Vanderbilt University Offers Climate and Environmental Studies Major

A degree in climate studies often means studying something in the STEM field, as most universities have climate science majors where students have degrees in economics or engineering.

According to EcoWatch, Vanderbilt University is changing this. They plan to start a new program in fall 2022. 

“Science can tell us what’s happening, but to understand what people can do, people need to be talking about values and ethics. People need to be talking about how society works and how the political process works. It’s really important to have all these different perspectives coming into it.”

The University says that professors with different perspectives on climate change will be teaching the courses. The aim is to expose students to different ideas and let them decide which ones they think are more persuasive. 

Also, courses will be comprised of climate science courses, climate, and environmental studies, social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Humanities, in particular, will be a large part of the program. This includes studying literature, values, and ethics.

Climate change courses will be available to all students, not only those who are majoring in climate studies. Vanderbilt hopes that this will educate students about climate change and maybe influence their career paths.