Overview

Launched in 1997, the Program on the Environment (PoE) is one of the University of Washington’s largest interdisciplinary academic programs and its only intercollege degree program.

PoE offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, a Minor in Environmental Studies, and a graduate certificate program.  PoE also coordinates the undergraduate certificate in Restoration Ecology, in cooperation with the Restoration Ecology Network. In addition, PoE serves as a focal point for information on environmental education opportunities at the UW and brings campus and community together by sponsoring seminars and public lectures featuring internationally acclaimed guest speakers.

PoE’s approach to environmental education and issues is interdisciplinary, collaborative, innovative and responsive.

 

Organization

PoE is not a traditional academic department. With no faculty of its own, the Program partners with faculty and units across all three campuses, giving it access to the rich intellectual resources within the UW.

PoE consists of a faculty Director, Associate Director, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Undergraduate Adviser, Graduate Program Coordinator and a Program Operations Assistant. PoE is overseen by an Advisory Board consisting of faculty, staff, and students representing a wide range of departments, colleges, and service units from all three UW campuses.

Effective July 1, 2009, PoE became a member of the University of Washington’s new College of the Environment and reports to the College’s interim dean, Dennis Hartmann.

 

Undergraduate Program

Offering a rich interdisciplinary program of study

PoE offers a multidisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.), in Environmental Studies which provides excellent training and preparation for a wide variety of careers or for postgraduate studies, and a Minor in Environmental Studies, which offers students in other majors increased knowledge of the biophysical and human dimensions of environmental issues.

Environmental Studies majors complete:

Actively learning in the field and in the classroom, and working side by side with faculty and environmental experts, PoE undergraduates are poised to creatively apply their education as skilled environmental practitioners.

 

Graduate Programs

Bridging traditional disciplinary boundaries

PoE offers a Graduate Certificate in environmental managment. The Graduate Certificate curricula extend graduate students' understanding of environmental issues beyond the focus of traditional disciplinary boundaries. Working in groups representing diverse academic training, students and faculty address environmental problems from an advanced, interdisciplinary perspective, encompassing the breadth of the physical and life sciences, business, economics, policy, and values.

The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management prepares students to contribute to sustainable utilization and enhancement of the natural and human environment.  Through coursework, seminars, and capstone consulting projects, students acquire the tools to solve real-world environmental problems via the three avenues of science, policy, and business.

 

Collaboration and Networking with Other Academic Units

The Program on the Environment fosters environmental education by making connections across disciplines, among students and faculty, and between campus and community.

Within the University of Washington system, PoE plays a key role in promoting and integrating environmentally related degree programs, events, and opportunities across the three campuses.  PoE works with faculty to develop new courses that challenge students to address environmental problems in their totality, and sponsors seminars and public lectures featuring internationally acclaimed guest speakers from throughout the Puget Sound region and the world.

PoE welcomes you to explore its web site to learn more about its programs and efforts to foster environmental education. You are invited to contact us with your comments and input, or if you would like more information.