Environmental Studies (BA)

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Program Description

The Department of Environmental Studies aims to provide students with the breadth of understanding and skills necessary for resolving environmental questions and creating a sustainable future on scales ranging from local to global. It does so through integrated, problem-oriented study and a broad range of courses across disciplines and schools. The department offers opportunities to develop interests in a number of areas, including environmental studies; environmental values, policy, and law; urban environmental problems; climate change; energy systems; environmental justice; and our complex relations with both domesticated and wild nature.

Major/Minor Declaration

Please review the major/minor requirements before submitting a declaration request. For questions about the Environmental Studies major or minor, please contact environmental.studies.advising@nyu.edu. CAS students can declare the Environmental Studies major or minor by visiting the department's website and filling out the form listed under the "Declaring a Major or Minor" section. Non-CAS students wishing to declare the Environmental Studies major or minor must do the following: 

  • Non-CAS students must review their eligibility for a major in Environmental Studies with their adviser. If approved, please request a secondary/non-primary major declaration form and email it to arb653@nyu.edu.

  • Non-CAS students must declare the minor through the "Application for Cross-School Minor" form found on the "Academics" tab in Albert. The "host school" for the minor is CAS, and the "home school" is the school in which you are matriculated as a full-time student. The minor declaration request will then be processed by your home school.

Honors Program

Students who maintain a GPA over 3.65 (both in the major and overall) and complete the ENVST-UA 950 Honors Seminar in Environmental Studies (4 credits) are eligible for departmental honors. No formal application is required to enroll in the course as long as the GPA requirement is met, but it may only be taken in the spring semester of senior year—students should plan accordingly. The Honors Seminar cannot be taken in place of the required Environmental Studies Senior Seminar course. Students who enroll in the Honors Seminar will be expected to formulate their own research question and write a thesis to address it.  

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.