Academic Degrees & Programs

Our faculty are leaders in their fields, and they are passionate about their work and training the next generation of scientists. Our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities allow our faculty to push the boundaries of their fields and give our students the chance to do their own research. We apply geology, mineralogy, petrology, biology, chemistry, physics, and math to investigate diverse topics such as early life on Earth, the structure of the Earth’s deep interior, the nature of contaminant transport, and the evidence for water on Mars. Our students are uniquely poised to help solve some of society’s most pressing problems through careers in government, non-profit organizations, academia, and industry.

The systems that shape the Earth’s environment are dynamic and highly interactive. In the Environmental Studies program, we work to understand these systems and how they influence the planet’s diverse ecosystems, natural resources, the communities we live in, and local and global political systems.

Washington University offers undergraduate students a variety of opportunities to study the environment. In the Environmental Studies program, we offer a major in Environmental Analysis with a broad grounding in environmental coursework to prepare students to tackle real-world environmental problems by providing training in analysis, problem-solving, communication, and community engagement. We offer a corresponding Interdisciplinary Environmental Analysis minor. In addition, our Environmental Studies minor is a flexible option that allows students to explore disciplines that complement their major. We also offer various courses integral to environment-related majors in the Earth and planetary sciences, biology, political science, anthropology, and international and area studies. Many of our students also pursue interests in business, law, and landscape architecture.

In addition to coursework, we encourage students to engage in independent research by working closely with experienced faculty mentors in the field and in the lab. We also offer a variety of interdisciplinary project-based, community-engaged learning experiences.

The Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering was the first of its kind in the country when it was created in 2006. The department brings together faculty involved in interdisciplinary environment engineering science and chemical engineering to focus on contributing to solutions for the energy and environmental challenges around the world. It continues to build upon cooperation among many different facets of the university to bring a truly interdisciplinary approach to advancing basic science. With integrated and multidisciplinary programs of scientific education as well as a tradition of lifelong learning, the department plays an integral role in WashU’s initiatives to address global challenges

As an environmental biology major, you will study the vital processes of all organisms and the environments in which they flourish, and specifically, ecology, conservation, and restoration of biodiversity. You will take a deep dive into topics like sustainable food production through understanding plant development, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and genetic engineering, and you will gain a greater understanding of solar energy and advanced biofuels. Though housed in the Department of Biology, you will take courses across chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, environmental studies, and biology.

As a biology major in the ecology and evolution track, you will study the vital processes of all organisms and the environments in which they flourish. The ecology and evolution track focuses on the relations of organisms with each other and their physical surroundings and how those relations are shaped and changed over time.

The Global Health & Environment track is a major/minor emphasis within Anthropology that is unique among peer institutions. It addresses the interests of undergraduate students whose interests lie primarily within this area, builds on existing strengths and resources in the Department of Anthropology, and enriches the quality and scope of student training for professional careers.

Students accepted into this program will have opportunities to explore topics – from climate change to aging to entrepreneurship – from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The program curriculum will teach students how to view these major issues from multiple frameworks through teamwork and collaboration, with teams of professors from across WashU’s schools teaching. This program is ideal for students interested in tackling societal, intellectual, technological, and scientific challenges through collaborative problem-solving. Students entering this program will be offered opportunities to explore topics from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The first-year seminar explores what it means to be an interdisciplinary scholar and each Beyond Boundaries course will teach students how to view major societal challenges from multiple frameworks through teamwork and collaboration.  

The Olin School of Business has a minor in the Business of Social Impact. The program aims to provide students with an understanding of how business skills and techniques can be applied to drive positive social impact rather than simply maximize profit. A wide range of courses covering climate change, social entrepreneurship, urban ecology, and gender in society are offered.

The Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts offers a program that leads to a professional Master of Landscape Architecture degree. The program focuses on the subjects of design, ecology and urbanism. Ecology informs design practice to address a multiplicity of scales and natural systems within the environment while urbanism serves as a terrain of contemporary landscape practice.

The Master of Urban Design post-professional program addresses the multiplicity of urbanizing environments occurring in local, national, and global cities from the viewpoint of the metropolitan landscape. The intention of the program is to promote the development of healthy and sustainable environments and communities. Students learn social, political, economic, and environmentally responsible principles of development and the history and theory of contemporary urbanism.

In the Doctor of Sustainable Urbanism (DrSU) program, students learn a holistic and integrative methodological approach to sustainability thinking involving complex social, cultural, political, economic, and scientific issues as they are applied to a wide range of urban contexts and spatial patterns and conditions. This post-professional applied research degree is intended to prepare professionals and advanced urban design students for careers in multidisciplinary, evidence-based sustainable urban design and planning practice and teaching. This includes research-oriented positions in nonprofit organizations, community design and research centers, and government agencies, as well as faculty positions at colleges and universities, focused on applied research in sustainability and urban design.

The doctoral program in Plant & Microbial Biosciences (PMB) focuses on the use of prokaryotes, eukaryotic microbes, mosses and vascular plants as experimental organisms. Washington University’s highly integrated graduate program and diverse faculty provide an ideal environment in which to address fundamental and applied biological problems.

