related majors, minors, graduate degrees and certificate programs
of Maxwell faculty conduct international research
topical research clusters provide vast academic and experiential opportunities
Undergraduate Studies
Our dynamic major and minor programs provide a solid foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Environment, sustainability and policy integrated learning major (double major program), B.A. or B.S depending on base major
Graduate Studies
Graduate students are part of a vibrant intellectual community and work closely with faculty members in research and teaching. Advanced degree options include:
Geography, M.A.
Geography, Ph.D.
Joint degree program with the master of public administration (M.P.A.)
Certificate of Advanced Study in GIS and spatial analysis (concurrent with graduate studies)
There's a world of possibilities waiting for you.
Syracuse, N.Y. - A Learning Laboratory
Syracuse University’s location in Central New York serves as a learning laboratory, where students gain real-world experience through research, internships and more.
Students interested in environmental processes and management have easy access to the Finger Lakes and the region’s other extensive groundwater resources; ecological restoration projects in Onondaga Lake; environmental justice issues in Syracuse, N.Y.; or conservation challenges in the nearby Adirondack mountains.
Syracuse is also located within the first-in-the-nation unmanned vehicle traffic management corridor. This 50-mile stretch of land has become the most advanced drone testing corridor in the U.S., generating data that will inform future drone applications.
A Capital Experience
Applied and Scholarly Research
Faculty members within the Geography and the Environment Department represent wide-ranging interests and sub-specialties, providing students with the opportunity to address real-world problems through multiple lenses.
This unique partnership offers students with interests in urban studies, public health, environmental justice or community development opportunities to work on participatory research projects with local and regional community organizations.
Professor Ethan Coffel is principal investigator on a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant project exploring the link between climate and agricultural change. He is one of many faculty in our department whose research focuses on energy and natural resources.
Watch this video interview with Professor Jane Read and learn about the tools and procedures for collecting, analyzing, visualizing, disseminating and understanding information about the earth, its inhabitants and physical processes using satellite imagery and other information technologies.
This research area links historical geography with the growing interdisciplinary field of the geohumanities, including historical GIS, digital humanities, spatial history and the environmental humanities.
Geography and the Environment in Action
Commentary
Mar 17, 2025
Commentary
Mar 3, 2025
Commentary
Feb 5, 2025
Research
Jan 27, 2025
Geography and the Environment Events
Geography professor John Western--panelist in campus symposium on equality, privilege, justice in South Africa and Syracuse
Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3
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“No Innocence This Side of the Womb,” hosted by the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement, will bring together Syracuse and South African artists, academics, activists and journalists.
The event begins at 5 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3. The event is free and open to the public.
South Africa to Syracuse – A Common Struggle, 5 p.m.
How segregation and class affect us, regardless of geography. How we got here and where we are going.
Panelists:
Yusuf Abdul-Qadir '11, chapter director, New York Civil Liberties Union, Syracuse
Ellen Blalock G'84, artist, Syracuse Zuko Gqadavama, resource development coordinator, Inkululeko, South Africa
Charisse L’Pree, assistant professor, Newhouse School, Syracuse University
Michelle Schenandoah, CEO and editor-in-chief, Rematriation Magazine, Oneida Nation
John Western, professor, Maxwell School, Syracuse University
Art’s role in unpacking and pushing back against injustice.
Panelists:
Jaleel Campbell, artist, Syracuse
Gabrielle Goliath, artist, South Africa
Simon Gush, artist, South Africa
Neelika Jayawardane, associate professor, SUNY Oswego
Communication – No Easy Walk to Freedom, 8:10 p.m.
The role of a free press in providing a reflection of our societies and a method of holding the powerful to account.
Panelists:
Paul Botes, photographer and picture editor, Mail & Guardian, South Africa
Ken Harper, associate professor and director, Newhouse Center for Global Engagement, Newhouse School, Syracuse University Joe Lee, general manager, WAER, Syracuse
Khadija Patel, editor-in-chief, Mail & Guardian, South Africa
Niren Tolsi, journalist, South Africa
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Public
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