Environmental Policy Major

Our Upside-Down Curriculum allows you to start taking courses in your Environmental Policy degree program beginning in the first semester of your first year.

Why Environmental Policy?

In the last decade, it’s become clear to governments and businesses that our current models of consumption and development are fundamentally flawed. Future decisions about the management of resources and waste will be deliberated with great consideration for both their immediate and long-term effects on the planet, and that means enormous demand for skilled experts able to develop sound environmental policy.

In the United States, this cultural shift is already under way, and employment of environmental policy experts is expected to grow dramatically over the coming decades. Indeed projections for this burgeoning field exceed those of all other sectors. This major is for people who not only want to discuss environmental concerns, but who also want to lead the way and devote their professional lives to addressing them.

Why Environmental Policy at Champlain?

In the Champlain Environmental Policy, which is focused on the politics of environmental issues, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to join the growing group of environmental professionals who make policy decisions about management of resources and waste in light of their effects on the planet.

Learn about earth systems, the effects of humans on those systems, global economics, scientific methods in the social sciences and more. Discover how to interpret statistics, communicate persuasively, and guide public and private decision-making in ways that help protect the biosphere. You'll also study practical, bottom-line business applications of sustainability and preservation principles, and learn to balance competing needs with natural limits.

During your senior year, you'll choose a focus area in Social Science; Communication or Marketing in Social Science; Communication or Marketing, and work with your advisor to secure an internship site.

Be part of the solution on campus by working as an eco-rep for Sustain Champlain, a paid position with the College's sustainability initiative. Graduate prepared to enter such diverse workplaces as conservation advocacy groups, corporations, developers, environmental consulting firms, government agencies and public utilities.

Or choose to build on the foundation of this major through graduate studies. Champlain College has a special admission agreement with Vermont Law School-the premier law school for environmental law in the country.

Learn to think in terms of the big picture as you immerse yourself in the planning, analysis, administration, development and implementation of environmental policy.
Receive a solid grounding in today's most pressing environmental issues, form a foundation of knowledge in sustainable practices and develop an understanding of the human psychology and communication factors that affect the global discussion of environmental issues.
Engage through active involvement in Sustain Champlain — a committed group of faculty, staff and students with a mission of building on-campus awareness of issues of sustainability and developing innovative approaches for practices that make effective use and reuse of our resources. You can help Champlain build on its well-established culture of sustainability.
Take pride in studying environmental policy at one of the greenest campuses in the country. Champlain College has won awards for its environmentally progressive buildings and its ingenious incorporation of sustainable and efficient features.
Step into the policy-making arena upon graduation and a vital role in research, government, banking, urban development, law, land-use planning, public policy analysis, not-for-profit organizations, lobbying firms, or one of many other industries and areas of practice.
Receive a solid grounding in today's most pressing environmental issues, form a foundation of knowledge in sustainable practices and develop an understanding of the human psychology and communication factors that affect the global discussion of environmental issues.