I am interested in…nature and sustainability.

In this “I am interested in…” series, we are exploring ways you can translate your interests into college majors. 

When you are interested in nature and sustainability, there are several approaches you can take to choosing a college major. At Huntington University, for instance, our agriculture majors all address issues of nature and sustainability — from animal care and agribusiness to land management and feeding the world. Biology and chemistry are also great majors to choose if you are interested in environmentalism and understanding the natural world.  

There are three reasons why majors in agriculture or the natural sciences at a Christian university are perfect for someone who is interested in studying nature and sustainability: stewardship, community, and purpose.  

Stewardship: As Christians, we understand that God designed humans to be the stewards of His earthly creation. Agriculture programs apply that understanding to the problem of feeding the world. Studying agriculture at HU, you learn ways of stewarding our natural resources so that food security becomes possible for more and more people, the earth is healthy, and the plants and animals in our care are sustainable.  

Community: A common topic that comes up in biology, chemistry, and agriculture classes is how living beings interact with each other. In biology, you can study how organisms live alongside one another in harmony or in conflict and the environmental factors that affect everyone. In chemistry, you can measure the impact of pollution at a molecular level and investigate how long a synthetic chemical survives in our waterways. In agriculture, you can learn about the relationship between those who produce food and those who need it (i.e., everyone on the planet) and how we can optimize that relationship for the good of everyone. Community is a central aspect of both the Christian life and the study of nature and sustainability.  

Purpose: When you are talking about nature and sustainability, fundamental questions such as “Why are we here?” and “What is our purpose?” will likely come into play. The answers to these questions add value to our understanding of who we are and why sustainability is important. At Christian universities, agriculture, biology, and chemistry majors contemplate these questions in light of Scripture and science, a powerful combination that results in a strong sense of purpose. Christian conservationists are not just concerned with nature and sustainability for the sake of the planet — they are also concerned with glorifying the Creator. They innovate and make new discoveries that will change the world for the better and enable us to better care for God’s creation.  

With all of this in mind, does a major in agriculture, biology, or chemistry pique your interest? Although there are other ways to study nature and sustainability beyond the sciences, these majors are great for considering what our world is like now and what it can be in the future. Any of these majors can be exciting ways to explore your interests in nature and sustainability further and launch a career.