BSc in Environmental Science and Policy - Land Use in College Park United States | University of Maryland, College Park

Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) is a multidisciplinary program that produces problem solvers and leaders who are prepared to face today's environmental challenges. ENSP is a unique undergraduate major co-sponsored by three colleges. Students acquire a foundational understanding in science and policy through core classes, and then advance to specialized training and experiences in one of many academic disciplines ranging from biology to geology, and anthropology to government and politics. The linked perspectives offered by interdisciplinary education are often regarded as appropriate ways of addressing the complexity of global trends such as environmental change, global food security, the optimization of urban environments, and the development of green technologies. The Environmental Science and Policy program values the integration of the natural sciences and social sciences and how those disciplines can best shape good public policies. Taking courses from a wide variety of subject areas gives students the opportunity to consolidate learning by synthesizing ideas from many perspectives and encourages them to explore new knowledge in different areas of environmental science. We strongly believe this type of education will help ENSP students become more employable due to their ability to engage across disciplinary boundaries and help bridge the gap between science and policy-making decisions.

Land is where soil and people meet, and there are often competing demands for land, for example, agriculture, forestry, rangeland, conservation, settlement, and recreation. Demographic and socioeconomic changes, the increasing needs for food and housing and changes in national policies are resulting in extensive and intensive land use changes. Land use change has implications for biodiversity, water quality, air quality and human livelihoods. Further, while much land use change takes place locally, its implications can be regional and global, for example land use change plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycling. For all these reasons, the study of land use is becoming increasingly important and requires a multidisciplinary approach. This concentration provides students with a background in the ecological, cultural, regional, and international dimensions of land use, while developing broad technical skills in Geographic Information Science and remote sensing. As a result, this concentration prepares students for positions in land use planning, sustainable land development, and land conservation.