Environmental Degree Programs

Environmental degree programs at SMU meet at the intersection of commercial demand and public service. The market for environmental professionals is expected to grow, not only as people tap into their own passion for sustainability through education and personal experience, but as government agencies and corporations are pushed to comply with environmental regulations and policies.

“Perhaps the time has come to cease calling it the "environmentalist" view, as though it were a lobbying effort outside the mainstream of human activity, and to start calling it the real-world view.”    — E. O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist

SMU students may pursue undergraduate and graduate environmental degrees through three portals – the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science programs, both in Dedman College of Science and Humanities, and the Environmental and Civil Engineering Department of the Lyle School of Engineering.

A degree in Environmental Studies is designed for the individual who is interested in studying sustainability at a societal or policy level. Its interdisciplinary nature allows degree candidates to tap into a variety of skills and interests and offers a good fit for many double majors.

The Environmental Science Program allows a student to choose a study emphasis among three disciplines – biology, chemistry and the earth sciences. The program comes together in the senior year through a multi-disciplinary Environmental Science Seminar focusing on real-world issues and problems.

Environmental and Civil Engineering at SMU focuses on planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and managing the nation’s physical infrastructure (buildings, bridges, power plants, water and wastewater systems) while also focused on conservation, natural resource recovery, air quality, pollution control and environmental health.

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