Ramapo College Launches Sustainability-Focused Honors Program

Ramapo College launched a new honors program this fall built entirely around sustainability, requiring students to combine environmental science coursework with electives in public policy, business, and communications rather than the more traditional single-discipline honors track.

The Mahwah-based college has long marketed its environmental studies program as a strength, and administrators say the new honors track was designed to formalize that reputation into a more structured, interdisciplinary credential that would stand out to graduate schools and employers alike.

"Sustainability problems don't respect academic department boundaries, so we didn't think our honors program should either," said Ramapo College Honors Program Director Felicia Marsh. "A student in this track might take a climate science lab in the morning and a course on environmental policy writing in the afternoon, and we want them making connections between the two constantly."

The inaugural cohort includes 45 students selected through a competitive application process that weighed both academic performance and prior experience with environmental or community service work. Participants will complete a capstone project in their senior year addressing a sustainability challenge specific to New Jersey, ranging from coastal flooding to suburban water management.

College officials say they expect the program to grow to roughly 200 students within four years as word spreads among prospective applicants specifically seeking interdisciplinary environmental training.