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College of the Environment
Our Difference
Our mission is to address today’s environmental issues and prepare tomorrow’s interdisciplinary problem solvers. Since 1969, WWU’s College of the Environment has enjoyed a reputation as a premier institution for educating future environmental experts and leaders. Our distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum grants degrees from the Department of Environmental Sciences (B.S., M.S.), Department of Environmental Studies (B.A., B.A.E., M.A., M.Ed.), and the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy (B.A.). Each department offers multiple majors, from urban planning and environmental policy to estuarine science and terrestrial ecology.
The support of our community of alumni and friends is at the heart of our success. We also strive to increase the diversity of the faculty, staff, and students whose perspectives are essential to solving today’s complex environmental problems.
We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and will continue to support the worldwide movements for civil rights and social justice, to end structural racism, and to empower People of Color, Women, Immigrants, Indigenous, Disabled, and LGBTQI people as fully equal and fully safe members of our society. Read Our College Solidarity Statement.
Stay tuned for information on upcoming visioning sessions in 2023 for internal and external stakeholders!
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The Planet Magazine
The Planet is a publication class offered through the Environmental Studies department. It combines the environmental focus of the college with the writing and reporting skills taught in the journalism department. Students publish a quarterly environmental magazine in print version as well as online. The Planet class is advised by Eli Loomis.
Student Stories
I chose Western for graduate school because I have the opportunity to design my own thesis research.
Jonnel Deacon
DefaultVeg
The College of the Environment’s mission is to address today's environmental issues and continue to support the worldwide movements for social justice. In order to align our food choices with these essential values, we adopt DefaultVeg as our food practice for all meetings and events hosted by the College, to shift our purchasing practices away from factory farming — a root cause of social injustice for humans, animals, and the environment.