Bethel College Environmental Science Department Environmental Science Faculty Requirements Careers News Articles Science Institute Environmental science is the study of how people can best live within the Earth's environment. Because economies, ecologies, and societies are linked, environmental science is inherently interdisciplinary, using and combining information from such varied disciplines as ecology, chemistry, economics, sociology, geology, natural resource management, law, and politics. Nevertheless, a well-prepared environmentalist is firmly grounded in the basic sciences. Bethel College has a long tradition in environmental studies, having developed one of the nation's first environmental studies majors in 1971. The program of study in Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary concentration within the Natural Sciences major.
Students can opt to add a minor that supports a particular interest.
Possible minors might be in Business Administration, Chemistry, Communication Arts, Computer Science, Economics, or Global Peace and Justice Studies. Alternatively, students may be interested in pursuing Environmental Science as a minor coupled to a major in another discipline. Right on the edge of campus you will find an award-winning prairie reconstruction and a 2 km hiking path through a wild riparian habitat. Finally, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, a 17 acre exhibit of prairie ecosystems, is located just next door in Hesston, Kansas. Internship and independent study possibilities abound in the area.