Q: What do you get when you cross a botanist with a writer? Or an historian with a geologist? A forester with a philosopher? A hiker with a book-worm?

A: An Environmental Affairs student.

Perhaps this means you, a person who wants to - maybe even needs to - observe nature through more than just one lens. And why not? In its incredible and exciting variety, our environment can accommodate as many ways of observing and thinking as we can imagine.

After all, the environment is not just out there in an Amazon rainforest or in our snow-capped Colorado mountains. It also exists in town and on campus. (Ever hear the great-horned owls hooting to each other at the south end of the University Oval?) It exists in the most traffic-clogged city as well as in your bedroom.

Journalist H. L. Mencken once joked that nature is the place you drive to on Sundays to throw your beer cans into. Not so! Nature is everywhere. And you can learn about it just about everywhere at Colorado State. Remember, the word university derives from the Latin for the whole and the universe.

Q: What is the Environmental Affairs Program?

A: It's a 21-credit undergrauate certificate program centered in the College of Liberal Arts but also including courses from the rest of the university. It's similar to a minor. The certificate is noted on your transcript, and in many cases it will satisfy your second field requirement.

Q: Who is it for?

A: Everyone. Maybe you're majoring in history or anthropology and you'd like to know how biologists or political scientists look at the environment. Or maybe you're a science major and you want to learn to think like a sociologist, a political scientist, or an artist. This program is for you.

It's for people who are interested in the spaces where nature and culture overlap. . . who want a career involving both humans and the rest of the natural world. . . who know that the world doesn't come in pieces shaped like departments or traditional majors.

The Environmental Affairs Program will make you a more informed and well-rounded person, better able to think and feel and understand in multiple and complementary ways. It will broaden your perspective.

It can also enrich your employment possibilities when you graduate. Think of just about any job title you can and add the word "environmental" to it. Now you've got the name of a job worth doing in a world that needs your help.

Q: What are the requirements?

A: Three core courses in liberal arts (anthropology, English, history, journalism, philosophy, political science, or sociology), two core science courses, and two other elective courses. You must earn at least a C- in each course. See the Environmental Affairs Course Requirements page and matching Checklist Form for specifics.

Q: How do I enroll?

A: Fill out an application form in the Dean’s Office, College of Liberal Arts (C138 Clark) or call (970) 491-5421 to have the form sent to you. You can also print out the Sign Up and Completion Form. When you enroll, you'll be given a checklist and an Environmental Affairs faculty advisor who will help you choose courses that will be right for you. You will keep your regular departmental advisor for all of your other requirements

Please feel free to contact us through our Director, Mark Fiege, at (970) 491-6468 or through email at mark.fiege@colostate.edu or Co-Director, Sandra Davis at 970-491-5281 or through email at sandra.davis@colostate.edu.