Undergraduates at Rensselaer with a strong interest in environmental issues may pursue a dual major in Science, Technology, and Society and Economics with a focus on environmental courses. While developing your economic analysis skills and social science capabilities, you'll also get the firm foundation in science and technology you'd expect from a leading technological university like Resselaer. Even better, because with our hands-on curriculum, you won't have to wait until you graduate to put your talents to work. Students can choose from a wide range of internship and research projects.
The Future Needs You ... Now
The demand for people who understand not only the science of the environment, but also the politics and economics of the world, is enormous.
Possible Environmental Careers
Curriculum for the Dual Major in STS and Economics with an Environmental Studies Focus
Note: please check the current catalog to confirm the correct sequence of courses. Students follow the template in the catalog for the year that they enter Rensselaer.
| Curriculum | ||||||
| First Year Fall | First Year Spring | |||||
| MATH-1500 | Calc I for H&SS | 4 | MATH-1520 | Math Methods Mgmt Econ | 4 | |
| Sc Seq I | 4 | Sc Seq II | 4 | |||
| STSH-1110 | Intro to STS | 4 | STSS-2300 | Environment & Society | 4 | |
| (First Year Student) | Free Elective | 4 | ||||
| ECON-1200 | Intro to Economics | 4 | ||||
| (First Year Student) | ||||||
| | | 16 | | | 16 | |
| Second Year Fall | Second Year Spring | |||||
| CSCI-1100 | Comp Sc I | 4 | ECON-2020 | Intermed Macro | 4 | |
| ECON-2010 | Intermed Micro | 4 | Sc/Math Elective | 4 | ||
| STS Conc Option | 4 | STS Methods/Stats Opt | 4 | |||
| Free Elective | 4 | Free Elective | 4 | |||
| | | 16 | | | 16 | |
| Third Year Fall | Third Year Spring | |||||
| STSH-4800 | Pub Serv Intern | 4 | ECON-4120 | Quantitative Analysis | 4 | |
| STS Tech Opt | 4 | STS Tech Opt | 4 | |||
| Econ Opt | 4 | Adv STS Opt | 4 | |||
| Econ Opt | 4 | Free Elective | 4 | |||
| | | 16 | | | 16 | |
| Fourth Year Fall | Fourth Year Spring | |||||
| STS Tech Opt | 4 | STSS-498 | STS Sen Proj | 4 | ||
| Adv STS Opt | 4 | STS Tech Opt | 4 | |||
| Econ Opt | 4 | Free Elective | 4 | |||
| Econ Opt | 4 | |||||
| | | 16 | | | 12 |
H&SS First Year Studies Option: Students will choose from the current list of First Year Studies courses, including such courses as Economics, Ecology, and Values, or Ecological Economics and Values.
STS Concentration Option: In addition to taking STSS-230 Env & Soc in 2Y Fall, students will choose one other STS conc course: STSS-210 Med & Soc; STSS-240 Law, Values, and Pub Pol; or STSS-250 His and Cult Persp on S & T.
STS Methods / Statistics Option: Students will choose one course in either (1) research methods, such as STSS-413 Decision Making; or (2) statistical methods, such as PSYC-231 Experimental Methods and Statistics, or DSEC-413 Statistical Methods. The selected c ourse should be approved by both the STS and Economics advisor.
STS Technical Option: Students will use the Tech Opt (4 courses), together with the Institute Science Core Requirement (6 courses), to earn the equivalent of a minor in environmental science or engineering, including such courses as BIOL-485 Prins of Ecology, CHEM-481 Chemistry of the Environment, and ERTH-120 Geo II (surface geology), or ENVE-413, Environmental Systems Engineering, ENVE-419 Air Pollution, and ENVE-423 Water and Wastewater Infrastructure.
Advanced STS Option: Students will choose two courses from the following list: STSH-430 Environmental Philosophy STSH-432 Environmental Politics and Policy STSH-439 Environment and International Policy STSH-440 Risky Technologies STSH-450 Environment and Development STSH-454 Environment, Law, and Culture STSH-492 Topics in Science and Society (Ex: Env and Health)
Economics Option: Students will use choose 4 related economics courses, including, if possible, ECON-421 Cost Benefit Analysis, ECON-423 Env Econ, ECON-424 Nat Resource Econ, and ECON-425 Ecol Econ.