Bachelor in Environmental Studies (Bachelor's)

Tuition is Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is $60,000 per year for non-resident students..

Graduates are qualified to work in environmental policy, research, and sustainability consulting. The programme integrates natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to address environmental challenges. Students complete field-based courses and off-campus studies in locations such as Ecuador, the Bahamas, and New Zealand. A capstone research project is required and guided by an academic advisor.

Focus areas include Environmental Justice & Sustainability, Environmental Science & Sustainability, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

The programme requires a total of 120 credits. Students complete required courses, concentration courses, and a capstone research project. The capstone is a major research component developed with an academic advisor.

Graduates pursue careers in environmental policy, sustainability consulting, environmental research, and conservation science.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Cornell requires submission of standardized test scores, transcripts, and a personal statement. International students must also provide English proficiency test results.

The programme totals about 120 credit hours. On-campus, full-time, four-year programme. 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.