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For 25 years Wake Forest students have explored issues of environmental science, policy, sustainability, and more through the Environmental Program. From research stipends through our Environmental Summer Fellows Program to the annual Environment and Sustainability writing workshop – the opportunities for engaged learning are endless.

Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Sustainability

The Environment and Sustainbility major encourages interdisciplinary inquiry by providing the necessary flexibility for students to explore the social, cultural, and scientific issues pertaining to the environment. Students will develop college-level scientific literacy in biology, earth sciences, and chemistry as a platform for upper-division coursework in the physical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. At the upper-division level, students may choose from an array of social science and humanities electives in order to apply sophisticated, appropriate, and practical solutions to global problems using diverse, interdisciplinary perspectives.

Environment and Sustainability Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science

The goal of the Environmental Science major is to train students to become proficient in the biological, chemical, physical, and earth sciences, and to develop social and cultural awareness of complex environmental problems. The Environmental Science major preparation requires two full years of introductory biology, chemistry, physics, and data science to develop a student’s technical, quantitative, ecological, and analytical skills. Upper-division studies, while still interdisciplinary and flexible, limit the number of social science and humanities courses a student may take. The majority of electives emphasize the physical and natural science disciplines to enhance the student’s understanding of earth system sciences and the role they play in environmental problems.

Environmental Science Requirements

Environmental Program History

Environmental Studies Minor Created

August 25, 1995

Dr. John Lichter was the first coordinator for the environmental studies minor in 1995 and the catalyst for the founding of the Environmental Program that same year. Litcher joined the faculty in 1973 and taught social studies education, human geography and environmental studies before retiring in 2004. Dr. Robert Browne from the Department of Biology, Dr….

First Immersive Learning Trip to Peru

May 1, 1999

The first immersive learning trip to Peru was in 1999, according to Dr. Miles Silman of the Biology Department. Since then, the types of immersive learning trips to Peru have evolved and changed with research needs and student interest. Most recently, the the trip is offered through a course in “Tropical Ecology and Science Writing” which you…

Dr. Robert Browne Appointed as Program Director

August 25, 1999

Dr. Robert Browne, from the department of Biology, became the ENV Program director in 1999. During his tenure, he coordinated the logistics of setting up the minor without the benefit of a pre-determined framework for the curriculum. In collaboration with the members of the steering committee, Dr. Browne came up with a list of courses that…

Office of Sustainability Founded

July 1, 2009

The Office of Sustainability was founded in July 2009 to facilitate the integration of sustainability at all levels of the university, from students to the highest levels of the administration. The Office of Sustainability staff and student colleagues work with local and regional community representatives to develop synergies between Wake Forest’s sustainability programs and those larger communities….

First Immersive Learning Trip to Australia

May 1, 2010

It’s not easy to the Australian reefs, rainforests, grasslands and Outback while you’re on campus in Winston-Salem. Students that travel to Australia to take Ecology and Natural Resource Management in Australia, though, get see all of that, said Dr. Robert Browne, former head of the Environmental Program. He taught the course for nine years. Now it…

Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES) Founded

August 25, 2010

As the level of interest and work around issues of sustainability grew, more programs and institutions were established. The Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES) is an interdisciplinary center which brings experts together to study the issues of energy, the environment and human systems. “You have this nucleus of faculty who got interested and coalesced…

First Immersive Learning Trip to Belize

May 1, 2012

The first immersive learning trip to Belize took place in 2012. The “Diving Deacons” initiative allows students in the Ecology and Conservation Biology of Coral Reefs course to travel to Belize each spring to study conservation and management plans for the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Doing so involves using SUAS technology to monitor development on the reef…

Dr. Abdou Lachgar Appointed as Program Director

August 25, 2013

In 2013, Dr. Abdou Lachgar was appointed as the interim director of the Environmental Program. In 2014, he became the full director. Dr. Lachgar is a Professor of Chemistry and the Bell Faculty Fellow. His teaching expertise is in the general area of inorganic materials chemistry and nanomaterials. His research projects focus on the development and…

Dr. Eric Stottlemyer Appointed as Program Director

August 25, 2015

Dr. Eric Stottlemyer focuses on curriculum development, new academic initiatives, interdisciplinary programs, and experiential modes of learning as the Associate Dean for the Engaged Liberal Arts. Before this role, he brought those same principles of engaged learning to the Environmental Program during his time as the program’s director. Dr. Stottlemyer facilitated academic coherence for the ENV minors…

Sustainability Graduate Programs Established

August 25, 2015

In 2015, Wake Forest’s Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability partnered with 26 faculty from across campus to establish the Sustainability Graduate Programs. In addition to the Master of Arts in Sustainability (MAS) and a certificate program, Wake Forest offers two additional unique dual degree programs – a JD/MA in Sustainability and a Masters of Divinity/MA in…

First Summer Immersive Learning Trip to Alaska

May 1, 2016

The Alaska course has been led over three summers – 2016, 2017, and 2018 – by Dr. Stottlemyer, in conjunction with Outdoor Pursuits. It involved both an overview of the mechanics of climate change, as well as writing about climate change. The course’s experiential nature came from a wilderness experience. The course starts in Anchorage, but…

First Undergraduate Student Graduates with Interdisciplinary Degree in Sustainability Studies

May 1, 2018

When Sebastian Irby (’18) arrived on campus in 2014, she knew she wanted to study sustainability. At the time the ENV Program hosted two minors – one in environmental science and one in environmental studies – but Irby wanted more. She wanted to graduate with a degree in these areas. In 2018, she became the first undergraduate…

Dr. Luke Johnston Appointed as Program Director

August 25, 2018

The approval of the new majors, Environment and Sustainability Studies and Environmental Science, have been a major highlight of his tenure so far, Johnston said. Johnson noted that several things make Wake Forest’s Environmental Program exceptional. “The things that I think make our program unique are the things that make Wake Forest in general unique,” he…

Major in Environment and Sustainability Available to Students

August 25, 2020

Undergraduate students will be able to declare two new majors in Environment and Sustainability beginning fall of 2020 – a Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Sustainability and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science. “This is our chance to really hopefully make a difference by helping students to think about where they fall when they’re thinking…