Interdisciplinary environmental programs in higher education in the United States are both diverse and dynamic in their curriculum designs. The lack of a clear identity, definition of core competencies, and prescriptions for interdisciplinary pedagogy can create confusion among program stakeholders and skepticism among institutional administrators. To address these concerns, the National Council for Science and the Environmental sponsored a comprehensive national study to learn more about IE program curricula and investigate the potential for reaching agreement on core competencies. The results demonstrate that a consensus exists on the identity on the environmental studies field: an applied, interdisciplinary focus on the interface of coupled human-natural systems with a normative commitment to sustainability. The results also reveal that interdisciplinary core competency areas consist of three broad knowledge areas and two skill sets, and that three ideal curricular models for IE education are preferred by interdisciplinary environmental program administrators: systems science, policy and governance, and adaptive management.

Dr. Vincent serves as the Director of Educational Research at the National Council for Science and the Environment, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the scientific basis of environmental decision making located in Washington, DC. She holds a Ph.D. in environmental science and an MS and BS in cellular and molecular biology.