Academic Program
The academic program comprises a broad environmental curriculum with 24 different majors and 13 minors. All of the degrees offered focus in environmental or natural resource studies. The college has a reputation for hands-on and outdoor study, and for providing students a gateway to outdoor careers. Alumni go on to careers in environmental policy, renewable energy management, biological research, state park & wildlife refuge management, natural sciences education, and wilderness recreation organization. Placements to graduate schools, particularly in environmental science research, policy, and law, have increased considerably in the last decade. Faculty credit this success to small class sizes and the very high likelihood that students will have participated in research teams, led by faculty, conducting various research projects, many of which are for the state or federal government. Current examples include examination of the effects of rockweed harvesting on the nearby Maine coast, a study of the spread of the hemlock wooly aldelgid, a major parasite on this important forest tree, a study of Maine lake sediments to help trace the Younger Dryas, and anemometric studies in support of community wind power development in the state of Maine.
The majors of study are: Adventure Education Leadership; Adventure Therapy; Agriculture, Food and Sustainability; Aquaculture and Fisheries; Conservation Law Enforcement; Ecology; Environmental Analysis; Environmental Biology; Environmental Education; Environmental Policy; Environmental Humanities, Environmental Science, Environmental Writing, Forestry, General Studies; Landscape Horticulture; Liberal Studies; Marine Biology; Wildlife; Wildlife Biology; Captive Wildlife Care and Education; Wildlife Conservation; Parks, Recreation & Ecotourism; and Sustainability, Design and Technology.
The minor areas of study are: Adventure Therapy, Chemistry, English, Environmental Policy, Gender Studies, Geology, Horticulture, Human Ecology and Sustainable Development, Natural and Cultural Heritage Interpretation, Philosophy, Psychology, Studio Arts, Wildlife and Zoology.
The college is a leader in the movement towards sustainability. The campus produces exceptionally low climate emissions of around 4,300 pounds per student per year, achieved through a program of energy audits and retrofits to buildings. All recent and new buildings are or will be low or zero carbon. The first of these is the so-called Unity House, designed and built by Bensonwood architects and timber frame builders of New Hampshire. All students take a required course in sustainability in their junior year, including several weeks on climate change. The college recently began to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability Design and Technology, and, in conjunction with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener's Association, a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, Food and Sustainability, both begun Fall 2008. Unity College will be graded in the College Sustainability Report Card 2010 edition.
Read more about this topic: Unity College (Maine)
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