Earth and Environmental Systems

About Us

The Department of Earth and Environmental Systems (EES) unites our strengths in multiple disciplines under one physical roof (Snowden), to provide an integrated experience for students interested in how the Earth and its environment shape our lives, and how we in turn shape our planet. Our classes combine lectures with outdoor hands-on experiences across our 13,000 acre campus, and we strive to balance experimental and laboratory work with the modeling and technical skills needed in the modern workplace.

Our Majors

Environment and Sustainability

Study humanity’s relationship with the Earth & its ecosystems and explore the intersection of ecology, economics, policy, justice, & citizenship.

Forestry

Study the composition, structure, processes, and socioeconomic issues of forested and woodland areas that enable communities to thrive and learn how forests influence local to global scale processes.

Geology

Study how the Earth’s formation and evolution shapes our planet and explore how geological materials and processes influence our daily lives.

Natural Resources

This major combines coursework in Forestry & Geology with the courses in anthropology, archaeology, and environmental ethics to give you broad career preparation for jobs that require a balanced understanding of the intrinsic and utilitarian value of the Earth's finite resources.

What we offer:

Faculty & Staff

Learn more about who we are and what we do.

Teaching and advising students takes a village. In our department, that includes all of our faculty and staff.

Find out more about our Faculty & Staff

Student-Faculty Research

Learn more about opportunities for student research.

Departmental research opportunities support a wide range of student interests, from experiences rooted in the great outdoors to measurements conducted at world-class particle accelerators.

Explore Research Opportunities in Earth & Environmental Science.

Internships & Careers

Move beyond the classroom to kickstart a meaningful career.

Explore your interests, develop your professional toolkit, find meaningful summer opportunities, and find out about career outcomes for graduates from across our majors.

Learn about internships & careers in Earth & Environmental Science.

Resources & Opportunities

Watershed Science Certificate

This certification gives students interested in hydrology or environmental consulting a leg up in the job market.

Landscape Analysis Lab (LAL)

Through the LAL, students can take two courses in GIS, or Geographic Information System, which teaches students to collect and analyze spatial data. Additionally, the LAL provides GIS support for faculty, staff, and students in departments and offices across the university, local community, and regional organizations

The University Farm

Our farm helps to nourish our students nutritionally and intellectually. Many of our students work on the farm and may even complete capstone projects utilizing this unique resource.

Sewanee Island Ecology

The Island Ecology Program has provided students the unique opportunity to live and work on St. Catherines, one of the largest undeveloped islands on the Atlantic coast of the United States for 34 years.

Sewanee's Integrated Program in the Environment (SIPE)

SIPE has over 30 faculty and staff engaged with students on a variety of research and applied field projects. They provide internship support and are involved with management and conservation issues across the globe.

Departmental and Student News

Scholarship Sewanee

EES majors present original research

Eighteen EES students presented research at the Scholarship Sewanee on topics as varied as subalpine forest mortality in the Rocky Mountains, thin section analysis of the Pennington Formation, phase transitions in hydrous sulfates at extreme pressures and temperatures, a multi-temporal landslide inventory for Wetar Island, and how regenerative practices affect soil carbon sequestration on small farms on the Cumberland Plateau.

Students Present at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

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Students Present at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting