Consider a career in caring for the environment!
Universities, colleges, and other institutions throughout the Chicago Wilderness region offer a wide variety of study options.
Benedictine University
Environmental Science, B.S.
www.ben.edu
Program Description:
The educational objectives and student outcomes of the program are:
- Students who complete the program will have a solid, multidisciplinary understanding of environmental problems and solutions;
- Students who complete the program will be able to integrate the many different aspects of environmental science and relate the underlying scientific theory to how environmental considerations affect our everyday lives;
- Students who complete this program will have an understanding of the principles (natural science) and practice (for example-economic, political, ethical, historical) of environmental problems; and
- The program will provide students with skills in the areas of critical reasoning, problem solving and communication (written and oral).
Science Content and Process (M.S.S.C.P.), M.S.
www.ben.edu
Program Description:
The Master of Science in Science Content and Process program provides K-8 teachers and other science educators integrated content knowledge in general science utilizing the resources of the local scientific community. Participants will use the pedagogy of inquiry based learning and knowledge of technology to create an effective teaching/learning environment for science education. This program is intended for those teachers who want to increase their science knowledge and confidence in science teaching.
Designed for the working professional, the degree program is taught in a cohort model that meets evenings and some Saturdays during the academic year. Day courses take place during the summer. Teachers can manage full-time employment while completing the degree in two years. Each cohort begins the third week of June.
There is only one cohort of 24 students each year. Admission into the program must be completed before the first course begins in June. Applicants must hold a valid teaching certificate or work as a science educator.
DePaul University, Environmental Science Program
With concentrations in: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Ecology, Geography, Public Policy, Urban Forestry, B.S.
www.depaul.edu/~envirsci/
Program Description:
Environmental science entails the scientific inquiry into the relationship of humans with the living and non-living environment, and the human social interactions that mold the nature, extent and consequences of these relationships.
Based on that definition, the mission of the Environmental Science Program is to:
- Develop the knowledge and skills of environmental science majors, to broaden their scientific literacy, and to increase their understanding of the scientific context of environmental problems and solutions.
- Expand our student’s comprehension of environmental issues, enabling them to become informed leaders in the current and future debates on the state of the environment, and in the development of policies related to the environment and resource use.
- Facilitate environmental science majors in receiving a good general education and in meeting the ten learning goals of the university.
- Provide a supportive environment which stimulates analytical thinking and encourages a broad perspective in learning for our majors and those taking our courses.
- Challenge our students to get the maximum benefit from their knowledge, skills and talents for both themselves and for the communities they live in.
Indiana University Northwest
Public Affairs, with a minor in Environmental Health & Science
Public Administration with a certificate in Environmental Affairs, B.S., M.P.A.
www.indiana.edu/~speaweb/index.html
Program Description:
The study of public affairs and political science provides a broad educational base for a variety of careers in the public sector and allied fields. Employment opportunities are available at national, state, and local levels of government. Graduates may begin employment immediately or enter graduate school for professional-level education in such areas as:
- Public Management
- Nonprofit Management
- Public Policy Analysis
- Social Services
- Criminal Justice
- Health Services
- Environmental Affairs
- and others
Public affairs or political science also provides excellent preparation for students who want to enter law school. In addition, public affairs and political science provide basic preparation for those who wish to pursue political careers, to participate in political campaigns, and to be responsible citizens.
Environmental Affairs, Certificate
www.indiana.edu/~speaweb/index.html
Program Description:
The Certificate in Environmental Affairs program is a 15 credit hour program of study in environmental affairs. The program is flexible enough to adapt to the needs of pre-career or in-service persons and to individuals with varying degrees of experience. Individuals currently employed in industry, non-profit organizations, and the public sector in environmentally related positions who have technical backgrounds but who see greater insight and formal education on economic, policy and legal issues related to the critical environmental issues will find the program particularly beneficial.
Environmental Science, Certificate
www.indiana.edu/~speaweb/index.html
Program Description:
The objective is to train scientists who currently have degrees and work in industries in areas related to the environment. The certificate will have 48 credit hours of prerequisites in the sciences and math.
Biology, B.S.
www.iun.edu/~biologyn/
Program Description:
The Bachelor of Science in Biology degree provides students with a rigorous general background in the field of biology to prepare for graduate or professional school or science-related jobs requiring bachelor’s-level training. The more extensive requirements in chemistry, mathematics, and physics have been selected to optimize the student’s future opportunities. The degree provides a stronger background in fundamental biology and cognate areas and better prepares the students for research-oriented careers and graduate work in a selected area of biology.
