CEGU

Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization

Division of Social Sciences, The University of Chicago

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below is a list of frequently asked questions related to the major and minor in Environment, Geography and Urbanization (CEGU). If you have any questions that are not included on this list, please contact the Student Affairs Administrator↗.

Who can I contact to learn more about the CEGU major and minor?

Tess Conway, Student Affairs Administrator↗, is available to discuss major requirements and any administrative questions about the program.

Sabina Shaikh, CEGU Director of Academic Programs↗, is available to offer guidance on course selection and related issues, and to address more general questions about the CEGU major and minor.

How is the major in Environmental and Urban Studies (ENST) different from the CEGU major?

The ENST major is now the CEGU major. Both the ENST and CEGU majors offer a deeper theoretical understanding of cities and nature, as well as an education in practical tools to address urban and environmental transformation.

CEGU’s formation represents the culmination of an intensive collaboration between the undergraduate Program on the Global Environment (PGE), the Committee on Geographical Sciences (CGS), and faculty across the social sciences and humanities at the University of Chicago whose research and teaching address the societal and spatial dimensions of climate change, biodiversity loss, and other kinds of socioenvironmental transformation. CEGU builds upon the University’s legacies of excellence in geographical studies while providing a new divisional and interdivisional platform for scholarship, teaching, and public events related to environment and society across time and space.

The CEGU major provides students with strong foundations in spatialized and historical approaches to urban and environmental studies, with more specialized thematic tracks available in urban environmental studies, energy histories and geographies, and environmental humanities. These updated thematic tracks, as well as a new series of foundations courses, are the only significant changes from the ENST major.

To see which courses count towards the CEGU major requirements, please see this list of approved courses. To see which courses counted towards the previous ENST major requirements, please see this list of approved courses.

Can I still declare the ENST major?

We are no longer accepting new ENST majors. All students interested in declaring the CEGU major or minor should meet with the student affairs administrator or another general program advisor beginning in Fall 2023.

Students who declared before the CEGU major was launched will continue to follow the requirements of the ENST major and minor as outlined on the website.

Can ENST courses I took prior to the launch of the CEGU major count towards the CEGU major or minor?

All courses taken before the CEGU major was launched in Spring 2023 that would have counted towards the ENST major will still count towards the CEGU major. If the course is not listed under the foundation options or thematic track approved course lists for the CEGU major, then it will count towards a general elective course.

Please contact the student affairs administrator for assistance on transferring ENST course credit to the CEGU major.

Can methods courses I took prior to the launch of the CEGU major count towards the CEGU major?

All methods courses taken before the CEGU major was launched in Spring 2023 that would have counted towards the ENST major will still count towards the CEGU major. If the course is not listed as a methods option course for the CEGU major, then it will count towards a general elective course.

Do I need to declare a thematic track in the CEGU major?

You do not need to declare a thematic track in order to graduate with the CEGU major. Students may choose to specialize in a thematic track (e.g., urban environmental studies, energy histories and geographies, and environmental humanities), but it is not required.

To see the general requirements for students who have not declared a thematic track, please visit the Program Requirements.

What are the steps to declare the CEGU major or minor?

To declare the CEGU major or minor, students must contact the student affairs administrator. A meeting with CEGU staff is required prior to declaring the major. Prior to meeting, please complete a CEGU course of study form.

Where can I find future course offerings?

Course offerings are updated quarterly under Courses↗.