Undergraduate Opportunities
Field Sites
The Institute for the Environment (IE) maintains a network of field sites, administered in partnership with the Study Abroad Office of the College of Arts and Sciences, integrating education, research and outreach. The network has locations in Highlands, Manteo, Morehead City, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and in Bangkok, Thailand and Cambridge, England. Undergraduates attending a field site normally take environmental classes in addition to completing a research Capstone project that emphasizes multidisciplinary teamwork. They go on in-depth field trips and, at domestic sites, attend a seminar class offering presentations by noted experts. At several of the sites, they conduct internships with environmental entities in the government, business, non-profit or educational sectors. To learn more about these field sites, click on a site:
Albemarle Ecological Field Site (Manteo, North Carolina)
Cambridge (Cambridge, England)
Highlands Field Site (Highlands, North Carolina)
Morehead City Field Site (Morehead City, North Carolina)
Sustainable Triangle Field Site (Chapel Hill, NC)
Thailand Field Site (Bangkok, Thailand)
Field Studies
The IE also offers a number of Field Studies opportunities. Unlike the field sites, these programs do not offer the opportunity to do a Capstone research project and they are not offered every year. However, these programs do not have prerequisites and are therefore open to all students, including freshmen.
Field Studies destinations include:
- St. John, US Virgin Islands
- Siberia, Russia
- Sierra Nevadas, California
- Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - Coming Soon!
Internships
Internships are mentored, one-on-one experiences that offer students individual, practical experience in settings that match their particular interests. Where possible, internships tie in with a student's other coursework to magnify and extend the impact of the internship, and to provide benefits to both students and host organizations. Because of the broad range of disciplines that intersect with environmental studies and sciences, the menu of possible internships is rich and varied. For more information about Internship opportunities, please visit IE's internships page or contact Lindsay Leonard at the Institute for the Environment at 843-5380 or email lindsle@email.unc.edu
Research Participation
All students are encouraged (but not required) to complete an independent or team research project. Such projects introduce students to the tools needed for graduate study. They also provide an important place where students can work directly with the world-class environmental faculty and graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as in the many environmental organizations in the Research Triangle. This area contains one of the largest collections of environmental organizations and expertise in the world, providing unique opportunities for students to conduct research on an immense range of topics from fundamental scientific research to policy applications.
Honors Research
Students in either degree track may participate in a program of honors research leading to graduation with honors or highest honors. This distinction is earned by participation in honors research, with an associated honors research seminar, culminating in ENST 694H. The IE maintains a listing of faculty with projects in which undergraduate honors candidates may participate. Please contact Lindsay Leonard at the Institute for the Environment at 843-5380 or email lindsle@email.unc.edu for more information.
Study Abroad
UNC-Chapel Hill, the IE and other organizations have developed a series of exchange and other study abroad programs in which BA and BS students may conduct environmental studies at other universities. These include an excellent environmental program at the University of East Anglia in England; the School for Field Studies; Organization of Tropical Studies, School for International Training, the University of Salzburg; etc. Credit from these programs may be applied directly to the BA and BS environmental degrees. For more information, please visit the Study Abroad web site.
Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute
Following the cues of Thomas Berry and E.F. Schumacher, the community at Pickards Mountain seeks to establish a "mutually enhancing relationship between humans and the Earth," and share the principles and practices of that relationship with the broader population of the state. For more information, check out their website or contact Lindsay Leonard at 843-5380 or lindsle@email.unc.edu.
Epsilon Eta Environmental Honors Fraternity
Founded at UNC in 2006, Epsilon Eta is America's first environmental honors fraternity. Membership is available to faculty and students across all environmentally-related majors. Check their website for an application.
Get Involved!
