Environmental Studies Major (BS)
College: College of Natural & Health Sciences
Program Learning Outcomes
- Understand the physical, biological and social forces that govern the development and evolution of environmental systems and demonstrate expertise in how these systems can be sustainably managed.
- Collect, manage and analyze quantitative data to draw inferences about the nature of reality.
- Work collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team to analyze and solve environmental problems through a combination of content knowledge and critical reasoning.
- Analyze the roles of economics, politics, and society in evaluating and resolving environmental issues and have a thorough understand local, national, and international environmental laws, regulations and policies.
- Effectively communicate environmental problems and solutions to both professional and non-professional audiences.
Requirements for the Environmental Studies Major
The major in environmental studies consists of 40 credits forming a core curriculum with an additional 27-32 credits within the students chosen concentration area.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| College of Natural and Health Sciences requirement | ||
| New entering students, and transfer students with less than 30 college credits, choosing a major in the College of Natural and Health Sciences are required to take this course. | ||
| UWP 101 | First Year Seminar: Natural and Health Sciences | 1 |
| Core Courses | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| ENVS 101 | Introduction to Environmental Studies | 3 |
| ENVS 102 | Chemistry of the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 109 | Fundamentals of Climate Change | 3 |
| ENVS 201 | Laboratory Experience in Environmental Studies | 3 |
| ENVS 335 | Energy | 4 |
| ENVS 336 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| ENVS 495 | Environmental Studies Seminar | 1 |
| GEOG 108 | Culture and Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| PHYS 101 | Principles of Physics | 4 |
| Math Requirement | ||
| MATH 111 | College Algebra I | 5 |
| Writing Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Writing for Business and Industry | ||
| Policy, Society, and Ethics Requirement | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| American Politics 1 | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Core Courses Subtotal | 42 | |
| Required Concentrations | ||
| Choose one option | 27-32 | |
| Required Concentrations Subtotal | 27-32 | |
| Total Credits | 69-74 | |
- 1
Environmental Policy and Society Concentration majors must use POLS 100 for their concentration requirement so must take 2 other courses from this option.
Required Concentrations
Choose one concentration:
Environmental Biology Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOS 101 | Bioscience | 4 |
| BIOS 102 | Organismal Biology | 4 |
| BIOS 210 | Biostatistics | 4 |
| BIOS 305 | Principles of Ecology | 4 |
| BIOS 333 | Restoration Ecology | 4 |
| BIOS 336 | Conservation Ecology | 3 |
| MATH 114 | College Algebra II/Trigonometry | 5 |
| BIOS 305 is a prerequisite for BIOS 333. MATH 114 is a perquisite for BIOS 210. MATH 112 and MATH 113 may be used together in place of MATH 114. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Vertebrate Zoology | ||
| Botany | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | |
Students may satisfy the requirements for a biological sciences minor with this concentration. It is the student’s responsibility to officially declare the minor by submitting a plan declaration form to the department.
Environmental Chemistry Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 103 | General Chemistry Lab I | 1 |
| CHEM 104 | General Chemistry Lab II | 1 |
| CHEM 206 | Quantitative Chemical Analysis | 5 |
| CHEM 230 | Introduction to Green Chemistry | 2 |
| CHEM 321 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 322 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 323 | Organic Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Students may satisfy the requirements for a chemistry minor and a certificate in green chemistry with this concentration. It is the student’s responsibility to officially declare the minor by submitting a plan declaration form to the department.
Environmental Geography Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| GEOG 100 | Physical Geography and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 326 | Biogeography | 3 |
| GEOG 350 | Cartography and GIS | 3 |
| GEOG 365 | Geography in Land Use Planning | 3 |
| GEOG 382 | Soil Ecosystems and Resources | 3 |
| GEOG 384 | Landscape Ecology | 3 |
| GEOG 460 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Analysis | 3 |
| GEOG 465 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems Applications | 3 |
| Required Courses Subtotal | 24 | |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| Landforms and Environmental Processes | ||
| Field Mapping | ||
| GIS and Planning | ||
| Field Methods in Geography | ||
| GIS and Communities | ||
| Total Credits | 30-32 | |
Students may satisfy the requirements for a geography minor and GIS certificate with this concentration. It is the student’s responsibility to officially declare the minor by submitting a plan declaration form to the department.
