The Certificate Program in Environmental Studies (ENV) is designed for Princeton undergraduates who have an interest in the scientific, political, humanistic, and/or technological dimensions of environmental problems.

Since 1993, the certificate program has been central in educating a new generation of environmental leaders at Princeton. Over 500 undergraduates have graduated with an environmental studies certificate and have gone on to pursue careers or graduate level education with an environmental focus. Since 2000, the program has grown by more than 19% annually, and serves students from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.

The program offers three introductory survey courses, ENV 201, ENV 202, and ENV 302 which examine a broad range of regional and global environmental challenges and the human activities that contribute to them. When taken with the lab option, ENV 201B and ENV 202B fulfill the Science and Technology (STL)  laboratory distribution requirement. The lab component incorporates inquiry-based field study with lab exercises. For those students interested in more in-depth exposure using quantitative methods, we offer ENV 302. Upper-level ENV courses are organized as lectures, seminars and/or taskforce style formats. Please note: During the spring 2012 semester, ENV 340 and CEE 303 will be offered as Core Courses in place of ENV 202.

ENV course offerings train students as independent and critical thinkers with connections to a variety of academic disciplines. Topics of study include climate change, energy security, policy and technology, environmental biology, chemistry, conservation, ecology, education, economics, engineering, ethics, history, mitigation, monitoring, policy, global health, development, and sustainability.

Undergraduates pursuing the ENV Certificate are required to participate in the Senior Colloquium in their final year of academic study to share the research and results of their senior theses with Princeton faculty and other students enrolled in the certificate program.

Senior thesis funding is available to students who elect to engage in field research as a component of their independent work. Funding for domestic and international internships with an environmental focus is also available for students at any stage of their undergraduate education. For more information, see ENV Certificate Program requirements.

The Program in Environmental Studies is open to all A.B. and B.S.E. students. Interested students should complete the ENV Student Profile Form as early as possible (and no later than mid fall of junior year) and plan to consult with the ENV Program Director or Program Administrator to discuss their course of study in greater detail.

Acceptance to the program is made on the basis of interest and development of a coherent academic plan. Although it is possible to fulfill the formal requirements of the program by choosing courses that have few prerequisites, the number of options is greatly increased by choosing courses in freshman and sophomore years that simultaneously meet the distribution requirements for the A.B. or B.S.E. degree and the prerequisites for courses recommended by the program.

"The Environmental Studies Program has not only given me the opportunity to examine environmental issues from a variety of different perspectives, but has also allowed me to interact and discuss these issues with students and professors of all disciplines."

— Michelle Lau, 2012
CEE Major

"The  ENV program has taught me about environmental themes from scientific, political, and economic points of view, allowing me to understand environmental problems and solutions drawing from all these disciplines."

“The ENV Certificate is one of the most accommodating and flexible programs on campus. It allows - and even encourages - humanities students like myself to receive a comprehensive environmental education from top quality professors."