The Environmental Program

Since 1995, the Environmental (ENV) Program has given Wake Forest undergraduate students the opportunity to explore their passions through two minors: environmental studies and environmental science. In 2018, the first student to pursue a major in interdisciplinary sustainability studies matriculated from Wake Forest. In the same year, a proposal outlining a new major in environment and sustainability (ENVS) was submitted along with 20 other applications for new academic programs at Wake Forest. The ENVS proposal was selected as the first pick of three finalists. The program was approved by the faculty in the 2019 – 2020 academic year. 

Program Philosophy: The Environmental Program provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the human – environment interaction. The program seeks to identify and apply perspectives from biology, chemistry, physics, geography, English, government, economics, history, law and anthropology to the human impact on the natural environment. The environmental science and environmental studies minors, coupled with a liberal arts major, are designed to prepare students for careers in the environmental sciences, law, public health, public policy and public administration, as well as develop attitudes and values consistent with a more sustainable future.