Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Community, Environment, and Development] From Pennsylvania State University

The CED major focuses on the fields of community and economic development, environment and natural resources, and the critically important interactions between these fields, both locally and globally. Building skills and knowledge to tackle important environment and development issues facing communities today requires a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary program; the major bridges the disciplines of agricultural, environmental and regional economics on the one hand and rural sociology on the other. Foundation (Level I) courses introduce students to key concepts in economics and sociology, and examine how these disciplines contribute to the basic content knowledge encompassing community and economic development and environmental economics and sociology. Level II courses build on the Foundation courses by extending the content knowledge to address the interrelationship between environment and natural resources and community and economic development. Coursework in Methods, Quantification and Communication is also required, including methods and techniques such as Geographical Information Systems and Geographical Information Analysis, statistics and survey research methods. Finally, students select among three options: (1) Community and Economic Development, (2) Environmental Economics and Policy, and (3) International Development. Students specialize in an option that further allows them to develop skills and competencies matching their specific education and career goals. It is expected that some students completing the program will choose to attend graduate school or law school, while others will choose employment after graduation.