Environmental Science

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, (including but not limited to Ecology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Soil Science, Geology, Atmospheric Science and Geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.

Related areas of study include environmental studies and environmental engineering. Environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. Environmental engineering focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality.

Environmental scientists work on subjects like the understanding of earth processes, evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource management, and the effects of global climate change. Environmental issues almost always include an interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental scientists bring a systems approach to the analysis of environmental problems. Key elements of an effective environmental scientist include the ability to relate space, and time relationships as well as quantitative analysis.

Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven by (a) the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze complex environmental problems, (b) the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols of investigation and (c) the growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems. Events that spurred this development included the publication of Rachael Carson's landmark environmental book Silent Spring along with major environmental issues becoming very public, such as the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and the Cuyahoga River of Cleveland, Ohio, "catching fire" (also in 1969), and helped increase the visibility of environmental issues and create this new field of study.

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Matching Environmental Science Colleges

Name
University of California-Santa Barbara Four or more years; Public; 22,785 students; $29,557 average out-state tuition; $6,888 average in-state tuition
Texas A & M University Four or more years; Public; 48,885 students; $19,585 average out-state tuition; $5,152 average in-state tuition
University of Virginia-Main Campus Four or more years; Public; 24,425 students; $29,054 average out-state tuition; $7,496 average in-state tuition
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Four or more years; Public; 28,870 students; $21,753 average out-state tuition; $3,865 average in-state tuition
Western Washington University Four or more years; Public; 14,575 students; $16,428 average out-state tuition; $5,397 average in-state tuition
Sonoma State University Four or more years; Public; 8,158 students; $11,160 average out-state tuition; $0 average in-state tuition
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Four or more years; Public; 43,723 students; $23,626 average out-state tuition; $9,484 average in-state tuition