Environmental Policy & Planning
Bachelor of Arts: Interdisciplinary Studies, concentration in environmental policy and planning
The Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy and Planning program at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) combines geography, mathematics, economics, philosophy, physical sciences, and the social sciences to help you develop a comprehensive understanding of policy and planning issues as they relate to the environment.
The program in Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy and Planning offers you five areas of specific focus from which to choose: development and economics, ecology, environmental health, geosciences, and policy.
Here, you'll gain hands-on experience through work in the field and in the lab. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with your professors to conduct environmental impact assessments and research using sophisticated GPS, GIS and image analysis technology.
In addition, you'll have the opportunity to participate in exciting travel courses and research projects. You'll be given the opportunity to present your research at state, regional, or national public forums. In addition, you'll benefit from our close ties with public environmental agencies and private businesses - providing you with internship experience while developing valuable connections for your after-graduation life.
Our Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy and Planning students have participated in a number of meaningful research projects such as creating disaster mitigation maps for Franklin County, designing a local heritage walking tour, developing a long-term mapping project to determine Farmington land-use patterns, and conducting research on the impact of neo-liberalism on forest industry policies and regulations.
This kind of high level, hands-on experience (at other universities usually offered only to graduate students) will prepare you for careers in planning, policy, and environmental regulation, or for graduate study.
And of course our location at the foothills of the mountains in western Maine makes Farmington an ideal place to study environmental issues such as timber management, recreational development, farmland use, and small-scale urban development.
Note: UMF's Environmental Policy & Planning program qualifies for the New England Regional Program tuition discount - a discount of more than $4,500 per year. Through this Program, students from other New England states and Canada can apply for certain majors at Farmington and pay reduced tuition. The majors that qualify for this vary by state. See the link, New England Regional Program.
"Last semester I took a class in Land Use and one of our class projects had us go to Sugarloaf and to Saddleback ski areas where we did a community sketch mapping survey. We actually got to go out and talk to people from the public about how they'd like to see their communities to develop -- or not develop. It showed me what I can do when I leave UMF because it was really hands-on and working with people. I really, really liked that. It made me realize I picked the right major."
-- Michaela Hitchcock
From Springfield, Vermont
Because the University of Maine at Farmington is a liberal arts college, every student - in every major - will take courses in the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. In addition, you will also get to choose interesting classes specifically tailored to Envirnmental Planning & Policy, such as:
| • Town and Regional Planning |
| • GIScience |
| • Nature and Society |
| • Land Use |
| • Physical Geography |
| • Environmental Issues |
| • Research in Geography |
| • Economic Geography |
| • International Development Issues |
| • Environmental Law |
| • Environmental Issues |
| • Conservation and Environmental Policy |
For additional information about Environmental Policy and Planning at the University of Maine at Farmington, just contact the Office of Admission:
Office of Admission
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine 04938-1994
US tel 207-778-7050
Intl. tel 00-1-207-778-7050
fax 207-778-8182
TDD/TYY 207-778-7275
umfadmit@maine.edu
