The New School has announced that it is launching a 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 environmental problems, particularly those found in urban ecosystems. This  interdisciplinary program includes both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts.  Both 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 also the cities in which most of  the world's population lives," says 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 better than New York City to study this new frontier of environmental education."

The New School is focusing its program on hands-on engagement with New York 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, which will  accept its first class of students in fall 2009, 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 provid 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," says 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," says 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 www.newschool.edu/environmentalstudies.