Lake Forest College
Biology, B.S.
www.lakeforest.edu/academics/programs/biol/default.asp
Program Description:
At the heart of this discipline lies an all-encompassing mystery: What is life? From the microscopic to the global, biologists seek answers – and, from curing disease to protecting the environment, their findings affect our lives in profound ways. In the rigorous modern biology program at Lake Forest College, students engage this question directly because they are treated as working scientists. Enjoying immediate access to research-grade equipment and a faculty of dedicated teachers and active researchers, students embark on hypothesis-driven journeys of discovery where answers are found not in textbooks, but in the lab and the field.
The department offers students a broad background in modern biology, all the while fostering opportunities for in-depth research. A foundation of core courses—organismal biology, a first-year biology seminar, ecology and evolution, and cellular and molecular biology—prepares our majors for advanced coursework and independent study, including senior seminars and senior thesis projects. One unique opportunity in tropical ecology and conservation brings upper-level students to the cloud forests of Costa Rica’s Talamanca mountains. Students may also choose to pursue independent research internships at world-class institutions such as the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Botanic Gardens in nearby Chicago. In addition, and perhaps most significantly, the faculty involve students as collaborators in their intensive, original scholarship on such topics as neuro-degenerative disease, cell volume regulation, and bird migration.
Environmental Studies, B.S.
http://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/programs/envr/default.asp
Program Description:
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that looks at the environment in many different ways. The environment can be studied as the set of natural systems that determines the health of the planet, or as the variety of ways humans have influenced the environment around them. The program values the perspectives of many different disciplines from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Its majors learn a variety of ways to address environmental issues and the value of using an interdisciplinary approach to these topics. However, students are encouraged to build a set of disciplinary skills in addition to the broader exposure required by the major.
Loyola University
Center for Urban Environmental Research & Policy
www.luc.edu/cuerp/index.shtml
Program Description:
Established in 2005, CUERP is an interdisciplinary program focusing on research of the urban landscape and how human populations interact with this landscape. CUERP is committed to teaching and training through the integration of a variety of academic departments and the Environmental Studies/Science Program. Additionally, outreach to the local community is fundamental to CUERP’s mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of the urban environment.
Biology, B.S., M.A., M.S.
www.luc.edu/depts/biology/
Program Description:
The Department of Biology is housed in a newly constructed, state-of-the-art, life sciences research building at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. Major research instrumentation includes a complete microscopy facility with transmission and scanning electron microscopes and histology laboratory. The department maintains environmental rooms, a digital imaging facility, digital molecular analysis equipment, darkrooms, equipment rooms, greenhouses, insectary, herbarium, an artificial stream system, and an accredited and staffed small animal quarters. Vans, diving equipment, and two research boats are also available for Lake Michigan studies.
Environmental Studies/Science, B.A., B.S., Joint with M.B.A.
www.luc.edu/envsci/
Program Description:
The relationship of human beings to the natural environment is one of the most pressing issues of our day if the planet is to thrive through this millennium. Students who major in environmental studies/sciences gain valuable knowledge, professional competency, structured ethical reflection, service in the interest of social justice and dedication to solving the environmental problems of this country and this city.
Loyola University Chicago brings together a vast array of academic expertise and specialization in a variety of departments to support the environmental studies/sciences program.
Nationally, there are two common types of environmental studies programs. One combines courses that focus on a particular scientific discipline (such as chemistry or biology) with an emphasis on the environment. The second takes a broad, interdisciplinary approach, drawing on courses in the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Loyola University Chicago’s Environmental Studies/Sciences program captures the best of both approaches by bringing together a diverse faculty with an array of academic expertise to explore the relationship of human beings to the natural environment.
Students who choose environmental studies/sciences gain valuable knowledge, professional competency, structured ethical reflection, service in the interest of social justice, and dedication to solving the environmental problems of our city, country and world.
Students may choose from three majors to meet their academic or professional interests: B.A. in Environmental Studies; B.S./M.B.A. in Environmental Studies; or B.S. in Environmental Sciences (Chemistry). A minor in environmental science is also available throught the Natural Science Department.
Northeastern Illinois University
Earth Science, B.S., M.S.
www.neiu.edu/~deptesci/welcome.htm
Geography & Environmental Studies, B.A., M.A.
http://orion.neiu.edu/~deptges/
Program Description:
The Department offers three degreed programs: undergraduate B.A.s in Geography and in Environmental Studies, and a graduate M.A. in Geography & Environmental Studies. The department also offers a minor in G&ES and a minor certification for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. Read more about these programs on the department’s web page: www.neiu.edu/~deptges.
