About Us

What is the Program in the Environment?

The Program in the Environment (PitE) is a University-wide collaborative effort overseen by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) and the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE).

Ours is an interdisciplinary curriculum. We require you to take courses in the natural and social sciences and the humanities, and include courses that draw their content from several different academic perspectives. This gives you a broad understanding of the complexity of environmental problems as well as specific social and natural science skills with which to solve them.

Mission Statement

The Program in the Environment's mission is to develop environmentally informed citizens and leaders through an undergraduate program that balances rigorous environmental studies in many disciplines, hones practical problem-solving skills, and fosters intellectual risk taking.

Welcome

Welcome to the Program in the Environment. Whether you are a current student looking for advising forms or a friend of the university looking for general environmental information, I think you will find what you need here.

If you want to study the environment, be sure to consider our concentration (a.k.a. major) and minor, as well as our list of a la carte courses for all U-M students. Of our total enrollment, about 60% are concentrators and the remainder are minors. Though students may earn either a B.A. or a B.S. in the program, the majority, about 60%, choose the B.S. degree. The major fields of study among students who minor in PitE are as varied as the list of campus majors. For example, we have majors from the Departments of Political Science, Biology, English, Economics, Spanish, Geological Sciences and Mathematics, to name only a few. Our minors also come from colleges and schools across the university, such as the College of Engineering, the Ross School of Business, and the School of Art and Design, to name only a few. There is not an undergraduate interest that does not mesh with our curriculum in some way.