Environmental Science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography (geodesy), and atmospheric science) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.
Related areas of study include environmental studies and environmental engineering. Environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. Environmental engineering focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.
Environmental scientists work on subjects like the understanding of earth processes, evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource management, and the effects of global climate change. Environmental issues almost always include an interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental scientists bring a systems approach to the analysis of environmental problems. Key elements of an effective environmental scientist include the ability to relate space, and time relationships as well as quantitative analysis.
Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven by (a) the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze complex environmental problems, (b) the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols of investigation and (c) the growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems. Events that spurred this development included the publication of Rachel Carson's landmark environmental book Silent Spring along with major environmental issues becoming very public, such as the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and the Cuyahoga River of Cleveland, Ohio, "catching fire" (also in 1969), and helped increase the visibility of environmental issues and create this new field of study.
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Matching Environmental Science Colleges
American Public University System
Four or more years; Private for profit; $6,840 average out-state tuition; $6,840 average in-state tuition |
Southern New Hampshire University
Four or more years; Private not for profit; $15,000 average out-state tuition; $15,000 average in-state tuition |
University of South Florida
Four or more years; Public; $15,473 average out-state tuition; $4,559 average in-state tuition |
Western Washington University
Four or more years; Public; $24,799 average out-state tuition; $7,572 average in-state tuition |
Oregon State University
Four or more years; Public; $29,456 average out-state tuition; $10,065 average in-state tuition |
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Four or more years; Public; $17,622 average out-state tuition; $5,742 average in-state tuition |
University of California-Davis
Four or more years; Public; $41,196 average out-state tuition; $11,442 average in-state tuition |
Scholarships for Environmental Science Majors
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM ScholarshipU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
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award Up to $30,000 |
deadline Varies |
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Jewel Scholars Program - Mount Mary CollegeMount Mary College |
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award $27,000 |
deadline Varies |
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Emmy Noether AwardJoe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation |
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award Up to $75,000 |
deadline March 27, 2024 |
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Big Bang Theory Graduate Fellowship-PAIDUniversity of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) |
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award $20,000 |
deadline May 01, 2024 |
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Boyd Lyon Memorial Fellowship - University of Central FloridaUniversity of Central Florida (UCF) |
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award $18,000 |
deadline Varies |
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SEI Native American Education ScholarshipSolar Energy International (SEI) |
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award $10,000 |
deadline Varies |
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SEI Energy Women in Solar ScholarshipSolar Energy International (SEI) |
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award $10,000 |
deadline Varies |
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EAGLES Scholarship - PSUPortland State University |
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award $10,000 |
deadline Varies |
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Russell W. Myers ScholarshipThe Land Conservancy of New Jersey |
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award $10,000 |
deadline April 01, 2024 |
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Johnson & Johnson Access-Ability Lime ScholarshipLime Connect, Inc. |
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award $10,000 |
deadline April 07, 2024 |
Environmental Science Related Majors
- Environmental Studies
- Natural Resources and Conservation
- Forestry
- Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
- Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy
- Land Use Planning and Management/Development
- Forest Sciences and Biology
- Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management
- Forest Management/Forest Resources Management
- Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research
- Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
- Environmental/Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism
- Urban Forestry
- Forest Resources Production and Management
- Energy and Environmental Policy
- Forest Technology/Technician
- Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology/Technician
- Bioenergy