Environment, Geography, and Sustainability, School of

Benjamin Ofori-Amoah, Director
Main Office: 3900 Wood Hall
Telephone: (269) 387-2716
Fax: (269) 387-2272

Kathleen Baker
Steven Bertman
Devin Bloom
Deirdre Courtney
Lisa M. DeChano-Cook
Lucius Hallett
Chansheng He
Lynne Heasley
Denise Keele
Daniel Macfarlane
Lei Meng
Nicholas Padilla
Julio Pedrassoli
Tiffany Schriever
Cybelle Shattuck
Bilinda Straight
Maarten Vonhof
Li Yang
Laiyin Zhu

The School of the Environment, Geography, and Sustainability explores the complex relationships between social and environmental systems through a multidisciplinary approach that brings together knowledge and skills from humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Understanding environmental systems and how humans interact with them, as individuals and as citizens within social and cultural systems, is essential for building more sustainable societies. We seek to address present environmental sustainability challenges from local to global perspectives.

We seek to:

Foster the acquisition of core knowledge about environmental sustainability and the applications of such knowledge to real-world issues through high quality teaching and research.
Provide an environment for student professional growth through development of critical thinking, scientific problem-solving, enhanced and diverse communication skills (e.g., written, oral, graphic), and creative capacity; vital learning community that engages students and faculty in continuing discourse.
Raise awareness, appreciation and relevance of geographic and sustainability dimensions of environmental, social, cultural, political, economic, and technological issues to understand and address them more effectively; and
Facilitate community engagement with a focus on open-minded, solution-oriented, informed, creative, and ethically responsible professional preparation and citizenship in a complex, and increasingly connected, multicultural world.

Programs
The School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability is committed to preparing students to be future champions of the sustainability of our planet. We offer six undergraduate majors: Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Geography (with concentrations in Environmental Geography, Environmental, Urban, and Regional Planning, and GIScience), Freshwater Science and Sustainability, Sustainable Brewing, Global and International Studies, and Tourism and Travel.

The following undergraduate minors are also available to students: Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Geography, Geographic Information Science, Global and International Studies, and Climate Change.

Students planning to major or minor in any of the school’s programs should discuss their program needs and interests with the School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability advisor at the earliest possible date. To find out more about advising and/or to make an advising appointment, visit our website at wmich.edu/SEGS/advising, click on “Advising” and then follow the desired links. Students can schedule an appointment with the advisor or can email (segs-advising@wmich.edu) for specific advising needs.

Transfer Students
All transfer students majoring or minoring in the school’s programs should consult the relevant transfer guides and meet with the School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability advisor to discuss specific course equivalencies to transfer credit in environmental studies and geography courses from other colleges. Any courses not used toward a School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability major, or minor may be used as electives to meet the minimum required 122 credits needed for graduation from WMU.

Undergraduates with junior or senior status and with listed prerequisites completed may enroll in 5000-level courses with prior approval of advisor and/or instructor.

Accelerated Graduate Degree Program
For more information about department accelerated graduate degree programs see the graduate catalog.