Curriculum | Courses | Faculty
The unique nature of Pitt-Johnstown’s Environmental Sustainability major accommodates a wide variety of career paths, preparing students for jobs ranging from niche to the most popular in the field. This interdisciplinary major produces well rounded students knowledgeable in many different fields of both natural and social sciences. Note that the major has been called Environmental Studies in the past, but will be renamed Environmental Sustanability in 2025-2026.
The major consists of required core courses – Introduction to the Environment, mapping courses (Cartography and GIS) and Senior Seminar – and an internship. Major requirements also consist of five core electives in areas such as soils, resource management, geodynamics, climate, renewable energy, and envionmental politics. Additional courses emphasize environmental science (e.g., biology, ecology, chemistry, geoscience) and envionmental policy and management (e.g., biodiversity, wildlife management, environmental communication, population, and natural hazards).
Students are encouraged to pursue a Geographic Information Systems certificate ». This certificate prepares students for spatial data collection and analysis by using advanced drone technology and many other important tools.
UPJ Soil Judging Team
Soil Judging is an intercollegiate competition that takes place across the country. Pitt-Johnstown participates in the Northeast Regional competition which takes place early October every year, with a rotation of schools hosting the location.
Mitzy Schaney, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Environmental Studies