Environmental history is one of the most significant  interdisciplinary fields in history today. Faculty work with graduate students who are preparing or have already completed dissertations on topics ranging from colonial period Potawatomi land use in the Indiana-Illinois region to typhoons and racial segregation on the Indian Ocean country of Mauritius. Most students who decide to write a dissertation with an environmental history focus take course work in environmental history while developing their regional expertise with other faculty members in the department. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field, grad students in environmental history are also encouraged to pursue course work and other training in relevant departments (outside of history) at the University of Illinois.