E&S Minor

The minor in Environment & Sustainability offers a structured yet flexible pathway for students interested in an integrated analysis of environment and sustainability issues. Students develop relevant knowledge and skills through a combination of courses in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

In order to apply for the minor, have your course plan ready (including what semester and year you intend to complete the courses). Apply here.

If you have further questions, contact the E&S Program at environment [at] cornell.edu.

General requirements:

  • Any undergraduate student at Cornell may enroll in the minor (except E&S majors).
  • Five courses plus one colloquium.
  • All courses except ENVS 2000 must be taken for a letter grade, and a grade of “C” or better must be recorded.
  • At least two courses must be at the 3000-level or higher.
  • AP credit will not be accepted.
  • Overlap of no more than two courses between the E&S minor and a student’s other major(s) and/or minors will be accepted.
  • No course substitutions are allowed with two exceptions: 1) external transfer students may use one course from a prior institution, and 2) a course for the minor has a forbidden overlap with a course taken for a student’s major.

Course requirements:

1. Environment & Sustainability (choose 1):
  • NTRES 1101: Environment & Sustainability (F)
  • NTRES 1201: Global Water Sustainability (S)
  • NTRES 2010: Environmental Conservation (S)
2. Environmental biology (choose 1):
3. Environmental physical sciences (choose 1):
4. Environmental humanities & social sciences (choose 2):
  • NTRES 2201: Society and Natural Resources (S)
  • NTRES 3311: Environmental Governance (F)
  • AEM 1500: An Introduction to the Economics of Environmental and Natural Resources (S)
  • AEM 2500: Environmental and Resource Economics (F)
  • Any course from the Environmental Humanities Concentration
  • Any course from Additional Environmental Courses in the Environmental Policy and Governance Concentration
5. Environment & Sustainability colloquium (choose 1):
  • ENVS 2000/2010: Environment and Sustainability Colloquium (F)
  • BEE 2000/2010: Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge (S)