Southampton - Stony Brook Southampton Interim Dean Martin Schoonen announced today that the New York State Department of Education has approved three cutting-edge, new majors for Southampton to be implemented this fall: Ecosystems and Human Impact; Environmental Design, Policy and Planning, and Sustainability Studies, which join SBS's existing three majors in Environmental Studies, Marine Sciences and Marine Vertebrate Biology and further position the campus as a national model of sustainability in education.

"The approval of these new majors is an important milestone for Stony Brook Southampton," Dr. Schoonen said. "We have worked hard on developing a truly inter-disciplinary, 21st century curriculum that closely addresses all the complicated facets of sustainability, offering students not only a world view of the issues that the planet now faces, but also hands-on experience in solving these issues."

Entering its second full year of operation this fall, Stony Brook Southampton has further refurbished several academic buildings and residence halls and expects to nearly double to 350 last year's number of students, while maintaining the same rigorous admissions standards of parent Stony Brook University. Stony Brook Southampton and Arizona State University were recently featured on the "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams" and "The Today Show" as examples of sustainable campuses.

The campus is still accepting applications for a limited number of seats for Fall 2008 from freshmen and transfers. For further information about Stony Brook Southampton's programs of study, contact the Admissions Office at 631-632-5035. More information about the majors follows:

B.A. In Ecosystems And Human Impact
The Ecosystems and Human Impact major, leading to a Bachelor of Art degree, provides the skills, knowledge, and preparation for students to assess and address the complex interaction of humans and natural environments. The curriculum integrates principles and methodologies from ecology, biology, genetics, anthropology, human ecology, geography, combined with an understanding of economics, ethics, and policy within a global perspective.

The major builds on the interdisciplinary core curriculum offered at Stony Brook Southampton. Students will enroll in major-specific courses in their junior and senior year. In their junior or senior year, students will have the opportunity to enroll in the study abroad program at Ranomafana, Madagascar, which provides training in field biology, ecology, primatology, and anthropology. Students enrolled in this program will take courses and conduct independent research that contributes to a better understanding of Ranomafana National Park and the link between the park and the people of the region. Local internships, research courses, and field courses are also available to students to build up real-world experience.

B.A. In Environmental Design, Policy, And Planning
The Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning major, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, provides the skills, knowledge, and preparation for students to understand and address complex issues related to development, land-use, urbanization, and suburban sprawl. The curriculum integrates principles and methodologies from social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. The goal is to address the complex scientific, legal, ethical, political, environmental, and socio-economic issues that surround the development, management, and use of the built environment.

The major builds on the interdisciplinary core curriculum offered at Stony Brook Southampton. Students will enroll in major-specific courses in their junior and senior year. As part of the preparation, students will work in teams with students enrolled in related majors to collaboratively solve problems. A design project is an essential part of the curriculum to provide real-world experience. Internships and independent research courses provide additional real-world experiences. Seniors are required to present their Design Project at an Annual Gathering of Researchers and Scholars on the Stony Brook Southampton campus.

B.A. In Sustainability Studies
The Sustainability Studies major, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, provides the skills, knowledge, and preparation for students to understand and address the environmental, social, political, economic and ethical issues related to the transformation of our current societies to ones that are sustainable. The curriculum integrates principles and methodologies from social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.

The major builds on the interdisciplinary core curriculum offered at Stony Brook Southampton. Students will enroll in major-specific courses in their junior and senior year. As part of the preparation, students will work in teams with students enrolled in related majors to collaboratively solve problems. Students are encouraged to take advantage of internships, project courses, independent research, and field courses to gain real-world experience.

Existing Majors
Stony Brook Southampton is offering three undergraduate majors, joining the esteemed graduate program in Writing and Literature (M.F.A.) and a new combined program in Business (B.A./B.S.-M.B.A.).

In the B.A. in Environmental Studies program, students delve into the ethical, legal, political, scientific and socioeconomic aspects of environmental issues. The major gives students the broad background needed to understand our world's most urgent challenges, combined with focused study in Ecology, Environmental Economics, Public Policy or Marine Environmental Studies.

The B.S. in Marine Sciences major gives students a comprehensive background in biology, as well as in the physics and chemistry of the ocean. Upper-division electives provide a deeper understanding of particular organisms such as algae, fish, marine invertebrates, marine mammals and micro-organisms and of habitats including barrier islands, dunes, estuaries, open ocean, rocky intertidal and salt marshes. This rigorous program is preparation for graduate study and research in marine sciences.

The B.S. in Marine Vertebrate Biology major offers a background in basic biology, with an emphasis on marine vertebrate organisms such as birds, fish, marine mammals, sharks and turtles. This program includes more intensive training in zoology than the Marine Sciences degree. Students at Stony Brook Southampton also have many options available for supplementing their classroom studies with a variety of field experiences.

For more information, contact Darren Johnson at 631-632-5088 or 631-316-1873.