Southern New Hampshire University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

One of the largest scientific challenges we face today is the health and well-being of our planet. The BS in Environmental Science tackles this challenge head-on by preparing students to think and act critically and creatively to address real-world environmental issues. Focused on experiential and project based learning, the major is built on a strong foundation of natural and physical sciences, while offering a flexible curriculum and opportunities to participate in internships, citizen science, research, and fieldwork. Through these experiences, students gain the communication, interpersonal, and technical skills needed to construct, evaluate, and present solutions to environmental problems.

This exciting and timely field of study promotes scientific literacy and prepares students for careers with private, state, or federal agencies. Students majoring in Environmental Science have found employment opportunities in wildlife ecology and conservation, climate science, restoration ecology, natural resource management, as park and forest rangers, in land and nature preservation, environmental data analysis, and environmental ethics and activism. Finally, as the sustainability sector continues to grow, these students are well-positioned for careers as sustainability officers, health and safety inspectors, environmental law and policy advocates, as well as in jobs focused on alternative energy, sustainable food systems, and waste reduction. IT-242 can only be completed online.

Anthropology is the study of people and their non-human primate relatives over space and time. It is the study of how human society has changed from a social, historical, and evolutionary perspective. Anthropology is a field that bridges Science and the Humanities examining and producing both qualitative and quantitative data. Anthropologists think holistically about the human society working to understand similarities and differences through cultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic lenses. Anthropology prepares students for careers in the United States and abroad.

Since the anthropology degree at Southern New Hampshire University is skill focused, it uniquely prepares students to either be employed following graduation or enter a graduate degree program. The application of anthropological skills is at the core of the degree program. The uniqueness of the degree is in the inclusion of skill-based concentrations that expand the list of potential jobs for which a graduate can apply. The Anthropology core courses and concentrations stress the application of anthropological theory and methods to real world problems through experiential assignments, ethnographic case studies, data collection, and the acquisition of skills in a specialty area. Anthropology is inherently multidisciplinary, and as such, its specialty areas draw from elements of many different fields in the sciences and humanities.

The geosciences are interdisciplinary sciences that integrate geography, geology, earth systems science, physics, chemistry, and spatial awareness into the course of study. According to the American Geosciences Institute (2014), "The major applications of the geosciences are: exploration and responsible development of natural resources (oil, gas, coal, minerals, construction aggregate, water, and soils), preservation of the natural environment, restoration from environmental damage, mitigation of geohazards such as earthquakes and landslides, and exploratory research." The program emphasizes the use of geoscience data for their uses in problem solving and establishing policies that support effective resource management, public health and safety, and environmental protection.

The concentration in Natural Resources and Conservation focuses on the conservation and management of natural resources and remediation of natural and human hazards. With a foundation in the natural and physical sciences, students gain a broad-based interdisciplinary skill set that companies and organizations are looking for to solve complex environmental problems. Concepts addressed throughout the program will address important environmental challenges such as climate change, alternative energy, and sustainability.

This exciting and timely field of study prepares students for careers with private, state or federal agencies in a multitude of careers in wildlife ecology and conservation, climate science, restoration ecology, natural resource management, park and forest rangers, land and nature preservation, and environmental ethics and activism. Those interested in sustainability have many options as jobs in this sector continue to grow such as sustainability officers, health and safety inspectors, environmental law and policy advocates, as well as jobs focused on alternative energy, sustainable food systems, and waste reduction (especially plastics in our oceans).