FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Rebecca Keister, 401-456-4679, rkeister@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
RIC ADDS TWO NEW BACHELOR’S PROGRAMS IN
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, GLOBAL STUDIES
PROVIDENCE, R.I.– Beginning with the Fall 2015 semester, Rhode Island College will offer new undergraduate degree programs in Environmental Studies and in Global Studies to prepare students to meet some of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the coming decades.
Careers requiring degrees in these fields are among some of the fastest growing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs related to environmental studies are predicted to grow 15 percent in the next 10 years, while those in areas such as international relations are expected to grow 21 percent.
Both programs, which fall under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences but which draw upon coursework in many different fields, will provide students a strong multi-disciplinary, liberal arts foundation with options for specializations.
“These new programs support RIC’s mission to educate and train a highly-qualified workforce to meet the state’s economic and social needs,” said Ron Pitt, RIC vice president for academic affairs.
RIC’s B.A. in Environmental Studies will prepare students for careers in a variety of pursuits, such as urban agriculture, natural resources, sustainability, environmental education and environmental communications as well as for graduate study in fields including public policy and international studies.
“There has been repeated and prolonged expressed interest in this degree program from students and potential students,” said program director Mary Baker, RIC associate professor of anthropology. “The excitement surrounding this program marks how important and relevant it is.”
RIC has added an Introduction to Environmental Studies course for the program and a capstone experience in a field school, internship or seminar. Foundation and in-depth courses will develop skills in professional writing, research and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
The new B.A. in Global Studies will prepare graduates for the increasing complexity brought about by globalization that affects every business, the nation’s economy and the world’s politics. Students will be able to pursue careers in a variety of sectors including international development, government, international trade and research organizations. Students also will be prepared for graduate study in several academic disciplines including international economics, international affairs, politics and history. “A degree in global studies will help students navigate how our world is being brought together by inventions born of industrialization, the sharing of cultural traditions and powerful economic integration,” said RIC Professor of History David Thomas.
Designed to provide students with a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, the program includes a foundation in examining global integration through historical context and courses in anthropology, economics, geography, political science, sociology and global literature. Students also will have the opportunity for foreign study.
“The global studies program is an entryway into a broad set of careers, giving students the opportunity to make choices in their career goals or graduate study,” Thomas said.
Students also will be able to minor in both concentrations.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
