Undergraduate Students

The undergraduate Environmental Studies program at The University of Montana-Missoula offers an education that emphasizes community service and environmental problem solving. In keeping with an interdisciplinary approach, our students study and apply the different perspectives of the humanities, and the social and natural sciences to environmental issues. Environmental studies students practice the necessary communication, mathematical, and technical skills to engage in effective environmental thought and action. Environmental studies students participate in community service throughout their years in the program.

The EVST Major is designed to be flexible yet provide a foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities for students who want to focus their undergraduate education on the environment as an organizing theme. To balance the breadth of the core requirements, EVST students are expected to obtain depth in an area of focus by adding another major, or a minor or two, or selecting one of EVST 's areas of focus, or designing their own. For the Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) EVST majors complete a minimum of 120 credit hours of which 36 must be from Environmental Studies and 39 must be from courses that are 300 level or above.

Major Requirements

Degree candidates must complete (or demonstrate equivalent experience in) the following:

1.) Core curriculum:

Many of these courses also fulfill General Education requirements; substitutions are possible.

Natural Science: EVST 101N (env. science), EVST 360 (applied ecology), CHMY 121N, BIOL 100n (or BIOL 108n or BIOL 110N),

Social Science: EVST 225 (community & environment), & one of EVST 302 (env regulation) or EVST 367 (env. politics).

Humanities: EVST 167 (nature & society), & one of EVST 305 (env vision) or EVST 420 (env movement history).

Native American Studies course: Choose one 3 credit course from among the following: NAS100H, 202X, 231, 301E, 303E, 324X, 329, 341, 342, 410 or NASL 201X

Quantitative skills: statistics STAT 216 (or FOR 201 or PSYX 222 or SOCI 202)

Information technology & research & critical thinking skills: EVST 201

More environmental courses: 12 credits of upper division courses in EVST.

2.) Approved community service/ internship experience:

Three credits of EVST 398 (internship) or EVST 390 (PEAS farm internship)

3.) An overall course of study approved by a faculty advisor.

To obtain depth of knowledge in a area of focus, students are expected to select a minor or double major from another campus discipline, or select an emphasis as shown below (or develop their own!):

Focus Areas of Study:

All Focus Areas of Study require the completion of the general requirements of the EVST major. In addition, each Special Area of Study has additional special requirements below.

Environmental Science: Students should double major or minor in one of the scientific disciplines on campus and/or consult with the EVST science advisor to design a course of study that includes at least 40 credits in science & math. Students who wish to gain experience in scientific methods have access to the Clancy Gordon Environmental Science Laboratory, a regentially approved research & teaching facility, established 44 years ago by Clancy Gordon, EVST's founder.

Environmental Writing & Literature: In addition to satisfying the general requirements for a degree in environmental studies, students desiring to focus in this area must complete EVST 305L and EVST 373; at least one 3-credit course at 200-level or above in ENCR or LIT or JOUR; at least either one internship credit (Camas magazine, the Environmental Writing Institute, Wild Mercy reading series, or some other environmental publication) or one independent study credit (EVST 496, arranged with instructor) in either original nature writing or in nature literature study.

Pre-Law: Students focusing on environmental law must consult with the pre-law faculty advisor within environmental studies to design a suitable pre-law program. The pre-law emphasis is a flexible program designed to prepare students for law school and allow students to strengthen their background within their area of interest. Check out the prelaw advising web site.

Sustainable Business: Students focus on creating & maintaining enterprises that meet social needs sustainably. Students should take EVST 210 (Sustainable Business Practices) or Business 160S (Issues in Sustainability); EVST 485 (Environmental Citizenship) or EVST 487 (Globalization, Justice & Environment), COMM 377 (Communication, Consumption and Climate) and Accounting 201-202, MIS 257 (Business Law), MGMT 457 (Entrepreneurship for Non-business Majors). Students should also intern with a local sustainable business or the Sustainable Business Council. Students interested in this focus are encouraged to double major in Business Management and in addition to the core business courses take some of these courses: MGMT 348 (Entrepreneurship); MGMT 430 (Business Negotiations); MGMT 445 (Small Business Management & Strategic Planning), MGMT 446 (Strategic Management); MGMT 458 (Advanced Entrepreneurship Seminar).

Sustainable Food and Farming: Students must complete: 6 supervised internship credits in the Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society (PEAS, EVST 390); Culture & Agriculture (EVST 430); and Food, Agriculture, & Environment (EVST 450). In addition, students must complete 9 more credits of advisor-approved courses or internships. (Could include courses such as: FOR 210N, 362, 424; HHP 236N; PHAR 324; ANTH 103; GEOG 434).

