Bachelor in Environmental Science (Bachelor's)

At Cornell College, tuition is Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is $54,800 per year..

This major combines natural science with environmental problem-solving through a curriculum focused on real-world issues like climate change and resource management. Students engage in data analysis using statistics and Geographic Information Systems. The programme emphasizes hands-on learning through research, internships, and field experiences. It allows students to design a personalized concentration or choose from four established tracks.

Focus areas include Climate change, Environmental biology, Environmental geology, Marine science.

The major requires 13 courses, including a four-course concentration with a capstone project. The capstone involves a research project supervised by a faculty member and includes a written report.

Graduates enter roles such as climate change analysts, sustainability coordinators, environmental health specialists, and conservation scientists.

Applicants must meet general college admission requirements. Specific prerequisites include coursework in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Required documents include transcripts and a personal statement.

The programme totals about 13 credit hours. On-campus, full-time, typically four years. For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 81% of applicants.

For nearly 50 years, Cornell College has organized its campus around One Course At A Time. Students take one class for 18 days before beginning the next, creating extended periods for engagement with a subject, hands-on learning, and relationships with professors and classmates. The approach is designed to support deeper study and the confidence that comes from concentrating fully on one course.

Cornell offers students room to shape an individual academic path. Students may pursue majors such as Biochemistry and Molecular Biology or Spanish, and many double major. Academic and professional interests extend into areas including engineering, art, and infectious disease research, with students gaining experience through internships and other practical opportunities. The block plan can also make it easier to connect intensive coursework with projects, classes, and campus activities.

The college occupies a hilltop campus in Mount Vernon, Iowa, known within Cornell as the Hilltop. Campus visits can include student-guided tours, class attendance, meetings with professors or coaches, and time at the Hilltop Café. International students are welcomed each year and can receive help through the application process. They should also consider how the 18-day course format fits their preferred pace of study and plan for Iowa's changing weather, which moves through all four seasons.