Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), announced today that Ashford University has introduced a new online Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies. The program is also available to students who attend classes at Ashford University's Iowa campus.

The Environmental Studies degree program explores the relationships between humans and environments, and humanity's subsequent impact on those environments. It will aim to help students acquire the skills needed to pursue careers such as: conservation planner, ecological surveyor, environmental impact analyst, natural resource specialist, restoration expert, and climate activist.

"Our new Environmental Studies program is imperative as we move further into the 21st Century and face the greatly expanded use of our natural resources by the industrial growth of nations throughout the world," said Dr. Elizabeth Tice, provost of Ashford University. "We must provide the educational foundation for students to understand and manage the environment and encourage them to become innovative and creative in developing new systems."

Dr. Curt Lowe, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said of the program, "As the traditional, natural boundaries of our earth disappear and become more connected in resource-use and pollution, there has never been a better time in our social awareness and history to take seriously the importance of studying the effects of man on the environment and the environment on man."

Ashford University's Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies is currently available online and on campus. It has been approved by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools as a postsecondary academic degree program. The program does not require any additional professional licensures or certifications to apply.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus. The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations, at 858/513-9240 x2513.

About Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in the disciplines of business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education's regionally accredited academic institutions - Ashford University and University of the Rockies - deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations at 858/668-2580.