The graduate program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology explores the ecological and evolutionary processes that create and maintain biodiversity. The program combines field studies with biogeographic, computational, molecular, statistical, and theoretical approaches to gain an understanding of the ecology, evolution, and conservation of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Students’ research opportunities are enriched by the University’s partnerships with local institutions. Tyson Research Center, the environmental field station of Washington University in St. Louis, provides opportunities for field studies in local aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The Missouri Botanical Garden conducts systematic studies of plant diversity worldwide. The Saint Louis Zoo facilitates studies of the conservation biology of animals. Our faculty and students also conduct studies on a global scale at field sites in Africa, Asia, and South America.

*Will no longer be offered starting Spring 2026* University College in Arts & Sciences, the adult, evening and continuing education division, has developed a Bachelor of Science in sustainability. This program provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and resolving today’s most pressing and complex environmental, economic and social challenges.

The Pathfinder Fellows Program is a four-year, cohort-based undergraduate program providing the academic rigor and field experience needed to deeply understand, respect, and respond to a place and its people in light of environmental challenges. Integrated around the rich themes of environmental studies, including environmental science, policy, humanities, and sustainability, the program welcomes students from all four undergraduate schools to create a yearly cohort of 12 to 16 students.

The program provides students with expertise in sustainable and critical thinking at scales from individual sites to neighborhoods, landscapes, nations, and the globe. Program activities consist of shared coursework, field trips, community engagement opportunities such as internships and research, and experiences in urban and rural environments. Taken together, these components provide interdisciplinary training for our students to emerge as leaders in their respective fields.

The International Experience in Energy and the Environment program seeks to enhance and enrich the experience of undergraduate students and provide a focused international experience. The program is guided by faculty from the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering. Each group of students visits a city in which a partner school of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy is located in order to engage in a project that enhances teamwork and knowledge of the field of energy, environment, and chemical engineering.

Through the Washington University School of Law, the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic provides pro bono legal and technical services to environmental and community organizations in the greater St. Louis area while simultaneously offering an educational experience for students from across the university. The interdisciplinary structure of the clinic is unique among environmental law clinics. Student attorneys (second and third-year law students) and student consultants (graduate students and upper-level undergraduates in engineering, environmental studies, medicine, social work, and business) work in interdisciplinary teams under faculty supervision. They offer legal and technical assistance on environmental and community health problems to individuals and organizations unable to pay for such services. Teams work on issues relating to air and water quality, lead poisoning, environmental justice, habitat destruction, and wetlands.

The Sam Fox School, College of Arts & Sciences, and School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University launched the Sustainability Exchange in 2015. It is a unique course bringing together students from across campus to work in interdisciplinary teams to tackle real-world challenges in energy, the environment, and sustainability.

Using the campus and community as a living laboratory, the course was created by an interdisciplinary team of deans and faculty to create an upperclassman experience.

Students participate in significant projects with clients and partners at the university and in the community. The projects are developed with, and guided by, faculty advisers with the intention of delivering applicable end products for community problems requiring innovative methods and solutions.

This course is designed to prepare students to attend and observe annual meetings associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a delegate of Washington University. The course and meetings provide student delegates with a unique educational experience to observe the development of international climate policy through interdisciplinary negotiations and interactions inside the negotiating space. Students see the interaction between climate policy, science, and technology as they identify and analyze policy decisions across the international climate regime.

This course in community-based conservation through the lens of Madagascar represents a partnership between Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and Washington University in Saint Louis. The course is designed to support MBG’s Community Based Conservation Program sites, while building student understanding of challenges at the intersection of rural agricultural subsistence communities, climate change, and biodiversity “hot spots.” The course involves preparatory learning during the WUSTL spring semester and ongoing communication and collaboration with Malagasy community representatives during this period. An additional lab credit option entails interactive research project deployment and monitoring on the ground in Madagascar during a summer window.

Students interested in research experiences at the Tyson Research Center can receive course credit and are encouraged to contact Washington University researchers. Summer fellowships are available for undergraduate students interested in environmental research, including ecology, evolutionary biology, and related environmental sciences.

Environmental Studies Impact Internships embed students within St. Louis organizations, engaging with the environmental issues that impact people’s lives every day. This program allows Environmental Studies to support important environmental work that our organizational partners lead in the community. The Impact Internship Program runs during both the Fall and Spring Semester as well as over the Summer. 

Undergraduate students may earn credit for internship experiences by registering for ENST 299 for fall, spring, or summer semesters. This allows students to intern with an organization working on an environmental issue where the primary objective is to obtain professional experience outside of the classroom. Students can gain academic credit (pass/fail) for an internship if certain criteria are met.

School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) offers certificates in sustainability-related studies designed primarily for professionals in architecture, planning, law, government and development. Visit their website to find out more about their certificates in sustainable communities and development, sustainable environment and science, and sustainable management organizations.