In most cases, majors must complete 78 credits in the course categories listed below, which includes nine credits devoted to a group-based comprehensive exercise. This comprehensive exercise is described in detail on the Environmental Studies website. In exceptional circumstances, majors may do an individual comprehensive exercise for six credits, in which case they must complete 75 credits for the major.

I. Introductory Courses (12 credits):

  • Introductory Lab Science Course (6 credits): Pick any one of the following:
    • BIOL 126 Energy Flow in Biological Systems and Lab
    • CHEM 128 Principles of Environmental Chemistry and Lab
    • GEOL 110 Introduction to Geology and Lab
    • GEOL 115 Climate Change in Geology and Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
    • GEOL 120 Introduction to Environmental Geology & Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
    • GEOL 125 Introduction to Field Geology and Lab
    • GEOL 130 Geology of National Parks
    • GEOL 135 Introduction to Climate Science (not offered in 2022-23)
    • PHYS 131 Introduction to Physics: Newtonian Mechanics and Lab
    • PHYS 152 Introduction to Physics: Environmental Physics and Lab
    and one of its prerequisites (Physics 131, 132, 141, 142, 143 or 145)
  • Introductory Economics (6 credits)
    • ECON 111 Principles of Microeconomics. This requirement may be waived with an Economics AP score of 5.

II. Quantitative Methods (12 credits):

  • Take ENTS 120 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis

and one of the following:

  • STAT 120 (formerly MATH 215) Introduction to Statistics or
  • STAT 230 (formerly MATH 245) Applied Regression Analysis or
  • MATH 240 (formerly MATH 265) Probability or
  • STAT 250 (formerly MATH 275) Introduction to Statistical Inference (6 credits).
  • This requirement may be waived with a MATH Stats AP Score of 4 or 5, and with the completion of a higher level STAT course.

III. Research Design and Methods (3 credits)

IV. Core Courses (18 credits): Take all of the following:

  • BIOL 210 Global Change Biology
  • ECON 271 Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment
  • HIST 205 American Environmental History

V. Electives (24 credits):

Twelve credits should consist of Society, Culture, Policy electives and twelve credits should consist of Environmental Science electives. Any one of these elective courses may be used to satisfy the 300-level topical seminar requirement in section VI, below.

In addition, students will work with their adviser to develop an interdisciplinary focus within environmental studies, such as food and agriculture, conservation and development, energy and climate, landscapes and perception, environmental justice, or water resources. This focus will be exhibited and explained in an e-portfolio (the “ENTS Profile”), to be completed by the end of Fall term senior year.  Electives should be chosen to reflect this focus.

  • Society, Culture and Policy: Take 12 credits from the following list:
    • AMST 230 The American Sublime: Landscape, Character & National Destiny in Nineteenth Century America (not offered in 2022-23)
    • AMST 240 The Midwest and the American Imagination (not offered in 2022-23)
    • AMST 287 California Program: California Art and Visual Culture
    • ARTH 267 Gardens in China and Japan
    • ARTS 113 Field Drawing
    • ARTS 211 Topics in Art and the Environment: Drawing the Anthropocene (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ARTS 212 Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Mixed-Media Drawing
    • ARTS 275 Studio Art Program: The Physical and Cultural Environment
    • BIOL 363 Seminar: Ecomechanics
    • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
    • ECON 268 Economics of Cost Benefit Analysis (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENGL 236 American Nature Writing (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENGL 247 The American West (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENGL 248 Visions of California (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENGL 288 California Program: The Literature of California
    • ENTS 210 Environmental Justice
    • ENTS 215 Environmental Ethics
    • ENTS 244 Biodiversity Conservation and Development
    • ENTS 248 Environmental Memoir
    • ENTS 249 Troubled Waters
    • ENTS 250 Food, Forests & Resilence
    • ENTS 251 Field Study in Sustainability in Oaxaca
    • ENTS 275 The Arts and Environmental Justice
    • ENTS 307 Wilderness Field Studies: Grand Canyon (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENTS 310 Topics in Environmental Law and Policy (not offered in 2022-23)
    • HIST 306 American Wilderness (not offered in 2022-23)
    • HIST 308 American Cities and Nature
    • POSC 268 Global Environmental Politics and Policy
    • POSC 274 Globalization, Pandemics, and Human Security (not offered in 2022-23)
    • POSC 280 COVID-19 and Globalization (not offered in 2022-23)
    • POSC 333 Global Social Changes and Sustainability*
    • POSC 335 Navigating Environmental Complexity—Challenges to Democratic Governance and Political Communication
    • POSC 379 Political Economy and Ecology of S.E. Asia: Diversity of Social Ecological Systems in Southeast Asia (not offered in 2022-23)
    • RELG 239 Religion & American Landscape (not offered in 2022-23)
    • RELG 243 Native American Religious Freedom
    • RELG 257 Asian Religions and Ecology
    • SOAN 203 Anthropology of Good Intentions (not offered in 2022-23)
    • SOAN 233 Anthropology of Food
    • SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment (not offered in 2022-23)
    • SOAN 333 Environmental Anthropology (not offered in 2022-23)
  • Environmental Science: Take 12 credits from the following list:
    • BIOL 215 Agroecology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 216 Agroecology Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 224 Landscape Ecology
    • BIOL 225 Landscape Ecology Laboratory
    • BIOL 238 Entomology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 250 Australia/New Zealand Program: Marine Ecology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 252 Environmental Animal Physiology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 262 Ecological Physiology
    • BIOL 321 Ecosystem Ecology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 350 Evolution
    • BIOL 352 Population Ecology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • BIOL 374 Seminar: Grassland Ecology (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENTS 225 Carbon and Climate (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENTS 250 Food, Forests & Resilence
    • ENTS 251 Field Study in Sustainability in Oaxaca
    • ENTS 254 Topics in Landscape Ecology
    • ENTS 274 Applied Spatial Analysis & Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENTS 288 Abrupt Climate Change (not offered in 2022-23)
    • ENTS 289 Climate Change and Human Health
    • GEOL 210 Geomorphology and Lab
    • GEOL 258 Geology of Soils and Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
    • GEOL 340 Hydrogeology: Groundwater
    • GEOL 370 Geochemistry of Natural Waters (not offered in 2022-23)

VI. Topical Seminar (6 credits):

All students must take one 300-level seminar that includes an individual research paper. This course may also count as an elective. Courses that fulfill this requirement are:

  • BIOL 355 Seminar: The Plant-Animal Interface (not offered in 2022-23)
  • BIOL 363 Seminar: Ecomechanics
  • BIOL 374 Seminar: Grassland Ecology (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENTS 307 Wilderness Field Studies: Grand Canyon (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENTS 310 Topics in Environmental Law and Policy (not offered in 2022-23)
  • GEOL 340 Hydrogeology: Groundwater
  • HIST 306 American Wilderness (not offered in 2022-23)
  • HIST 308 American Cities and Nature
  • POSC 333 Global Social Changes and Sustainability*
  • POSC 335 Navigating Environmental Complexity—Challenges to Democratic Governance and Political Communication
  • SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment (not offered in 2022-23)

VII. Senior Seminar/Comprehensive Exercise (9 credits): Most students will take a 3-credit senior seminar, which is normally offered fall term, and then pursue a 6-credit group-based comprehensive exercise the following term. In exceptional circumstances, students may pursue an individual comprehensive exercise.