The Environmental Studies Program
Dr. Susan Gilbertz, Director
LA 210
(406) 657-2201
sgilbertz@msubillings.edu
www.msubillings.edu/cas/ENVStudies/
Professors: Edgerton, Redinger, McNally, Khaleel, Miller
Associate Professors: Hardt, Sanders, Vettel-Becker
Assistant Professors: Barron, Buck, Eliason, Gilbertz, Gloege, Haaland, Quetchenbach
Affiliated: Urbaniak
Adjunct: Adair
Undergraduate Degrees and Majors
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Environmental Studies
Mission Statement
The Environmental Studies Program at MSU Billings provides a well-rounded interdisciplinary approach to understanding our natural systems and the role of humans in those systems. The program is dedicated to community collaboration and experiential learning opportunities.
Objectives
Students who complete the program will be able to:
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Identify and explain key scientific principles involved in understanding environmental issues.
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Identify and explain key human concerns involved in understanding environmental issues.
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Identify and explain key policy and regulatory concerns involved in understanding environmental issues.
Advising Information
Students are encouraged to meet with the Director of Environmental Studies each semester to confirm that their individual Plan of Study is accurate and complete. If necessary, changes and updates should be made to ensure that program requirements can be completed in a timely manner. The Director can provide assistance in selecting courses that support the student’s interests, career plans, and Plan of Study. Students must work with the Cooperative Education Office and the Director of Environmental Studies to explore appropriate internships, cooperative education programs and/or experiential learning opportunities.
Environmental Studies Program
The Environmental Studies Program is among the newest and most innovative programs at Montana State University Billings. Both students and faculty benefit from living in one of the most ecologically diverse and environmentally spectacular regions of North America. Yellowstone National Park, the northern Rockies, and the northern Great Plains are within a short drive of the MSU Billings campus.
The program is dedicated to balancing students’ understanding of environmental values and social dimensions, environmental sciences, and environmental policies. As an interdisciplinary program, students take courses in environmental ethics, environmental history, environmental ecology, geography, environmental assessments, and geographic information systems.
Additionally, students have options such as advanced ecology, environmental law, Native Americans and the environment, business and the environment, environmental sociology, and art and the environment. Students often select electives and Minor Fields of Study with career options in mind. Moreover, they enhance their academic studies by fulfilling the internship requirement. As student interns, they may work in local, state, and federal agencies, in private firms, in lab settings and/or in the field.
The faculty of the Environmental Studies Program are drawn from existing academic programs and occasionally from the community of environmental professionals in the Billings area. They are enthusiastic and committed to interdisciplinary methods and teaching approaches. The faculty are involved in environmental research, they attend national meetings and colloquia, and they serve in various capacities within community organizations and agencies. Their work outside the classroom enhances the curriculum and the learning objectives of the program.
The program prepares students to enter the work force in a variety of environmental occupations, and graduates from the program have proven to be successful in both the public and private sectors. Others have been accepted into graduate programs where they earn Masters or professional degrees in areas such as planning and environmental law.
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