Building Skills for a Sustainable Future
IEE strengthens Penn State’s educational mission by supporting undergraduate and graduate programs, funding student and faculty research, and fostering cross-disciplinary connections. Through these efforts, the institute helps create opportunities for learning that inspire action and equip students with the skills, perspectives, and problem-solving abilities needed to address complex energy and environmental challenges. By drawing on expertise from across the University, IEE cultivates an environment where education fuels innovation and empowers the next generation of thinkers and doers to help shape a more sustainable future.
Undergraduate Programs
IEE supports two academic programs for undergraduate students at Penn State, the Environmental Inquiry Minor and the Sustainability Leadership Minor.
Environmental Inquiry Minor
This intercollege minor is designed for students across the disciplines who wish to prepare for addressing environmental issues or problems as professionals or citizens.
Sustainability Leadership Minor
The intercollege minor in Sustainability Leadership has been designed for students who wish to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability in their personal and professional lives.
Graduate Programs
Biogeochemistry
Penn State offers a unique dual-title PhD program where scholars are trained in the interdisciplinary science of biogeochemistry and one of eight major graduate programs: Geosciences, Soil Science, Ecology, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Plant Pathology, and Materials Science and Engineering.
Climate Science
Climate Science is a field devoted to the study of Earth’s climate in the past, present, and future. A particular focus is understanding the effects of human activities (anthropogenic impacts) and natural forcing on climate.
Ecology
This intercollege program emphasizes the properties of ecosystems by focusing attention on interactions of single organisms, populations, and communities with their environment. It is designed to give students an advanced understanding of ecological theory and hypothesis testing and is complementary to other environmental programs that emphasize the human role in ecosystems.
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment emphasize integrated, multidisciplinary approaches designed for improving their understanding about and management of natural resources.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Research is the method that scientists use to discover and establish new knowledge. Because research is done across a wide variety of disciplines, the ways these methods look and the results they produce can vary drastically. However, the purpose is consistent: Create new knowledge.
Undergraduate students at Penn State have numerous opportunities to participate in research. No matter the major or program, undergraduates are encouraged to engage in research. One method to do so is the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).