The Geography degree emphasizes standard courses in physical geography, human geography, regional geography, and techniques including cartography and geographic information systems. Environmental Studies emphasizes the interface between the human and natural environments and concentrates on resource management, natural area management and interpretation, and environmenal problems, policy and regulation. Both geography and environmental studies span the human and natural sciences, and therefore come together nicely for a graduate M.A. in G&ES.
The NEIU Campus has devoted large areas to natural prairie, which are maintained and periodically burned by the department of G&ES and environmental clubs. The department also maintains a GIS inventory of all trees, shrubs, and planted areas on campus in one of its two GIS/cartography labs. Faculty and students help to direct a variety of projects across campus related to energy conservation and alternative energy.
Students in G&ES are frequently taken into the field to study the social/cultural landscape, natural areas, and environmental organizations. Graduates are well employed throughout the region, as you will see on our web site.
Purdue University Calumet
Biology, B.S., M.S.
www.calumet.purdue.edu/biology/
Program Description:
Biology holds important keys to our society’s future. Advances in gene therapy, stem cells, ecosystem restoration, and biomass energy production are just a few of the ways that biological knowledge will forever change the way we live!
To help students prepare for a career in this exciting field, the Department of Biological Sciences is committed to excellence in both instruction and research. We emphasize an integrated approach to teaching modern biology that is designed to help students build a solid background in the important biological subdisciplines, develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, and acquire invaluable experience using cutting-edge equipment and facilities.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Earth & Environmental Science, B.S, M.S. Ph.D.
www.uic.edu/depts/geos/
Urban Planning & Policy, M.S.
www.uic.edu/cuppa/upp/
Program Description:
As one of the largest graduate planning programs in the nation and the only accredited planning program in the Chicago area, the Urban Planning and Policy (UPP) Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) offers Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Urban Planning and Policy. Our students are drawn from a variety of disciplines and geographic areas, but all come to our UPP Program because they want to make a difference—promoting equitable as well as efficient cities and metro regions, enriching as well beautiful communities, and vital as well as successful neighborhoods.
Our strong integration of practice, scholarship and engaged research ensures that urban Planning and Policy students are not only exposed to state-of-the art research in their coursework but will also have many opportunities to apply their planning knowledge to solve real-world problems as students in our planning studios, research assistants within our centers, labs and institutes, and as planning interns.
Nestled on the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago has a robust economy, ethnic neighborhoods representing almost every nationality, and a world-class transportation system. The city remains nationally prominent for both the Blues and its esteemed architecture. One of the birthplaces of “machine politics,” community activism, and labor organizing, Chicago boasts a rich history of locally-based civic involvement and, ever since Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Chicago Plan, a reputation for cutting-edge urban planning and design. Through its planning studio experience, its faculty’s engaged research, and its strong and active alumni and student associations, UIC’s Urban Planning and Policy Program remains committed to continuing this rich planning tradition.
Natural Resources and Environmental Science, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
www.nres.uiuc.edu/Dynamic.aspx?PageId=107
Program Description:
NRES is an interdisciplinary community of researchers and teachers who educate others about components within and management of landscapes. Our research and teaching is primarily defined by the generation and maintenance of healthy food, fiber and aesthetic plant production systems, multi-functional landscapes, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and healthy human communities. Combined with valued input from our external partnerships, we are advancing our understanding and management of the complex systems in which we live.
Horticulture, B.S.
www.nres.uiuc.edu/Dynamic.aspx?PageId=107
Program Description:
NRES is an interdisciplinary community of researchers and teachers who educate others about components within and management of landscapes. Our research and teaching is primarily defined by the generation and maintenance of healthy food, fiber and aesthetic plant production systems, multi-functional landscapes, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and healthy human communities. Combined with valued input from our external partnerships, we are advancing our understanding and management of the complex systems in which we live.
Natural Resources and Environmental Science & Law, M.S. & J.D.
www.nres.uiuc.edu/Dynamic.aspx?PageId=72
Program Description:
Prospective students with an interest in specializing in environmental or natural resource law are invited to explore a new joint degree program at the University of Illinois. This unique program is offered through a collaboration between the College of Law and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES).
Students enrolled in this innovative program of study will earn the Juris Doctor of Law degree and a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the same time.
Many law schools have responded to public concern about the environment by offering more courses in natural resources and environmental law. The University of Illinois goes one step further, however, allowing students to supplement a law program with training in a related scientific field. With this training, laws and regulations may be understood fully and applied accurately.
A number of high schools are also offering interesting environmental studies programs to their students. To learn more visit:
School of Environmental Education at Riverside Brookfield High School
www.rbhs.w-cook.k12.il.us/
Deerfield High School
www.dist113.org/dhs/
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