Dickinson's environmental studies & environmental science department is one of the oldest and best established in the country. The department is remarkable for its wealth of expertise, infectious energy and collaborative approaches. Our faculty, and associated faculty, are respected and well-known in their fields and provide rigorous and hands-on coursework in environmental policy, aquatic ecology, agroecology, forest ecology, environmental health, food studies, sustainable communities, international environmental politics, environmental philosophy, ethics and literature, wildlife conservation, natural resource management and environmental justice. Our program provides students with unique opportunities for students to apply their education through research, community engagement and other activities.

The Princeton Review has ranked Dickinson no 2 in the top Green Colleges and has named it a "great school for environmental studies majors" (2023)

Students may choose to pursue either a B.S. in environmental science or a B.A. in environmental studies. The department works closely with students to support their scholarly interests and endeavors, whether that’s collaborating with local communities to protect their air and water, working to make the places we live be more sustainable or conducting climate change research on the ice sheets of Greenland or mountains of Nepal. We believe that getting out of the classroom and engaging with people and places around the world is the best way to learn. We take seriously the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and critical thinking and understand that solving today’s environmental and social challenges requires not only know-how but innovation and creativity.

GreenMatters has included Dickinson on it's list for best colleges for environmental science and studies (2023)

Contact Info

Chair

Kristin StrockAssociate Professor of Environmental Studies (2014)

Department coordinator

Debra Peters

Phone

717-245-1355

Fax

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Location

Kaufman 103 Mailing Address

Department Features



Student Outcomes

Where Our Students Go From Here

Jobs

  • United States National Park Service
  • Pacific Whale Foundation
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Chesapeake Bay Program
  • Student Conservation Association
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Stroud Water Research Center
  • San Juan Citizens Alliance
  • San Francisco Beautiful
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Environmental Data Resources, Inc.
  • Repair the World
  • Resource Management Concepts, Inc.
  • Strategic Energy Innovations

Graduate Schools

  • Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
  • Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment
  • University of Maine, School of Policy and International Affairs
  • Emory University, Department of Chemistry
  • University of Pennsylvania, Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
  • University of Oregon, School of Journalism
  • Boston University, School of Public Health
  • University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health
  • University of British Columbia, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
  • Rutgers University, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
  • Lewis and Clark Law School
  • University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
  • University of Georgia, Skidway Institute of Oceanography
Where Our Students Have Interned
  • Earth Day Network
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Environmental Resources Management
  • Maine Audubon Society
  • Sierra Club
  • U.S. Green Building Council
  • Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington
  • Hawaiian Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project
  • Massachusetts Audubon Society
  • National Aquarium
  • United States National Park Service 
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

Student Perspective

"The mix of intellectually challenging courses, two years of community-based research and two federal internships at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Senate provided me with a pragmatic and philosophical understanding of human interaction with the environment. The environmental studies department is a launching pad to fuse your passion and education."

—Olivia Termini ‘18


Noah Davis,

Student Snapshot: Noah Davis ’20

“Challenge yourself to try something. That’s where growth happens,” says Noah Davis ’20, a jazz musician who's exploring ways to combine his interests in music and psychology at Dickinson.

Read The Full Story


Alumni in Action



Department News

Astrophysicist for NASA

Astrophysicist for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to Give Talk at Dickinson

John Mather will receive Dickinson’s annual Joseph Priestley Award.

Student Snapshot: Lauren Orefice ’24

Student Snapshot: Lauren Orefice ’24

“It’s so important to put yourself out there and try new things.” Meet Lauren Orefice ’24 (environmental studies), an a cappella singer and study-abroad student who served a writing internship in NYC.

Students Research, Report on Food Access in Cumberland County, Pa.

Students Research, Report on Food Access in Cumberland County, Pa.

Students analyzed data, interviewed nonprofit leaders and surveyed guests at seven food banks, deliver public report.

Student Snapshot: Prerana Patil

Student Snapshot: Prerana Patil '24

"I'm so grateful for the support system and community I've gained here," says Prerana Patil '24, a double major in environmental science and chemistry, who did biogas research at the College Farm.

Podcast: Green Roof ‘Living Laboratory’ on Dickinson College’s Tome Hall

Podcast: Green Roof ‘Living Laboratory’ on Dickinson College’s Tome Hall

In this podcast, we take a trip to the top of Tome Hall, where an experimental green roof is helping make Dickinson even more sustainable.

Tome Hall Rooftop Hosts New Living Laboratory

Tome Hall Rooftop Hosts New Living Laboratory

A new environmental studies project begins with a variety of plants taking root on an otherwise lifeless roof.