Capstone Options for Majors and Minors
Undergraduates who are working on the Environmental Analysis Major or Environmental Studies Minor have five options to satisfy the capstone course requirement:
- INTER 4004: Sustainability Exchange: Community and University Practicums (course)
- ENST 4810: RESET: Renewable Energy and Decarbonizing the Grid (course)
- ENST 4820: International Climate Negotiation Seminar (course)
- ENST 4998: Senior Thesis Research (research)
- ENST 5830: Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic (course)
Applying for and Registering for Capstone Courses
We use a common application for students to apply to all four of our capstone courses. The most critical element of applying to participate in a course is to complete the Common Capstone Application Form. We provide a PDF preview of the application questions so you can prepare your answers in a text editor before you open the application form itself. The PDF preview and application form are found on our resources page: https://enst.wustl.edu/resources.
Spring 2025 timeline for application and registration for Fall 2025 courses:
- Two weeks before last day of registration: Application goes live
- Wednesday, April 23 at 5pm: Application due
- Two weeks after last day of registration: Course instructors notify students they have been accepted into courses, ENST Academic Coordinator will bulk enroll students in the courses
Future timeline for application and registration for courses:
- Two weeks before last day of registration: Application goes live
- Last day of registration, noon: Application due
- Two weeks after last day of registration: Course instructors notify students they have been accepted into courses; ENST Academic Coordinator bulk enroll students in the courses
You can add a capstone to your course schedule if it helps you plan, and you can request a course override if you wish. However, enrollment and registration is performed by the department.
Capstone courses in Environmental Studies
Capstone courses in Environmental Studies are crucial as they integrate diverse disciplinary knowledge into a cohesive framework. By emphasizing integration across disciplines, students gain a holistic understanding that prepares them for real-world challenges. Additionally, capstones incorporate a human dimension, fostering empathy and ethical considerations in problem-solving. These courses also emphasize learning how to learn, equipping students with lifelong skills for continuous personal and professional growth. Moreover, capstones facilitate the application of foundational knowledge to practical situations, ensuring that theoretical learning translates into practical outcomes. Overall, capstone courses play a pivotal role in preparing undergraduates to be versatile, empathetic, and effective contributors in their chosen fields.
Environmental Studies has amazing and distinct Capstone Courses for students to engage with. Read more about them below.
Environmental Analysis Majors are required to complete one capstone as part of their major, which can be satisfied with at least one capstone course or senior thesis research (ENST 498). Due to the intensity of the capstone courses and limited availability of seats, students may only enroll in one capstone course a semester; fourth-year students may concurrently enroll in senior thesis research (ENST 498) and one capstone course.
RESET: Renewable Energy, Decarbonization, and the Electric Grid
RESET is an interdisciplinary course that explores the incredible potential of renewable energy, energy storage, and electrification to mitigate climate change. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics that are driving rapid deployment of renewables and present both opportunities and challenges to decarbonization in the years ahead. Through the lenses of business, policy, and engineering, students in RESET will learn through classroom lectures from faculty, industry professionals, and policy-makers; group discussions; field trips to solar arrays and a landfill gas power plant; and a final team project where students serve as consultants to a local government, proposing an on-site solar strategy, local policy changes to support decarbonization, and more. This course runs every fall semester. Learn more about RESET
Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic
This course constitutes the technical component of an interdisciplinary environmental law clinic based at the Law School. Engineering and Arts & Sciences students work in interdisciplinary teams with law students, handling environmental projects for public interest, environmental or community organizations or individuals.This course runs every fall semester. Learn more about the IEC.
Sustainability Exchange
The Sustainability Exchange engages interdisciplinary teams of students to tackle real-world energy, environmental, and sustainability problems through an experiential form of education. Students participate in projects with on- or off-campus clients developed with and guided by faculty advisors from across the University. Teams deliver to their clients an end-product that explores "wicked" problems requiring innovative methods and solutions. This course runs every fall and spring semester. Learn more about the Exchange.
International Climate Negotiation Seminar
Each year, a group of graduate and undergraduate Washington University students attends the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Each delegate closely follows a topic at the conference by attending side events, sitting in on negotiations, and speaking to diplomats and other students from around the world. This course runs every fall semester. Learn more about the COP Seminar