The academic field of Environmental Politics and Policy can employ many different approaches including policy analysis, planning, environmental science, and economics. At Appalachian State University the program is designed for students to get a core background in environmental politics within political science and in economics, and allow students to take supporting courses in other departments. Students in the program at Appalachian State University will develop the skills necessary for conducting analyses of environmental policy issues. The knowledge gained in this concentration will bridge the gap between the scientific and ecological approaches to environmental policies by giving students the ability to ask and assess questions about the environment and public policy.
Students benefit from the unique interdisciplinary approach to environmental policy studies at Appalachian State, where the expertise of faculty across several departments is utilized. The curriculum includes courses from political science, public administration, and economics. The knowledge of political and economic institutions and processes are critical to the development of skills necessary for properly analyzing environmental policies
This multi-disciplinary curriculum compliments the goals put forward by Appalachian State University's UNC Tomorrow Report and we believe is critical to Appalachian's goal of establishing itself as a premier environmental university.