A major declared by sophomore year
Dartmouth says students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year. The pages read describe no separate admission to Environmental Studies.
Undergraduate · Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Environmental Studies: introductory, core, focus and culminating courses
Dartmouth students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year, and Environmental Studies is one of the majors they can choose once enrolled. The program describes introductory courses, core courses, elective focus courses and a culminating experience, with prerequisites in a laboratory science, economics and calculus. This guide makes no claim of a separate application to the major.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Dartmouth says about Dartmouth Environmental Studies
Taken from the Environmental Studies program's major and minors page, Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages, read on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Dartmouth's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Four course types
Introductory, core, elective focus and a culminating experience course.
Prerequisites across disciplines
A laboratory science, economics and calculus.
Can modify other majors
Its courses can be used to modify majors such as biology or geography.
The SAT or ACT, or an international alternative
US high school students submit the SAT or ACT. Students outside the US can meet the requirement in one of five ways, including predicted or final A-level or IB results.
Official sources
- Dartmouth Admissions: Majors & Minorsadmissions.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Environmental Studies: major and minorsenvs.dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Admissions: Testing Policyadmissions.dartmouth.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on the Environmental Studies program's major and minors page, Dartmouth Admissions' Majors & Minors and Testing Policy pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Dartmouth's Organization, Regulations and Courses catalogue, the full requirement worksheet, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The major
What the department says the major is
The program's page says the major was approved by the Dartmouth faculty on Earth Day 1996 and requires introductory courses, core courses, elective focus courses and a culminating experience course, with an interdisciplinary core covering global environmental science, environmental decision making and risk, environmental ethics and law, and political institutions. The prerequisites ensure an introduction to a laboratory science, the economic system and calculus. This guide does not list the courses.
Is it the right major?
Environmental Studies beside Geography and Earth Sciences
Dartmouth lists these as separate majors, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Environmental Studies fits if
you want an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented route to environmental questions.
Geography fits if
you want people, place and space. Avandy's Dartmouth Geography guide covers it.
Earth Sciences fits if
you want physical Earth science. Avandy's Dartmouth Earth Sciences guide covers it.
Admission and testing
A Dartmouth application, an SAT or ACT and A levels or the IB
Dartmouth requires students who attended high school in the United States to submit the SAT or ACT. Students who attended high school outside the United States may fulfil the requirement in one of five ways, which include predicted or final results from British A-Levels or the IB Diploma. The major is not a separate application. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Dartmouth's.
Do you want science, economics and policy in one major?
The prerequisites and core span all three.
Are calculus and a lab science comfortable?
They are prerequisites.
Which testing route will you use for Dartmouth?
Outside the US, Dartmouth lists five ways, including A-level and IB results.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Dartmouth's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Dartmouth's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 1 November 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Dartmouth has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Dartmouth for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the department's Environmental Studies page and decide which testing route you will use for Dartmouth.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Dartmouth College or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Dartmouth College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Dartmouth Environmental Studies?
The pages read describe admission to Dartmouth. Students do not need to declare a major until sophomore year.
What does the major require?
Introductory courses, core courses, elective focus courses and a culminating experience course.
Can it be combined with other majors?
The program says its courses can modify majors in disciplines such as biology and geography.
Do A levels and the IB count for testing?
Dartmouth lists predicted or final British A-Level and IB Diploma results among five ways to meet the requirement for students who attended high school outside the United States.
Is the SAT or ACT required?
For students who attended high school in the United States, yes: they must submit either test.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Dartmouth's wording with no entry-year label. Check Dartmouth's pages again when Dartmouth publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Dartmouth Environmental Studies
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their sciences and social-science subjects, their interest in the environment and their testing route, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.