Interested in studying the nature all around us? Or observing the behavior of critters in our own backyard? Walk with Miranda Williams, a fourth-year environmental studies major at Point Loma Nazarene University, for a day in the life featuring interactive labs, San Diego Zoo visits, and late-night raccoon sightings.
What is the Environmental Studies Major?
PLNU’s Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies equips students with essential skills such as writing, data analysis, teaching, and media for a career in sustainability and conservation efforts. With these skills, environmental studies majors will study how we as people interact and live in the natural world.
Different from environmental science, the environmental studies program focuses on the problems our environment faces and how we can address them through different social, political, and economic lenses. At PLNU, students choose from concentrations such as biology, cultural studies, design, social impact, and writing.
An environmental studies degree can be useful in many fields. Some common job opportunities for students include:
- Sustainability Specialist
- Policy Analyst
- Environmental Engineer
- Green Building Analyst
- Natural Resource Specialist
For Miranda, working with animals was always the plan when beginning her journey at PLNU. Starting off as a biology major, she made the switch to environmental studies with a concentration in biology at the end of her freshman year. Nearing the end of her undergraduate journey, she walked us through instantly clicking with her academic advisor, life-changing courses, campus involvement, and discovering who she’s called to be after getting her diploma.
A Day in the Life: From Labs to Nature Walks
This semester, Miranda is balancing four courses and one lab. A typical day for an environmental studies student starts in her Animal Behavior class, which is her favorite part of the day, where she gets to analyze critters that pop up on the PLNU campus. San Diego is the perfect place for environmental studies majors. From stunning nature views to scurrying raccoons just outside dorm doors, Miranda loves how much the campus location is incorporated into the everyday curriculum.
PLNU’s environmental studies program has also allowed Miranda to spend her Monday nights at the San Diego Zoo. In the interactive section of Miranda’s Animal Behavior class, one of her assignments is to observe an animal of her choice. Observing jaguars every Monday night for hours on end is one of her favorite major activities because it utilizes her biology concentration and her love of animals.
“Anything with animals? Oh, I’m up,” Miranda said. “Even though it was just for a lab, I genuinely loved watching the jaguar at the zoo. It felt like a glimpse into the kind of work I always wanted to do. Being around animals is where I find the most joy, so getting to spend four hours every Monday doing that for my class felt like a dream.”
Along with Animal Behavior, some other environmental studies classes she’s taken at PLNU include: Intro to Environmental Studies, Ecology and Conservation, Literature & Culture: Nature Writing, Theology of Creation Care, History of Surfing and Surf Culture, and more.
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Who are you called to be?
Pursue your purpose at PLNU.
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The Road to Sustainable Change
Studying environmental studies can also raise questions for students about the land the university sits upon. At PLNU, learning how to address land acknowledgement for Point Loma Nazarene University without making the conversation performative was important for Miranda.
Miranda participates in a on-campus group discussion composed of students, faculty members, Jeff Bolster, and Walter Augustine that aim to raise meaningful questions about how to address the land on which the campus sits. With conversations that go beyond half an hour, bimonthly meetings, Miranda has credited building relationships with professors as the outlet she’s been searching for since freshman year.
She said she felt this support when she met her academic advisor for the first time, and felt most confident in her academic journey when taking Intro to Environmental Studies: “The professors here were my community. I know I couldn’t get this support anywhere else.”
Opportunities Beyond PLNU
While finishing up completing her B.A. in Environmental Studies, Miranda will spend her summer interning as an Environmental Technician for the Comanche Nation. As an intern, she’ll be working with the animals on the reservation, combining her two favorite things about her major.
“What comes next after college?” is an intimidating question for many college students nearing the end of their college career. As a rising senior, Miranda shares the same feeling. However, it’s starting to feel less and less daunting the more she dives into her classes that revolve around animal behaviors.
“I think working with animals will always be something I’m drawn to. (After college) I could see myself working on my reservation with the bison and buffalo — I don’t have a direct path with it yet, but I know animals will be at the center of it.”
After graduation, Miranda plans to get involved with other sustainability projects that center around working with the animals on her reservation. Using her studies at PLNU, she’ll help others understand and value the relationship between humans, animals, and our ecosystem.
Is an Environmental Studies Degree Right for Me?
With every major, we want students to deepen their compassion and understanding for all creation. But if you’re interested in further discovering and understanding the natural world, majoring in environmental studies might be the right path for you.
With our cliffside campus and diverse scenery, pursuing an education in environmental studies will provide you with a unique perspective, opportunities, and research that will take you to the world’s end. Ready to kickstart your journey? Apply now to start exploring your options!