Environmental Lawyer
- Head of Sustainability
- Vice President, Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
- Forestry Coordinator
- Urban Planner
- Public Health Specialist
- Project Manager
- Associate Director
- Senior Research Associate
- Policy Analyst
- Prospective Gifts Manager
- Senior Consultant
- Director of Communications and Community Engagement
- Manager, Government Relations
F&M's Department of Earth & Environment offers laboratory facilities open to F&M faculty,
staff, and students, as well as colleagues from other institutions for their teaching
and research. We have ongoing relationships with F&M's Departments of Chemistry, Physics
and Biology, Millersville University, colleges in the Keck Geology Consortium, NASA,
the U.S. Geological Survey, and Armstrong World Industries. Explore critical environmental issues of today through a scientific lens. By studying
earth and environmental science at F&M, you will build the necessary biological, chemical,
and geological foundation you need to study the earth and understand the dynamics
between humans and our environment. Become an expert in a vital field that consistently ranks among the best undergraduate
programs in the country. By studying geosciences at F&M, you’ll examine and understand
the dynamic processes that shape our planet, the minerals and rocks that comprise
it, and the features and processes of the Earth’s surfaces and interior. Sustainability planning is an increasing need in the marketplace. F&M’s sustainability
planning certificate provides the glue that bonds biology; earth and environment;
and business, organizations and society to prepare students interested in careers
in sustainable practices.Student Spotlight
John Allison '25 Gears Up for Disaster Relief Work
John Allison '25 created a highly personalized academic experience and gained the
confidence to achieve success at F&M and beyond. While at F&M, he studied government
and environmental studies, and obtained hands-on Emergency Medical Services training.
“I plan to travel the world working in disaster response,” he said. “I want to use
my F&M degree to work with governmental organizations to respond to natural and manmade
disasters.”
Read More »Alumni Spotlight
Conservation Visionary Holly Bamford '93 Shares Her Journey to Protect Our Planet
As a Diplomat, you gain access to a powerful network, exemplified by alumni like Holly
Bamford '93, who is the Chief Conservation Officer for the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation (NFWF), the nation's largest private conservation grant-maker. Bamford
oversees the allocation of over $500 million annually towards on-the-ground conservation
efforts across the country. She is responsible for advancing the Foundation’s outcome-based
approaches to conservation investments, which span various ecosystems including oceans,
coasts, forests, grasslands, and freshwater environments. Bamford met with current
students to share her journey from majoring in environmental studies and business
at F&M to a groundbreaking career of saving and protecting the planet.Student Spotlight
From Campus to Countryside: Student's Internship with Lancaster Farmland Trust
Jessica Perfit ’25, an environmental studies and dance double major, spent her summer
surrounded by Lancaster countryside as an intern with Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT).
“Since I arrived in Lancaster to attend F&M, I have developed an appreciation for
agriculture,” she said. “When I saw this internship opportunity, I became very excited
about being able to work for an organization that works tirelessly to protect farmland.”
Perfit helped recruit volunteers and co-managed events for LFT’s farm-to-pantry program,
which donates surplus crops to local food pantries. “I felt this was a great opportunity
to make a tangible difference in my community,” she said.
Read More »Earth and Environment Laboratory Facilities
Related Fields of Study
Earth and Environmental Science
Geosciences
Sustainability Planning Certificate
Environmental Studies in Action
May 13, 2025
F&M Professor Awarded $500,000 Mellon Grant to Amplify Local Grower Voices Amid Climate Change
Franklin & Marshall College Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Eric Hirsch is the recipient of a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to lead a transformative three-year research initiative titled, “The Agricultural Futures Archive: Rural and Urban Growers in the Shadow of the Solar Panel.”
April 29, 2025
Academics, Athletics & Adventure: Koa Kaliebe’s F&M Trifecta
At F&M, Koa Kaliebe '25 wasn't just a student-athlete; he was an explorer. While he competed on the Men's Varsity Soccer team, Kaliebe also dove into intramural volleyball and basketball, a custom major in business and environmental studies, and the culinary scene of Lancaster.
March 21, 2025
Ready to Respond: John Allison '25 Gears Up for Disaster Relief Work
John Allison '25 created a highly personalized academic experience and gained the confidence to achieve success at F&M and beyond. Blending government, environmental studies, and hands-on Emergency Management Services training, the senior plans to leverage his custom degree to work with governmental organizations to respond to natural and manmade disasters.