How do we achieve an environmentally safe and socially just space for humanity in a world of increasingly limited natural resources?​​

That is the quintessential challenge of the 21st century and lies at the heart of Furman’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences. Our department takes a holistic, systems-based approach to seek solutions to this challenge and examines the full range of geological, environmental, and sustainability issues.

We offer degrees in Earth and Environmental Sciences, as well as one of the nation’s first Sustainability Science degrees at a liberal arts institution. Our courses and undergraduate research programs are engaging, interdisciplinary, and include field-based experiences. We’ll provide you with the theoretical and practical knowledge to understand the basis of the Earth’s environmental and geological processes and their inextricable link to today’s social challenges.

Our Diversity Statement:

The faculty and staff in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences stand with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color against systemic racism and social injustice. We condemn any form of racism and inequity, including unintentional or unconscious, within the academic and social structure of our department and our institution.

We would like to explicitly and publicly affirm that we are striving to become an anti-racist academic department. To further this resolve, we are actively reviewing and making changes to our curricula and pedagogical practices, as well as the general culture of our department in an effort to be anti-racist, just, equitable, and accessible. Read the complete diversity statement here!

While you are here, please read the diversity statement from Furman’s STEM departments.

Program Overview

Program Overview

Everything you need to know about the degrees offered in our department.

Student Experiences

Student Experiences

Specific courses, research opportunities, and global experiences within our discipline will develop the expertise you need to succeed in graduate school or the job market.

Engaged Living Programs

The Engaged Living programs are designed to bring together students with common interests, increase classroom camaraderie and engagement, and foster the establishment of an academic and a social community outside the classroom around a particular topic.

Meet our Faculty

Meet our Faculty

Our faculty members are our biggest asset. They are driven by the desire to support your education.

Facilities & Resources

Facilities & Resources

Our department has its own state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and our students enjoy access to additional labs in the Biology and Chemistry departments.

Contact Us

Contact Us

Have a question or would like to learn more? Contact us—we’d love to see you!​