Sustainability Studies: With this Focus Area of Study, students will increase their understanding of our earth's limited capacity to support all forms of life and to provide for the needs of human society. Students will learn how to reduce our demands on the earth through increased resource efficiency and choosing simpler but more joyful lifestyles. Students have the opportunity to identify & develop more sustainable means of providing food, shelter, mobility and other necessities. The Sustainability Studies Focus Area of Study puts students into the community to learn and to innovate. Faculty contacts:
....Len Broberg - sustainable energy
....Phil Condon - sustainable action through voice
....Josh Slotnick - sustainable food systems
....Robin Saha - sustainability and social justice through citizen action
....Daniel Spencer - restoring & sustaining ecosystems & communities
....Vicki Watson - sustaining water resources & watersheds

Students pursuing this Focus Area of Study must complete 20 credits of advisor-approved courses or internships. These could include courses such as: Sustainable Business Practices (EVST 210), Sustainable Technology Applications (EVST 204); Communication, Consumption and Climate (COMM 379); PEAS Internship (EVST 390), Sustainable Agriculture Education Practicum (EVST 395), and the energy related courses offered by the College of Technology such as Energy Systems I & II (NRG 101, 102); Power Systems Technology (NRG 242); or Alternative Fuels (NRG 241).

Water Resources: Students must complete 20 credits of advisor-approved courses or internships. These could include courses such as: BIOL 308, 366, 408, 415, 453, 454; CHEM 442; GEOG 335; GEOL 260, 301, 320, 327, 460, 480; FOR 210, 385-6, 415, 455, 485. Note: some of these courses require prerequisites outside EVST core requirements. Students can also work with the UM Watershed Health Clinic.

Environmental Justice: With this focus area students will develop capacity for thoughtful active participation in the quest for environmental and social justice. Students gain in-depth understandings of a wide range of environmental injustices and the role of race, class, and gender in shaping quality of life, enjoyment of environmental amenities and access to natural resources both domestically and internationally. Students learn about the ways that business, government, financial institutions, and the labor and environmental movements also can work toward a more just and sustainable society. In addition to satisfying the general requirements for a degree in Environmental Studies, students desiring to focus in this area must complete 21 credits including the following: Environmental Justice Issues and Solutions/Service Learning (EVST 477S), Globalization, Justice, and the Environment (EVST 487), a 3-credit internship (EVST 398) and 12 credits of advisor-approved electives (contact Robin Saha for a list of recommeded courses).

Minor Requirements

To earn a minor in Environmental Studies students must complete 25 credits. The following courses must be completed: EVST 101N, 167H, 225 and one of these ecology courses: BIOL 121N, EVST 360, FOR 330, or BIOL 340. The remaining credits can be from any other upper-division EVST courses.

Courses

Current catalog of The University of Montana available online.

View Detailed Descriptions of EVST courses

View a suggested Four Year Plan that will give you a good idea of the overall shape of the undergraduate program.

Freshmen entering UM in the fall semester should ask about the availability of EVST-oriented Freshman Interest Groups.

Advising

Your advisor will help you plan your schedule so as to meet degree requirements in a timely and efficient manner and also help you explore your interests and develop an area of depth where you can combine your interests with your future career goals.

New Students - Once admitted, students will be assigned a faculty advisor based on their area of interest. Assignments are made at the Freshman Orientation sessions held at various times throughout the year or by contacting the EVST office.

Transfer students - Once admitted, students should receive a print out from the Enrollment Services Office showing what courses UM has accepted for transfer credit. EVST will need that information in order to determine your status within EVST and who best can advise you. You can mail a copy of it or fax it to the EVST Office at:

The University of Montana
Environmental Studies Program
JRH 106A
Missoula, MT 59812-4320
Attention: Request for Transfer Student Advising
Fax: (406) 243-6090

If you have not yet been officially accepted by The University of Montana but are seeking an informal review of your course work to determine if EVST is right for you, please mail or fax a transcript to the address above. Please note that EVST faculty advisors do not determine what UM will accept - you will have to apply for admission for your course work to be officially accepted for transfer credit.

Career Information

Wondering about job options for environmental studies majors? For information on career titles, major skills needed, and web sites related to jobs in the field of Environmental Studies, check out this web site at UM Career Services

Financial Assistance

The UM Financial Aid Office can provide information on a several kinds of financial assistance. The Davidson Honors College administers several scholarships mainly for juniors & seniors (note the Udall & Truman Scholarships particularly). The EVST program administers several scholarships including the Montana Environmental Health Association scholarship.

Student Involvement

1. UM groups & committees of interest to EVST students:

******Many UM groups are listed on the Greening UM web site.

2. Other groups of interest include:

Campus Recreation
Earth Day Planning Committee - contact through EVST office
Environmental Action Community -- contact through EVST office
Farm-to-College Program
Students for Economic & Social Justice -- contact through ASUM
Students for Peace & Justice - contact through ASUM
Sustainable Campus Committee

3. How to get involved in local issues:

Montana has many citizen groups working on conservation/environmental issues. See the Montana Conservation Directory for a list of groups and their contact information. Go to each group's web page to find what issues they are working on. Contact those that interest you, or ask your fellow students or the EVST faculty which groups are working on issues that interest you.

4. How to find out about local environmental events:

EVST sends out a weekly e-newsletter of jobs, internships & other opportunities. Make sure EVST has your current email address so you can receive the newsletter. Feel free to send your news item to evst@mso.umt.edu.
EVST also maintains a Community Conservation Calendar with a chronological listing of events, and a listing of regular meetings. To have your event listed, send a description (what, when, where) to evst@mso.umt.edu

5. How to work globally:

EVST has formed a partnership with IE3 Global Internships to help students access internship opportunities around the world. For more info, contact: Kevin Hood, UM Internship Coordinator, (406) 243-4613 or <kevin.hood@mso.umt.edu>