University of Michigan-Flint

The Earth and Resource Science Program at UM-Flint was founded in 1974. From its inception, the program has stressed the linkage between science and planning. The initial offering was a Physical Geography major that provided graduates with basic map interpretation and analysis skills, landscape interpretation and environmental planning capabilities, and prepared students for graduate school.

In the 1980s, additional faculty and staff joined the program, and the degree offerings expanded. Resource Ecology and Resource Planning were added as majors, and in the 1990's, a teaching concentration in Physical Geography also became an option.

In 2005 the Resource Ecology, Resource Planning, and Physical Geography degrees were consolidated into one Environmental Science and Planning (ESP) degree.

In 2010 the Energy and Sustainable Systems degree was added.  This new major prepares students for careers and graduate work in the rapidly growing environmental disciplines of energy and sustainable systems.

Over the years, graduates from the ERS program have excelled in their professions and in further academic work. Several local and national environmental firms hire our graduates on a regular basis, and ERS graduates have attended and performed well at several of the top graduate Geography/Environmental programs in the United States, including Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin.

The ERS introductory Physical and World Regional Geography courses are taken by hundreds of students throughout the University each semester, and consistently receive high ratings.