Psychology’s role in environmental issues

• Environmental psychology is the study of transactions between individuals and their physical settings. In these transactions, individuals change the environment, and their behaviour and experiences are changed by the environment. Environmental psychology includes theory, research, and practice aimed at improving our relationship with the natural environment and making buildings more humane.
• Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments.
• Although "environmental psychology" is arguably the best-known and most comprehensive description of the field, it is also known as human factors science, cognitive ergonomics, ecological psychology, ecopsychology, environment-behavior studies, and person-environment studies.
• Closely related fields include architectural psychology, socio-architecture, behavioral geography, environmental sociology, social ecology, and environmental design research, environmental and urban design and planning, environmental aesthetics, interior design, environmental impact assessment, environmental philosophy, sustainability science, environmental risk perception and management, and, of course, conservation psychology and disaster psychology, to name a few.

The following universities either have under-graduate environmental psychology units, or they offer a subject in environmental psychology or sustainability within a psychology course, or in other environmental programs.

James Cook University
The College of Healthcare Sciences offers an Environmental Psychology subject.

University New England
The University offers a unit called Environmental psychology – how to tame an ecological serial killer.

University of Melbourne
Masters of Environment with some psychology component.

University of Tasmania
The Faculty of Health offers an elective unit on Community and Environmental psychology, which mainly focusses on disasters and community psychology.

University of Queensland
The Global Change Institute offers a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) Making Sense of Climate Science Denial.

The following universities either have eco- or environmental psychology graduate programs, or they offer relevant concentrations in other environmental and design programs. We are unaware of any graduate programs at the moment offering specific training in population psychology, though there are quite a few universities in the U.S. and abroad which offer advanced training in population studies, as well as opportunities to combine population studies and psychology in universities which offer interdisciplinary graduate degrees.

Antioch University New England, NH
Environmental Studies (MS/PhD) with variety of concentrations and research specializations in environmental and conservation psychology

Antioch University Seattle, WA
Applied Psychology (MA) with ecopsychology concentration

Arizona State University
Developmental Psychology (MA/PhD) with coursework and research in environmental psychology; Applied Psychology (MS) with Human Factors emphasis; Landscape Architecture (MLA); Built Environment (MSBE); Design (MSD); Design, Environment, and the Arts (PhD)

California Institute of Integral Studies
East-West Psychology (MA/PhD) with variety of concentrations, including ecopsychology; Philosophy, Cosmology, & Consciousness Studies (MA/PhD) with Integral Ecology track

California State University, San Marcos
General Experimental Psychology (MA) with conservation psychology coursework

Carleton University, Ontario (Canada)
Psychology (MA/PhD) with conservation psychology research focus

City University of New York (CUNY)
Environmental Psychology (PhD)

College of the Atlantic, ME
Human Ecology (MPh)

Colorado State University
Applied Social Psychology (MA/PhD) with Environmental Psychology concentration

Cornell University, NY
Human Environmental Relations (MS); Design (MA) with sustainability concentration; Human Behavior & Design (PhD) with sustainability and environmental psychology coursework and research

Humboldt State University, CA
Social & Environmental Psychology (MA); Environment & Community (MA)

Indiana University
Recreation (MS) with Therapeutic Recreation track; Leisure Behavior (PhD)

Institute of Global Education, WA
Applied Ecopsychology (MS/PhD)

John F. Kennedy University, CA
Ecotherapy certificate

Lakeland University, Ontario (Canada)
Nature-Based Recreation & Tourism (MES)

Lesley University, MA
Ecological Teaching & Learning (MS)

Lewis & Clark College, OR
Counseling Psychology (MA/MS) with eco-counseling certification (in development)

Lund University of Technology (Sweden)
Social Science & Human Ecology (MS) with concentration in Culture, Power, & Sustainability; Sustainable Urban Design (MS)

Minnesota State University, Mankato
Experiential Education (MS) with Adventure Education program

Naropa University, CO
Transpersonal Psychology (MA) with ecopsychology concentration; Transpersonal Counseling Psychology (MA) with wilderness therapy concentration; Environmental Leadership (MA) with ecopsychology coursework

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
Psychology (MS) with environmental psychology coursework

Pacifica Graduate Institute, CA
Depth Psychology (MA/PhD) with ecopsychology concentration

Pennsylvania State University
Social Psychology (PhD) with research opportunities in environmental issues

Prescott College, AZ
Counseling Psychology (MA) with ecopsychology, ecotherapy, and adventure-based psychotherapy concentrations; Education (PhD) with sustainability education concentration

Royal Roads University, British Columbia (Canada)
Environmental Education and Communication (MA)

Saybrook University, CA
Psychology (MA/PsyD/PhD) with sustainability certificate and ecological psychology focus

Tallin University (Estonia)
Environmental Psychology and Sociology Research Unit

University of Arizona
Cognitive Psychology (PhD) with environmental psychology sub-area; Ethology/Evolutionary Psychology (PhD) with Behavioral Ecology emphasis

University of Barcelona (Spain)
Psychosocial Intervention (MA/PhD); Public Space & Urban Regeneration (PhD)

University of California, Irvine
Social Ecology (MA/PhD) with optional emphasis in environmental analysis and design; Urban & Regional Planning (MURP/PhD); Planning, Policy, & Design (PhD)

University of Colorado, Denver
Design & Planning (PhD) with Sustainable & Healthy Environments track

University of Melbourne (Australia)
Land & Environment (MPhil/PhD); Environment (ME); both with environmental and society coursework and research

University of Michigan
Natural Resources & Environment (MS/PhD) with environmental and conservation psychology coursework and research

University of New Hampshire
Kinesiology: Outdoor Education (MSW/MS) with focus on adventure therapy; Experiential/Outdoor Education (PhD)

René Descartes University (France)
Population and Development (MA); Environmental Psychology lab

University of Surrey (England)
Environmental Psychology (MSc)

University of Utah
Environmental Humanities (MA); Human Development & Social Policy (MS) with Environment Behavior/Community Studies track; Urban Planning (MUP)

University of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada)
Psychology (MSc/PhD) with individualized program in environmental psychology (with Robert Gifford)

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee: Behavior Analysis (MS)
Urban Planning (MUP) with emphasis in sustainability; Environmental and Occupational Health (PhD)

University of Wisconsin, Superior
Art Therapy (MA) with Expressive Ecopsychology concentration

University of Washington
Developmental Psychology (PhD) with emphasis in human-nature interaction

York University, Ontario (Canada)
Environmental Studies (MES) with coursework in psychology, planning, and community studies

• Bechtel, R. B., & Churchman, A. (Eds.) (2002). Handbook of environmental psychology, Jossey-Bass.
• Bell et al. (2001). Environmental psychology, Harcourt, 5th ed. (or 1996, 4th ed.).
• Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (2002). Environmental problems and human behavior (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom.
• Gifford, R. (2014). Environmental psychology, 5^th Ed. Optimal Environments.
• Koger, S.M. & Scott, B.A. (2016). Teaching Psychology for Sustainability: The Why and How. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 15, 3, 214-225.
• McAndrew, F.T. (1993). Environmental psychology, Brooks/Cole.
• Steg, L., Van den Berg, A.E., de Groot, J.I.M. (2012). Environmental Psychology: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Stokols, D. & Altman, I. (1986). Handbook of environmental psychology, Vols I & II, Wiley.
• Veitch, R. & Arkkelin, D. (1995). Environmental psychology, Prentice-Hall.