University of Nebraska - Lincoln
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Environmental Studies is a systematic study of human interaction with their environment. It's a broad field of study that includes the natural environment, built environments, social environments, organizational environments, and the sets of relationships between them.

This major combines in-depth study of the natural sciences with economics, law, and other social sciences. The program trains students to analyze the benefits and costs of using natural resources and the environment for recreation, agriculture, wildlife habitat, industry, forestry, and mining. It also emphasizes the assessment of public policies regulating the use of natural resources and environmental benefits. Students in this program work closely with faculty in both the Department of Agricultural Economics and the School of Natural Resources. This major is for students with an interest in natural resource management and environmental impact analysis. The need for employees with training in environmental and natural resource economics is expanding rapidly as the public gains a greater awareness of environmental issues and demands better resource management. Heightened news coverage, new environmental regulations and the growing costs of complying with them, as well as the penalties for violating them, mean that both public and private organizations need accurate environmental accounting.

Environmental restoration initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or contaminated from human activity or natural agents. Students interested in this major will receive a variety of classroom and field experiences to help them develop the skills needed to become environmental scientists.

Fisheries and Wildlife Management, http://snr.unl.edu/undergrad/majors/fish_wild/; Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communications, http://alec.unl.edu/aesc/what-aesc;

The Society and the Environment minor will prepare students to contribute solutions for current and future local, regional, and global environmental challenges. Stewardship and the efficient and sustainable use of environmental, financial, and human resources will be the underlying concepts for this minor. More specifically, the educational component of this minor will provide students with explicit opportunities to engage in the community and develop skills sets to employ a systems approach to managing the growth of our habitats, and at the same time achieve a balance of economic development with the conservation of the earth's natural system.

The Energy Science minor comprises four introductory core courses that provide a comprehensive overview of energy in society, fundamental energy principles, the economics of energy, and environmental issues related to producing and using energy. The students with the minor are expected to: Learn how energy production and use affect our economy and environment; Explore the social and political ramifications of energy and natural resources consumption; Develop cutting edge, responsible solutions for the planet; Develop understanding of complex energy systems using “systems thinking”.

The Food Energy and Water in Society minor is designed to offer all UNL students experiences that will prepare them with the knowledge and skills to analyze complex, real- world problems from a systems perspective to make informed decisions regarding current and emerging food, energy, and water issues, and the interrelatedness of agriculture, natural resources, and society.

Environmental Education Minor, https://bulletin.unl.edu/undergraduate/major/Environmental+Studies+%28CASNR%29#requirements-for-minor-offered-by-department

The Society and the Environment was recently approved as a minor (Feb 2016). The minor is sponsored by the Department of Environmental Studies. We will list the correct website for the minor as it becomes available.