envsci.northwestern.edu

The environmental sciences address one of society’s greatest challenges: preservation and stewardship of the natural world.

The curriculum synthesizes the natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences, all of which are important for understanding the environment, the impact human activities have on it, and ways to mitigate and manage such impacts. In the interdisciplinary curriculum, majors learn integrative and quantitative approaches to local and global environmental issues, such as climate change, conservation and resource management, energy, air and water pollution, biodiversity, human health, and sustainability. Students prepare for employment in environmentally oriented firms, companies, and organizations; training for graduate study in diverse environmental disciplines; and pre-professional development for careers in civil service, law, business, and medicine.

Programs of Study

Environmental Science Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the Environmental Science major, students will be able to:

• Understand environmental systems organization and function, as well as the physical, chemical and biological processes that produce components of environmental systems.
• Make and properly record spatial observations; visualize earth and human systems and processes in two and three dimensions.
• Understand the interface between social systems and the environment, including economic, legal, ethical, and policy dimensions. 
• Think quantitatively about Earth and Anthropogenic systems, implementing mathematical and computational analysis tools, equations, and techniques.
• Analyze, interpret, and critically evaluate scientific data and primary literature.
• Conduct analytical, field, or laboratory research in Environmental Science.

Environmental Science Courses

Please note that most ENVR_SCI course codes have transitioned to EARTH course codes effective starting with the 2025-2026 Catalog year. Current EARTH course offerings can be found in listings under the Earth and Planetary Sciences section of this catalog; note there are additional courses, across a variety of departments and programs, that also apply to this major and are described elsewhere in this catalog.

Course Equivalency Table - Environmental Science

Table below shows the relationship between courses from the 2024-2025 and earlier Catalog editions, to the current EARTH list.