Environmental scientists are often called upon to articulate scientific concepts in such a way that they can be understood and appreciated by non-scientists. As a consequence, the development of good speaking and writing skills is an important component of the SeE program.

All MIT undergraduates are expected to satisfy a Communications Requirement as part of the S.B. degree. This requires taking at least one communications-intensive (CI) subject each year. Freshmen and sophomores satisfy the Communications Requirement by taking any of a large number approved subjects in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; a complete list of these CI-H subjects may be found here. One especially attractive option for SeE students is 17.32 (Environmental Politics and Policy), which partially satisfies the Communications Requirement, can be used to help satisfy the HASS Distribution Requirement, and can serve as a Restricted Elective for the SeE major.

Juniors in SeE fulfill the Communications Requirement by taking 12.103 (Strange Bedfellows: Science and Environmental Policy). In the senior year, all students complete the requirement through the preparation of a senior thesis. Usually, this thesis is based on work done as part of a UROP project completed under the supervision of a faculty member from the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. Many UROP project openings are posted on our UROP/Jobs page, but students are also encouraged to approach individual faculty members to explore other options.