New 4-year degree to be offered at StFX
/The Bachelor of Arts and Science in Climate and Environment
September was a very exciting month for St. Francis Xavier University. Recently, the school introduced a new 4-year degree that will begin in September 2018, called the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Climate and Environment. The new degree is going to look at the scientific makeup of the environment as well as the social dynamic of our environment.
Students that are interested in both the sciences and the arts will have opportunity to study both fields with this new degree. Students that enroll in this new 4-year degree will have a great advantage being in this interdisciplinary field, as they will learn from both the arts field and the science field and this knowledge will overlap one another throughout the program.
This new degree is going to focus on the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment, as well as society’s relationship with the environment, both good and bad. In addition to these two viewpoints, the degree aims to focus on the effect that earth's energy has on the environment.
Dr. Andrew MacDougall is an assistant professor for the new Science and Climate Environment. In an interview with Dr. MacDougall, he had this to say about the new degree being introduced to StFX, “Climate and environmental problems arise from the interaction of human society and the natural world, and thus have complex scientific and social dimensions”. In the world that we live in today, the topic of climate and environment is on almost everyone’s mind. Our earth is changing dramatically and if society is not careful enough we could destroy what we call home. It’s crucial that society takes on the task to learn how to preserve our earth. StFX is taking the step forward that society needs to imitate. By introducing the new degree in Science and Climate Environment, this institution is welcoming the discussion of what we must do to sustain what we have.
Some may ask, what can students that graduate from this program expect? Academic Project Coordinator in the Offices of the Deans of Arts and Science Maica Murphy says that, “Graduates should have a widened field of opportunity in the growing and ever-changing environmental sector”.
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies is going to be replaced by this new degree, in the hopes that the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Climate and Environment will offer a new modern outlook on the environment that can be related to today's society. It is a great example of StFX's ability to be up to date with what is being focused on in Environmental studies and give students the opportunity to do research and learn on a topic so widely discussed. It is important for new programs to be created that coincide with the world we live in today and many future students will have their interests peaked at these new programs.
