Environmental Science and Studies
Washington College, located between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic beaches, is in a unique location for the study of the environment.
Washington College students use the Chesapeake Bay Region—its farms and waterways, its history and culture, its people and their environmental concerns—as a learning laboratory.
Two majors are available to students! Students can pursue an environmental science or an environmental studies major. Both majors are grounded in an interdisciplinary course of study which prepares students to critically analyze and investigate solutions to regional and global environmental issues, whether it is the revival of a depleted fishery, the fate of toxins, land use management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, world population concerns, loss of biodiversity, or climate change. Washington College students use the Chesapeake Bay Region—its farms and waterways, its history and culture, its people and their environmental concerns—as a learning laboratory. The Chester River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, is at Washington College's doorstep. The river is accessable to students from the Washington College waterfront campus.
Student Opportunities In Envrionmental Science and Studies
Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall
With it's flowthrough system, The Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall brings the river into the educational laboratory for experiential learning. Visit the link above to learn more.
Dual Degree with Duke University
A new dual-degree program with Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment enables qualified students in either major to earn their bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in five years.
Summer Field Courses
We also have two summer field courses, one at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, in collaboration with the Department of Biology, and the other in Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands.
Field and River Campus
Experiential learning and student and faculty research activities regularly occur
at Washington College's River and Field Campus, home to the Chester River Field Research Station. The River and Field Campus at
Washington College is the largest conservation easement in the state of Maryland –
and there’s no place like it in the world. The 4,700-acre living lab incorporates
2.5 miles of Chester River waterfront, meadows, untouched hardwood forests, ponds,
grasslands, marshes and riverine habitat. Just a 10-minute drive from the Washington
College main campus, the River and Field Campus offers students an unparalleled living
classroom in subjects ranging from environmental science and biology to environmental
art and anthropology.
Quick links for more ways students can get involved with the environment beyond the major!
