Stanford Environmental Portal - Interdisciplinary Education

"Take deforestation in the Amazon. It's not enough to chronicle all the reasons why the world's most verdant ecosystem needs trees. To find solutions, you must know and understand the micro- and macroeconomies of the region, the intricacies of the timber and tourist industries, the culture of the native people, and the relationships between international trading partners. In short, you need experts not only from science, but also from business, law, economics, and anthropology. The key is to integrate science and policy." Jeffrey R. Koseff, Director, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, William Alden and Martha Campbell Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Stanford offers several strong interdisciplinary programs relating to the environment for undergraduates and graduates:

Energy and Climate Courses offered at Stanford
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School of Earth Sciences

Earth Systems Program: an integrated approach to understanding and solving environmental issues and challenges (B.S. and co-terminal M.S. degrees)
Emmett Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER): offers Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Environment and Resources for students enrolled in Stanford's schools of Law, Medicine, and Business

School of Humanities and Sciences

Program in Human Biology: an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the human being from biological, behavioral, social, and cultural perspectives (B.A. degree)

Public Policy Program: interdisciplinary course of study in the design, management, and evaluation of public-sector programs and institutions (B.A. degree)

Program on Urban Studies: provides a critical understanding of how cities evolve and the analytical tools to improve the quality of urban life (B.A. degree)

The Goldman Honors Program: year-long upper-division honors seminar on environmental science, technology, and policy (offered for credit by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment)

I-Earth: Building on the existing disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary programs, Stanford is embarking on a new effort to extend the reach of environmental teaching. A new I-Earth Program Stanford is embarking on a new program called I-Earth (short for Introduction to the Earth), which is designed to ensure that undergraduates understand the challenges of environmental sustainability. More information about I-Earth can be found here on the I-Earth site

'Remote fieldwork ...
the ultimate form of group learning.'
Rob Dunbar, Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences; Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant Director of the Earth Systems Program; Senior Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute
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