Environmental Sciences

Professor and students in the woods

Environmental scientists work to solve many of our world's most pressing issues. As stewards of natural resources, they protect our water, help control pollution, clean up toxic waste, advise on land use and development, and engage in environmental law and policy decisions.

At Emory, you’ll study the ecological and social foundations of environmental issues. Our interdisciplinary curriculum lets you build both knowledge and practical, real-world skills, through field study, internships, research, and study abroad programs. 

Emory offers the following programs:

  • A traditional Environmental Sciences BA or BS
  • An Environment Management Concentration in the Goizueta Business School
  • A 4+1 Environmental Science BS/MS
  • 4+1 Environmental Science BS/EH MPH, Master of Public Health

Outcomes

Environmental science is a broad field that offers a whole world of professional opportunities. You could focus on water policy and management, climatology, wildlife and fish conservation, environmental law, or urban forestry (just to name a few).  

Recent Emory graduates have gone on to work at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Berkeley Lab.  

11%
Predicted job growth by 2026
Faster growth than most other fields
$71,130
Median salary in the field
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Example of Major Classes

Research in Environmental Sciences

Nia Dubon-Robinson

Sustainable Development  

Roughly 40% of the world’s population relies on cookstoves for preparing daily meals, a practice which dangerously increases household air pollution. Nia Dubon-Robinson, a double major in Environmental Science and Sociology, analyzed data from agricultural and nomadic villages of Tibet and presented her results at the international Sustainability and Development Conference. Traveling to the conference at the University of Michigan was funded in part by a conference grant from Emory.

Environmental stewardship benefits everyone. Taking `Ecology of the Tropics' my sophomore year unlocked the mechanics of the Amazon region's ecology and biology. Later, my fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon River basin showed me the real-world effects of climate change.