UAS environmental programs ranked #3 in the nation by Affordable Schools

Affordable Schools has placed the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) at #3 in its list of the 15 best affordable environmental studies Bachelor's degree programs of 2020. The affordable cost of in-state tuition, a low student-faculty ratio, close interaction with experienced professors, research involvement, and internship connections were all factors in the ranking.

When informed of this news, faculty member Dr. Richard Simpson said "I’m very happy to see the very good work we have been doing to build this program has been nationally recognized."

UAS is at the forefront of environmental change science research. Students at UAS are uniquely positioned to monitor and document the rapid warming, deglaciation, and ecosystem changes occurring across the Circumpolar North. The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science draws from a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, forestry, glaciology, natural resource economics, physics, and spatial analysis.

Thomas Thornton, Dean of Arts and Sciences, stated. “The environments and cultures of Alaska are central to our mission at UAS, and we have steadily built not only outstanding programs in Environmental Sciences, but also Environmental Social Sciences and Humanities. Few places in the world can boast the quality of our environmental programs, settings, and the interdisciplinary opportunities to bridge between them. That is where the real value lies for UAS, and it’s good to see this is being recognized more widely.”