Salve Regina University

Environmental Studies

The environmental studies program at Salve Regina is an interdisciplinary major that exposes students to the broad range of issues that arise from the interaction of humans with the natural world, and to the tools required to understand and solve environmental problems.

Climate change, water pollution, habitat loss, biodiversity decline, acid rain and endocrine disruption are examples of recent environmental problems that require interdisciplinary thinking that crosses existing disciplinary boundaries. The tools required to address these problems are, by necessity, transdisciplinary and include fields such as natural resource management, land use planning, cultural, historic and nature preservation, population, cultural and international studies, and ethics.

Our program is drawn from math and science, policy, ethics and society, and preservation. Coursework in these areas is followed by student-directed research leading to a thesis in the senior year. We encourage students to further address real-world issues through internships and field study.