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), CHEM 151, BIOL 100 (or BIOL 108 or BIOL 110),

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).

Quantitative skills: statistics (MATH 241 or FOR 201 or PSYC 220 or SOC 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!):

Special Areas of Study:

All Special Areas of Study require the completion of the general requirements of the EVST major. In addition, each Specail Area of Study area the 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: Students must complete EVST 305 and EVST 373; at least one 3-cr. course at 200 level or above in ENCR or ENLT or JOUR; at least one internship credit with either Camas magazine, the Environmental Writing Institute, Wild Mercy Reading Series, or some other environmental publication; and at least one independent study credit 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.

Sustainable Business Management: Students should complete ACCT 201, 202, BADM 257, IS 270, FIN 322, MGMT 340S, IS 341, MKTG 360, and MGMT 445 or 446 or IS 448.

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 Special 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 Special Area of Study puts students into the community to learn and to innovate. Faculty contact -- all the EVST faculty --
....Len Broberg -sustainable energy
....Phil Condon -- sustainable action through voice
....Neva Hassanein & 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 Special Area of Study must complete 20 credits of advisor-approved courses or internships. These could include courses such as: Sustainable Business & Energy Systems (EVST 295), Sustainable Energy & Sustainable Technology (EVST 494), Globalization (EVST 495), Consumption & Environment (EVST 377) , PEAS farm internship (EVST 390), Sustainable Agriculture Education Practicum (EVST 395), and the energy related courses offered by the College of Technology.

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.

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

Find out "What can I do with a Major in .?" for information on career titles, major skills needed, and web sites related to jobs in the field of Environmental Studies.

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 events on campus and in the community:

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