There are many academic pathways available to undergraduate students interested in environmental sciences and studies at Rice. Students are encouraged to be flexible and creative in choosing an undergraduate pathway that best suits their environmental interests and personal strengths.
Anthropology
Anthropology BA, minor
Mary Prendergast, director of undergraduate studies
Anthropology is the study of human thought, experience and behavior in all its social forms. Blending deep empirical analysis, field and archival research techniques, and advanced social theory, anthropology is one of the most vibrant and diverse fields of research in the human sciences today. It is a flexible and well-rounded undergraduate major, preparing students for careers in fields like journalism, community organizing, humanitarian aid, historic preservation, and museum studies. Anthropology classes at Rice often have an explicitly environmental focus, and they are well suited for students wanting to understand the social dynamics surrounding environmental issues and human-centered approaches to environmental policy, and those wanting to pursue a deep-time approach to environmental change from fossil and archaeological records. Cultural anthropology courses examine how people cope with climate change and environmental degradation today and in the future, while archaeology and biological anthropology classes consider how to reconstruct past environments and climate change, and how humans have adapted to and shaped their environments over millennia.
Biosciences
Biosciences BA, BS
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology minor
Scott Solomon, major advisor
Cassidy Johnson, major advisor
The Biosciences major explores the complexities of living organisms and their interactions with the environment. The major provides students with a solid foundation in biological sciences from molecules, to cells, organisms, ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape them. The concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in particular offers a variety of opportunities, through courses and research experiences, to delve into environmental issues that involve the natural ecosystems and diversity of life on Earth. From biological consequences of changing climate patterns, the global extinction crisis, species invasions, and environmental links to new emerging diseases, students will find courses and research experiences in these areas with a Biosciences major. By combining rigorous scientific inquiry, and communication, with hands-on research techniques, a Biosciences major also equips students with a versatile skill set applicable to many STEM related careers including environmental careers such as research scientist, restoration ecologist, ecosystem management, environmental educator, conservation practitioner, data analyst, environmental policy analyst, wildlife biologist, environmental consultant, or science writer/journalist.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering BA
Civil Engineering BS
Andrea Torres, undergraduate and graduate program coordinator
Civil and environmental engineering disciplines address virtually any system or infrastructure related to earth, water, air, or civilization and their processes. While considered to be the oldest of the recognized “disciplines” in engineering, modern civil and environmental engineering address some of the world’s most pressing problems. These include hazard and climate resilience, clean energy and water, and smart and sustainable infrastructure. At Rice, CEVE provides a rigorous, coherent curriculum from which students gain an understanding of the physical, mathematical, chemical and biological, as well as socio-economic systems and ethical frameworks that affect engineering research and practice. Students can receive an ABET-Accredited BSCE degree. The BS is recommended for those interested in graduate studies or careers as licensed professional engineers. The BA degree is recommended to students interested in graduate studies outside of engineering such as policy, law or medicine or those interested in pursuing a double major or a minor, such as the one in energy and water sustainability.
Data Science
Data Science minor
Su Chen, minor director
Arko Barman, minor advisor
Data science is the science of extracting actionable knowledge from large and complex data repositories, where “complex” may refer to the modality of the data (images, time series, text, as well as traditional tabular data) or other facets of the data in question (data can be complex because they are geographically distributed, or characterized by the ubiquity of missing or inaccurate values). As such, data science is an interdisciplinary field of study. By pursuing the Data Science minor, students interested in environmental sciences can develop a solid foundation in the fundamental principles and methodologies of data science, and gain proficiency in programming languages, statistical analysis, machine learning techniques, and data visualization tools. The Data Science minor equips students with the necessary tools to apply data-driven approaches to tackle complex environmental problems and make a positive impact on environmental sustainability, such as analyzing climate data, modeling ecological systems, or optimizing resource allocation. At the undergraduate-level, the minor in Data Science is administered by the Data to Knowledge Lab (D2K).