Environmental Geology Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOS 101 | Introductory Geology | 3 |
| GEOS 102 | Origin and History of the Earth | 3 |
| GEOS 104 | Introductory Geology Laboratory | 2 |
| GEOS 200 | Minerals and Rocks | 4 |
| GEOS 301 | Geomorphology | 4 |
| GEOS 330 | Environmental Geology | 4 |
| GEOS 420 | Glacial Geology | 4 |
| GEOS 445 | Environmental Sampling, Monitoring, and Assessment | 4 |
| Total Credits | 28 | |
Students may satisfy the requirements for a geosciences minor with this concentration. It is the student’s responsibility to officially declare the minor by submitting a plan declaration form to the department.
Environmental Policy and Society Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses: | ||
| ANTH 382 | Environmental Anthropology | 3 |
| ECON 120 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 300 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| GEOG 308 | Conservation of Cultural and Natural Resources | 3 |
| GEOG 365 | Geography in Land Use Planning | 3 |
| POLS 100 | American Politics | 3 |
| POLS 202 | Public Policy | 3 |
| POLS 302 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POLS 100 is a prerequisite for POLS 202. POLS 202 is a prerequisite for POLS 302. | ||
| Elective courses: | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Introduction to Global Warming Policy and Governance | ||
| Society and Environment | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Students may satisfy most requirements for a Political Science Minor. It is the student’s responsibility to officially declare the minor by submitting a plan declaration form to the department.
General Environmental Studies Concentration
To complete this concentration, students must complete the following:
- Choose at least two courses from four other concentrations (above). These must be unique courses; a student cannot count a course in two different concentrations.1
- Students must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credits overall within the courses offered within the concentrations. This may require students to take more than two (2) classes from certain concentrations. This may or may not be satisfied by completing #1.
- Students must complete of at least twelve (12) credits at the 300 level or higher.
- 1
Within the environmental chemistry concentration, CHEM 101 General Chemistry I/CHEM 103 General Chemistry Lab I and CHEM 102 General Chemistry II/CHEM 104 General Chemistry Lab II are paired as a lecture/laboratory and if students choose these course pairs, each pair is counted as one course for students pursuing the general environmental studies concentration.
Depending on the courses taken within each concentration, students may qualify for a minor in the department offering the majority of courses within the concentration. Please consult with your advisor for more information.
General University Degree Requirements (Bachelor's Degree)
In addition to individual program requirements, students must also fulfill the following requirements:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Skills | 7-8 |
| General Education | 36 |
| Foreign Language** | 6-8 |
| Ethnic Diversity | 3 |
| Total | 52-55 |
** Transfer students in sustainable management, and health information management and technology collaborative, online degree-completion programs, the business management online degree-completion program, and the flexible option degree-completion program will be exempt from the university’s foreign language requirement. See appropriate academic section for further information.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading | 3 |
| Computational Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| College Mathematics with Applications | ||
| College Algebra I | ||
| Total Credits | 7-8 | |
Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Minimum Total Credits | 120 |
| Upper Level Credits (300 level or above) | 36 |
| Residency | 30 |
Cumulative Degree GPA: 2.0 minimum
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| MATH 102 | Quantitative Reasoning | 4 |
| ENGL 100 | Fundamentals of English | 3 |
| Introductory Language | 4 | |
| COMM 107 | Communication and the Human Condition | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading | 3 |
| COMM 105 or COMM 205 |
Public Speaking for the 21st Century or Oral Interpretation |
3 |
| COMM 108 | Media and Society | 3 |
| Introductory Language | 4 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Total Credits | 27 | |