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From the New School’s website:

Beginning in fall 2008, pending approval from the New York State Department of Education, The New School will offer two new programs of study focusing on the environment, a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies.

This innovative new program, administered by the Tishman Environment and Design Center, takes you beyond natural ecology and resource conservation, emphasizing urban ecosystems, sustainable design, and public policy. The New School has always taken a proactive stance in addressing challenging social issues right here in New York City. In keeping with that tradition, the university offers this wide-ranging program that allows undergraduate students to study and work at the intersection of society and nature, relying largely on interdisciplinary courses that capitalize on the faculty’s expertise and the students’ interests.

Full press release after the jump.

NEW YORK, June 26 /PRNewswire/ — The New School has announced that it is

launching a groundbreaking new undergraduate degree program in Environmental

Studies* that is amongst the first to bring together urban ecosystems and

sustainable design: two areas of study that together constitute a new frontier

of environmental education.

Using New York City as its laboratory, students in this cutting-edge program

will engage with the community to create solutions to today's critical

environmentalproblems, particularly those found in urban ecosystems.

This interdisciplinaryprogram includes both a Bachelor of Science

and Bachelor of Arts. Both programs will enable students to take a

 variety of courses offered at The New School’s acclaimed design school,

Parsons The New School for Design, and liberal arts college, Eugene

 Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts.

"The environment is not just about rainforests and the polar ice caps,

but alsothe cities in which most of the world's population lives,"

said New School President
Bob Kerrey. “This program is truly

 pioneering - no other university brings together

the study of design and urban ecosystems in such a dynamic way.

And where betterthan New York City to study this new frontier

 of environmental education."

A majority of the world's population currently live, work,

and play in large urban areas. It is estimated by the year 2025,

 almost 5 billion of approximately 8 billion people worldwide

 will live in metropolitan areas like New York City.  The New School,

 which is located in New York, is focusing its program on hands-on

 engagement with the city's natural ecosystems, which include

a large estuary, fisheries, wildlife, and wetlands, to see

 firsthand how human activity in an urban setting can impact

the environment. 

The ambitious program is administered by The New School's

Tishman Environment and Design Center, the hub for environmental

 studies at the university. The center will develop curricula

and provide student and faculty support, including research funding,

 fieldwork opportunities, internships, and other services. 

"The urban ecosystem and sustainability may be the most

important areas of environmental study in this century," said
Joseph Westphal, university provost and director of the

Tishman Environment and Design Center. "We need to prepare

 the next generation of leaders who will help shape a sustainable

world for future generations. In keeping with The New School's

legacy, this program will foster students' creativity in their

efforts to find solutions to these issues." 

In addition to its exploration of urban ecosystems, the New 

School’s Environmental Studies  program is distinct in that

 all students - whether enrolled in the Bachelor of Science or

 Bachelor of Arts - will participate in design studios in

addition to science labs and seminar classes. "New School

faculty in the social sciences, urban policy and management,

natural sciences, and ecology will work with Parsons design

faculty to discover creative  approaches to teaching and research,"

 said
Joel Towers, Associate Professor of Architecture

at Parsons. "The fact that our students will be taking studio

 classes only broadens their perspective on how to solve the

 environmental problems plaguing cities worldwide."

Through the program, Bachelor of Arts students will be able

 to choose to concentrate in

urban ecosystems or public policy. Bachelor of Science

students will have the option of

choosing a concentration either in sustainable design

or urban ecosystem design. Both degree

 programs are cross disciplinary and include fieldwork,

internships, and collaborative final

projects. Through these activities, the program will prepare

 its graduates to enter a range

of careers in the green business sector, the largest

growth job market of the new millennium.

These include but are not limited to government,

environmental advocacy, energy conservation,

green building, community organizing, neighborhood

development, recycling, and education. 

For further information about Environmental Studies at The New School,

please visit http://www.newschool.edu/environmentalstudies.

Tags: , environmental studies, higher education, New School, Tishman, Urban Environment