Humans live at the intersection of the natural and the built environments, and that’s why environmental studies is a necessary and fast-growing field. Your passion for the environment can turn into working on solutions for the environmental challenges of the 21st century.
As an Augustana environmental studies major, you’ll take biology, chemistry, geography, geology and environmental literature or policy, plus electives in computer science, math, physics, psychology and environmental ethics. The liberal arts is a rich environment for your multifaceted field, and your faculty mentors will help you focus your energies towards future goals.
Hands-on experience is essential in environmental studies and problem-solving, as is sharing what you find with others.
You’ll complete at least one internship and/or field experience with an agency or company involved directly with environmental management. As a capstone, you’ll design, develop and present a solution to a real-world sustainability challenge facing an urban or rural community in the region.
All of your Augustana experiences will give you the tools and skills to use professionally and/or in graduate school.
Augustana also offers related coordinated-degree programs in environmental management and forestry and landscape architecture.
Disciplinary knowledge
Gain a deep understanding of your subject and how it connects to other subjects.
Ethical citizenship
Examine and embrace your strengths, passions and values. Develop ethical convictions and act on them.
Intellectual curiosity
Set yourself up for lifelong intellectual growth. Take responsibility for your own learning.
Communication competence
Read and listen carefully. Express ideas (writing or speaking) suited to the audience.
Creative thinking
Combine ideas to create something new. Use imaginative ways of solving problems.
• Through Augustana’s own Upper Mississippi Center on campus, students and faculty collaborate on projects to address sustainability challenges for local communities. Recently, students have partnered with Scott County, Iowa, to identify neighborhoods at high risk for lead poisoning and find innovative strategies to help solve the problem; helped develop a Sustainable Urban Forest Management Plan for the city of Clinton, Iowa; designed a water quality monitoring plan for a soil conservation district and assessed the health of urban watersheds of Rock Island and Moline.
• The Quad Cities (pop. 450,000) along the Mississippi River is an excellent learning laboratory for environmental studies. Our large network of regional partnerships provides research and field trip opportunities, internships, employment and other connections. A few examples include offices for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and River Action, Inc.
• The college’s three field stations — Green Wing Environmental Laboratory, Collinson Ecological Preserve and Beling Ecological Preserve — together provide access to the rich learning environments of open fields, upland hardwood forest, native loess hill prairies, a limestone cliff, streams and wetlands, and a flood plain forest along the Rock River.
• The Mississippi River itself is a source for study and research; students and professors take to the river with the geography department’s research boat, The Scholarship.
• The recently expanded Hanson Hall of Science includes new flexible teaching and learning labs, studios and faculty offices dedicated to environmental studies.
Abdul Kamara '23 is a GIS analyst at WSP USA in Topeka, Kan.
Peyton Heisch '23 is a sustainability manager at Augustana College.
Amy Nicholson '22 is pursuing a master's in marine science at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Troy Faley ‘21 is an environmental protection specialist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in Springfield, Ill.
Morgan Anderson '20 is a geographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District.
Abbey Ward ‘20 is a conservation resource specialist with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Hunter Ridley ’20 is an environmental protection specialist for the State of Colorado in Denver.
Jacob Poole ‘19 is a technical service representative at Triumvirate Environmental, Chicago.
Shannon Snyder '18 is a geospatial analyst II at S&P Global in Denver, Colo.
Barrie Chileen ’17 is a geographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District.
“My professors in the geography and environmental studies departments gave me the confidence and support I needed to succeed here.”Read More
“My peak experience was discovering and falling in love with GIS [Geographic Information Science].”Read More
“Dr. Reisner and Dr. Geedey in environmental studies have pushed me to achieve my greatest potential.”Read More
Senior Lazlow Ziebel is Augustana's 2024 Lincoln Academy laureate. He was nominated by President Andrea Talentino for his contributions to sustainability efforts and advancing diversity and inclusivity initiatives.
Summer internships are a key stepping stone for Augustana students, providing them with invaluable real-world experience and insights into their chosen fields.
On Oct. 2-3, Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Dr. Corey D.B. Walker of Wake Forest University will present a public lecture, take part in class and seminar discussions, and meet informally with students and faculty.
