Studying at Ohio State also means growing your network in Columbus. As the 14th largest city in the country, Columbus is home to award-winning restaurants and museums, professional sports teams, and a robust park system. Campus is 10 minutes away from the Ohio Statehouse, the hub of governmental decisions in the state. Studying at Ohio State not only creates opportunities in the classroom, but also within the Columbus community.
As a student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), you can experience the benefits of a small campus community while taking advantage of the vast resources at Ohio State. SENR comprises about 650 of the 46,000 undergraduate students at Ohio State. Our faculty and students engage in research that addresses critical environmental challenges, like water quality, wildlife conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable resource management. From faculty to the field, SENR offers exciting opportunities to not only study the environment, but step into it.
Facilities
Located on the Columbus campus, this 52-acre research facility is situated adjacent to the Olentangy River and consists of two experimental wetlands, an oxbow wetland, a bottomland hardwood forest and a mesocosm compound. The wetlands hosts many of the field- and lab-based courses in the school, allowing students to get outside through their coursework.
Located on Gibraltar Island on Lake Erie, Stone Lab is the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country! Over the summer, SENR students may live at Stone Lab to take courses and engage in research.
Located on the Columbus campus, this 261-acre living laboratory allows students and faculty alike to study soils, invasive species, water quality, fire ecology, and forest management.
Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens is an urban, green reserve of over 30 acres located on the Columbus campus. We use this space to teach students plant identification and care.
The Ohio State Mansfield campus woodlands contains 600 acres with unique forests, pine plantations, a maple syrup sugarbush, and wetlands. This urban forest is used to train students on forest management for research, education, protection and recreation.
The Pomerene Lab is located in Coshocton County and is used to conduct forestry and ecosystem restoration research.
Campus community
The Ohio State University Scholars program offers a community-oriented experience for students. Scholars live together in campus housing and engage in programming and opportunities around an academic theme. The Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Scholars Program is open to all students across campus interested in nature and outdoor adventure. Students apply for consideration for Scholars on the Common Application.
A Living-Learning Community is a group of students who live together in a residence hall floor with common career or personal interests. The SUSTAINS Living-Learning Community is great for students who are interested in understanding how sustainability themes apply to their career goals. Students apply to a Living-Learning Community by mid-April after they have been admitted to the university.
With more than 1,400 registered, student-run clubs and organizations on campus, you can easily find your community with other students who share similar passions to you. Nearly 50 of these student organizations share a thread of environmentalism, sustainability or outdoor recreation.
Faculty and research
Many of SENR’s majors are reflected by faculty-led research in the school. SENR research groups are solving grand challenges, such as climate change, water security, biodiversity loss, public lands management and sustainable decision making.
The environment touches nearly every aspect of our lives. As such, other colleges and departments within Ohio State are also curious about understanding how the environment impacts issues like public health, urban design and more. Many students pursue research with faculty and groups outside of SENR, such as the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, to apply their environmental knowledge to other issues.
Visit SENR
Come visit us on campus to learn more about the hands-on experiences you can have as a student in SENR.
Schedule a visit