PoE students come from diverse backgrounds to collaborate on a variety of issues.
Overview
Launched in 1997, the Program on the Environment (PoE) is one of the University of Washington’s largest interdisciplinary academic programs.
PoE offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, a Minor in Environmental Studies, and a graduate certificate in Environmental Management.
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 and four professional staff: Associate Director, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Academic Adviser, and a Coordinator of Interdiciplinary Environmental Graduate Opportunities. 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 dean, Lisa Graumlich.
PoE's Environmental Studies Major is one of the most flexible and hands-on undergraduate majors on campus.
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:
- Foundation Courses, consisting of preparatory coursework to provide a solid foundation in biology, chemistry, earth systems literacy, statistics, and values and cultures.
- Core Courses
- Environmental Perspectives and Experiences Courses
- A Capstone Experience, such as an internship, group project, study abroad, or undergraduate research project.
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.
EM students after completing their Keystone Project.
Graduate Programs
Bridging traditional disciplinary boundaries
PoE offers a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Managment. The Graduate Certificate curricula extends 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.
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.
