A Rewarding Challenge

We’re at a turning point for our planet, and it’s not just global warming. Our oceans, forests, and wildlife are all a delicate balance, and right now, they’re at risk. Choose from concentrations in either Ecology or Policy, but either way, our program will prepare you to lead one of the most rewarding and important fields of your generation as you literally take on the world.


Concentrate

Do you see yourself affecting change from the field or through policy? Either way, there’s a path for you here. All environmental science students choose a concentration in either Ecology or Policy. See the coursework for each.

Real Experience

All Environmental Studies majors must complete an internship requirement. Check out our Internship Blog to get a sense of what our students have done.

And there are plenty of opportunities in and out of the classroom to get your hands dirty, literally or figuratively. Our 500-acre campus provides plenty of green space, plants, and wildlife to study. And the Long Island Sound nearby also provides fertile ground for study.

Research Opportunities

As part of the college-wide Senior Project requirement, you’ll work one-on-one with a faculty advisor to devise and conduct an original research project during your senior year. It’s unusual to find an opportunity similar to this at a small liberal arts college, and precisely why the experience here is distinctive. 

Some present their findings to peers, faculty, staff, and guests at the annual Natural and Social Sciences Student Research Symposium held each spring and modeled after professional science symposia. 

Mentoring Faculty

Our faculty truly enjoy empowering students in the classroom, lab, and field. Our classes are small, and your professors will know your name for sure. You’ll never sit in a crowded lecture hall with a grad student running the class. But you will know what it means to work side by side with a professor for a year or more on your academic journey.

It’s different here.

Follow Our Garden on IG

@purchasecollegegarden

  • Fluffy seed heads and birds all around on this warm fall day in the garden
    Fluffy seed heads and birds all around on this warm fall day in the garden
  • Bees are busy collecting the precious pollen that is left this fall. We really only have a few beds left with flowers, like this frost as...
    Bees are busy collecting the precious pollen that is left this fall. We really only have a few beds left with flowers, like this frost aster. Now we are seeing way more birds in the garden eating all the flower seed heads.
  • Fall is coming to the garden! We just leave everything out there so the seeds can disperse and wildlife can nibble on things. Hope you se...
    Fall is coming to the garden! We just leave everything out there so the seeds can disperse and wildlife can nibble on things. Hope you see the beauty in the garden even when the flowers are gone!