# Energy & Environment Secondary Field

**Source**: https://espp.fas.harvard.edu/energy-environment
**Parent**: https://espp.fas.harvard.edu/pages/academics

The energy-environment challenge is a defining issue of our time, and one of Harvard’s greatest contributions to meeting that challenge will be the education of a new generation of leaders in science, business, law, and public service. Harvard has a responsibility to create opportunities for its undergraduate students to broaden and deepen their understanding of the complexities associated with energy and environmental issues, and provide them with the tools needed to address our challenges now and into the future.\
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The Environmental Science and Public Policy Concentration, in coordination with the [Harvard University Center for the Environment](http://environment.harvard.edu/), offers the Secondary Field in Energy and Environment (E&E) to increase students' exposure to, and literacy in, the interconnecting set of issues related to energy and the environment. Through debate and dialogue in coursework and seminars, students identify the obstacles, highlight the opportunities, and define the discussion for an energy-environment strategy for the 21st century and beyond.

**ABOUT THE E&E PROGRAM**\
In the context of the E&E program, 'Energy' refers to the production, distribution, and use of energy by individuals and society for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes - i.e., energy in the context of supporting the quality of both life and the economy. This includes the various technologies, policies, and challenges associated with meeting the increasing global energy demands in the 21st century and beyond. 'Environment' refers to understanding the relationships and balances of the natural and constructed world around us, at scales both local and global. This includes understanding how anthropogenic activities and policies affect the environment, such as the intimate relationship between energy demand, environmental quality, and climate change.  \
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Students from a wide range of concentrations, including the humanities, are invited to participate in the program to explore how different disciplinary perspectives on energy and environment intersect and inform one another.  For example, a student concentrating in English may wish to increase their knowledge of the environment and energy from the perspectives of environmental literature or history. Or, a student in the physical sciences may want to build upon their training by improving their understanding of climate dynamics and energy production to support their interest in materials science research and energy storage. All participating students share exposure to the core issues related to climate change, the consequences of energy choices, and changes in our physical and biological environment, preparing them to make informed professional and personal decisions about some of the most pressing societal challenges of the 21st century.

**REQUIREMENTS**\
The secondary field in E&E offers students in other concentrations an opportunity to complement their studies with coursework and experiences that will broaden their understanding of contemporary issues in energy and environment from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.\
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**Students choose one foundation course from the following**, each of which includes content related to both energy and environment:\
**Choose one:**\
EPS/ESE 6. Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering (fall)\
EPS/ESE 50. The Fluid Earth: Oceans, Atmosphere, Climate, and Environment (spring)\
GenEd 1158. Water and the Environment (spring)

Bracketed Courses in 25/26:\
[ GenEd 1085. Energy Resources and the Environment ]\
[ GenEd 1094. Confronting Climate Change: A Foundation in Science, Technology and Policy ]\
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**Students must choose three additional upper-level courses**\
At least one course must be chosen from each of the two elective categories: Social Sciences and Humanities, and Natural Sciences and Engineering. View the [complete list of course options](/secondary-field-courses#overlay-context=secondary-field-courses).\
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**Additional Opportunities for Engagement:**\
**There are many opportunities to enrich your studies in Energy & Environment by getting involved in the larger environmental community at Harvard.  Please stay tuned for e-mail announcements throughout the semester for related talks, seminars and events!**

Note regarding courses while taken abroad: One course taken through a study abroad program may, with prior approval, be counted toward the SF requirement.

**CONTACT US**

**Lorraine Maffeo**, Program Administrator\
**Dr. Diana Sharpe**, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies\
[espp@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:espp@fas.harvard.edu)\
Harvard University Center for the Environment\
26 Oxford Street, 4th Floor\
Cambridge, MA 02138

## Declaring a Secondary Field

To declare a Secondary Field, visit [my.harvard](https://my.harvard.edu/) and follow these [instructions](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=529e5ecadb6f4f04a914fff31d96190c).  Following the declaration on my.harvard, students should complete a  and submit it by email to the ESPP Advising Team [espp@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:espp@fas.harvard.edu)