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences BA, BS, minor
Helge Gonnermann, advisor, geoscience and environmental earth science areas of specialization
Melodie French, advisor, geoscience and planetary science areas of specialization
The study of the environment within the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (EEPS) is centered on the structure and composition of our planet, with an emphasis on the natural processes that shape the Earth’s environments and their habitability. Courses and research within EEPS encompass a range of interrelated disciplines focused on understanding the origin of Earth and planetary systems, the processes that operate within them and their evolution through time. This knowledge is applied to understanding the interactions between planetary interiors, their surfaces, their atmospheres, and on Earth its biosphere. Areas of application with relevance to societal problems include natural hazards, climate change, natural resources and the exploration of other worlds within our solar system and beyond. EEPS majors bring together fields such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and data science to learn how different parts of a planet interact in time and space. We use methodologies that range from laboratory experimentation, analysis of Earth materials, theory, computer modeling, data analysis and data collection in the natural environment. The skills that EEPS students gain make them uniquely poised to tackle some of the most pressing problems facing society today.
Economics
Economics BA, minor
Mathematical Economic Analysis BA
Maria Bejan, major advisor
Joan Guthrie, undergraduate program coordinator
Economics studies the roles of both private markets and the public sector (governments, policy) in allocating scarce resources and the ways that consumers and businesses make decisions that affect outcomes. Multiple electives within the Economics major may be interesting for students interested in the environment. Particularly salient classes in terms of subject matter include ECON 437 (Energy Economics), ECON 480 (Environmental Economics) and ECON 485 (Economics, Conservation and Pandemics). In terms of methodology, classes within Economics that consider the design and evaluation of governmental policy may be of interest: these include ECON 239 (Law and Economics) and ECON 421 (Quantitative Methods for Policy Evaluation). Majors in Economics and Mathematical Economic Analysis are well suited for students looking to think about environmental impact or mitigation from a quantitative or policy perspective. This includes students wishing to go on and study law, join (environmental) consulting, analysis firms or think tanks and students wishing to have a hand in shaping environmental policy.
Energy and Water Sustainability
Energy and Water Sustainability minor
Jorge Loyo Rosales, minor advisor
Andrea Torres, undergraduate program coordinator
Sustainability encompasses an approach to design and decision-making that takes into account the economic, social and environmental implications of human activities. This interdisciplinary minor studies the design of safe, secure, sustainable energy and water resources. Upon completing the minor in Energy and Water Sustainability, students will be able to apply basic economic concepts of energy and water sustainability including aspects of environmental economics and project-scale economic issues, understand basic environmental issues applicable to energy and water sustainability, conduct evaluations of social aspects from a sustainability perspective, evaluate projects and political systems from the standpoint of energy and water issues as well as more general sustainability issues, apply sustainability concepts at varying scales and viewpoints, including project level, corporate level, and municipal, state, national, and international levels, and understand the role of climate change on future projects and societies.
English
English BA
Lacy Johnson, director of undergraduate studies
Rice English integrates creative and critical practice through training in close reading, analytical writing, cultural history and theory, and craft/form. The curriculum emphasizes literature and literary history, race and ethnicity studies, feminist and gender studies, queer theory and the history of sexuality, visual culture and comparative media studies, and the Anglophone literature of the postcolonial world. Faculty have particular strengths in the newer interdisciplinary areas of medical humanities, ecocriticism, post-humanism, and environmental humanities. Our major also offers areas of specialization including one in Science, Medicine, and the Environment. This specialization explores a wide range of interdisciplinary methods for examining the relationships among human and nonhuman bodies, technologies, and cultural productions. We seek to understand how culture and environment interact with one another, and produce new forms of human expression. We look, for example, at how speculative fictions fuel scientific imagination and discovery, how environmental justice literatures create citizen scientist publics, or how the unintended consequences of technological development spark dialogue and critique in creative works.
Environmental Science
Environmental Science BA, BS
Carrie Masiello, major advisor, Earth science concentration
Amy Dunham, major advisor, ecology and evolutionary biology concentration
Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary field that addresses environmental issues in the context of what we know about Earth, ecology and society. It applies scientific knowledge to comprehensively analyze and address environmental issues, integrating various perspectives and disciplines to understand complex natural systems and cycles while seeking sustainable solutions. By combining elements of ecology and Earth sciences with a variety of disciplinary perspectives (e.g., social sciences and humanities) students gain a diverse skill set to tackle environmental challenges with a strong science background. In courses, students can examine the dynamics of natural systems, the impacts of human activities and the field of environmental justice. Students also learn about sustainable practices and analyze policy implications. Graduates of the Environmental Sciences major are prepared to contribute to the advancement of environmental knowledge and to address pressing environmental issues from a holistic perspective. Our alumni have entered environmental careers such as environmental scientist, data analyst, educator, policy analyst, environmental law and natural resource management.
Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies minor
Joseph A. Campana, Jr., program co-director
Richard R. Johnson, program co-director
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the interconnection between humans and the natural environment. The Environmental Studies program fosters the critical, integrative thinking required to better understand the complexities of this human-nature relationship and the resultant scales of impact, and to assess and develop solutions that meet intergenerational human needs without compromising the natural systems upon which humans depend. The Environmental Studies program offers an undergraduate minor in Environmental Studies and several interdisciplinary courses for students interested in broadening their understanding of environmental issues. The Environmental Studies minor is ideal for students interested in environmental justice or students majoring in the natural sciences seeking a deeper understanding of human-nature relationships and their politics. Students who minor in Environmental Studies are prepared for careers in environmental policy, environmental education, environmental law as well as data analysis and the non-profit sectors.
History
History BA, minor
The Department of History offers both a major and a minor for undergraduate students, with majors required to take courses in topics such as premodern; Europe; United States; Asia, Latin America, and Africa; and transnational, comparative, world, and thematic. History majors often take advantage of interdisciplinary programs such as Politics, Law, and Social Thought; Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities; and the Medical Humanities. Undergraduates frequently undertake independent research projects, and there are opportunities for funded research for honors theses. History students publish an undergraduate journal, The Rice Historical Review. For students interested in environmental studies, the department offers courses such as Environment and Health in Latin America and U.S. Environmental History. In addition, history faculty are heavily involved in teaching in the Science and Technology Studies program, where environmental themes are important as well.
Science and Technology Studies
Science and Technology Studiess minor
Cymene Howe, program co-director
Elizabeth Petrick, program co-director
The undergraduate minor in Science and Technology Studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes the social, cultural, and political contexts of science and technology. Because science and technology are so connected with issues of the environment—from climate models and species conservation to energy systems and engineering sustainability—the STS minor is an ideal program for students committed to solving environmental concerns and advancing models of resilience. In the STS minor students will learn about: the history and philosophy of science, changes to science and technology over time, and how science works in contemporary contexts; social studies of science and technology, with a focus on the use of diverse methods to examine the practice and impact of science and technology. Students will also analyze how science and technology affect our social, cultural and political contexts including those that speak directly to environmental issues.
Sociology
Sociology BA, minor
Anna Rhodes, undergraduate program coordinator
Sociology is the study of how groups and individuals interact to produce social systems, including those inextricably linked with our changing natural and built environments. Sociologists use a variety of methods to study these dynamics, paying particular attention to gaps between the ideal of legal equality and the reality of social inequality. These gaps include inequitable access to resources and disparate exposures to environmental threats as well as differential power to address these issues. To study these phenomena and processes, the field deploys a plurality of rigorous qualitative and quantitative methodologies that include ethnography, participant observation, and case studies in addition to survey design, causal inference, network modeling, and spatial analysis. Students can major or minor in SOCI, with curricular requirements for both tracks being sufficiently flexible to permit combination with other undergraduate majors and minors across campus.
Visual and Dramatic Arts
Visual and Dramatic Arts BA
Josh Bernstein, major advisor
The department welcomes the full spectrum of Rice University undergraduate students. Scientists, architects, historians, engineers and economists, among many others, augment our core of art majors to create a diverse, lively forum of artists and thinkers. We believe this composite community is a vital asset to majors and non-majors alike: art thrives in contact with new and varied perspectives, and the risk-taking and critical thinking necessary to making art are crucial in many other fields. Courses across a range of media—including but not limited to drawing, painting, sculpture, comix, photography, film, ceramics, and performance—encourage experimentation, collaboration and immersive study. Art and Environmental Studies are complementary areas of study, in their holistic approaches to complex systems. Art students with an interest in environmental studies may choose to incorporate environmental themes into their projects and course assignments. Currently, the department offers three elective courses that are either directly or indirectly in dialogue with environmental concerns in art, through the media of photography and filmmaking.