Mailing Address: Gardner Commons 4625
Office Hours: M-F, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Website: https://ess.utah.edu/
Phone: 801-581-8218
Department Chair: Dr. Tim Collins
Undergraduate Advisor: Stacy Morris, stacy.morris@ess.utah.edu
Graduate Advisor: Serena Madsen, serena.madsen@ess.utah.edu
Mission Statement
The School of Environment, Society & Sustainability provides students with an integrated, interdisciplinary understanding of the environment, society, and the interactions between them. Our hands-on coursework and multiple degrees equip our students for future careers addressing complex societal and environmental challenges.
Overview
The School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability fosters an interdisciplinary understanding of the environment, societies, and the interactions between them. The curriculum is rooted in diverse approaches from environmental, social, geographic, and data sciences to address important issues including climate change, environmental and health disparities, land conservation and management, water resources, urbanization, food systems, global sustainability, and natural hazards.
Our students gain training in diverse technical skills and critical ways of thinking. These include foundations of ecosystem science, the use of powerful technologies like geographic information science (GIS), remote sensing from satellites and drones, and spatial modeling, as well as mixed methods focused on understanding and promoting environmental justice and long-term sustainability. Students have opportunities to engage in field, laboratory, and community-based research that range from local to international.
Upon graduation, students will have the ability to assess complex social and environmental issues at all scales, and be able to think critically about their role as creative problem-solvers, and their responsibility as citizens and members of an extended ecological community. A degree from the School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability will provide students with the expertise needed to embark on rewarding careers across the private and public sectors.
Types of Degrees
Bachelor of Art/Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
Minors
Undergraduate Certificates
Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Certificates
Undergraduate Programs
We offer STEM degrees in three areas: Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENVST), Geography, and Geographic Information Science (GIS). The ENVST BS/BA degrees provide interdisciplinary understanding of ecological systems, human societies, and the consequences of human-environment interactions. Geography BS/BA degrees also focus on human-environment interactions with additional depth examining these interactions and global change across space and time. The GIS BS degrees focuses on technical skills development involving geospatial analysis, visualization, and modeling. The School also offers ENVST and Geography minors.
Certificate Programs
The School offers undergraduate certificates in Climate Change, Geographic Information Science (including GIS and Remote Sensing tracks), and Hazards and Emergency Management.
Graduate Programs
The School offers MS and PhD degrees in Geography, and a professional MS in Spatial Data Science. The MS and PhD in Geography require coursework and research, with opportunities for specialization aligning with student interests in air quality, arid lands, biogeography, climate, conflict/extremism, critical geography, development/political economy, economic geography, energy, environment, environmental justice, food systems, GIS, geomorphology/paleoecology, glaciology/snow and ice, hazards, health, political geography, political ecology, population, remote sensing, spatial data science, and urban systems. The MS in Spatial Data Science is a professional degree focused on technical skills, and does not require a thesis.