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 · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 110: Introduction to Geology & Lab
  • GEOL 120: Introduction to Environmental Geology & Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 125: Introduction to Field Geology & Lab
  • GEOL 130: Geology of National Parks & Lab
  • GEOL 135: Introduction to Climate Science & Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • 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, 143, 144 or 145)

Introductory Economics (6 credits)

  • ECON 111 Principles of Microeconomics. This requirement may be waived with an Economics AP score of 5 or Economics IB score of 6 or 7.

II. Quantitative Methods (12 credits):

  • Take ENTS 120 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis

and one of the following:

  • STAT 120 Introduction to Statistics or
  • STAT 230 Applied Regression Analysis or
  • MATH 240 Probability or
  • STAT 250 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:

  • ARTH 267: Gardens in China and Japan · not offered in 2024-25
  • ARTS 113: Field Drawing
  • ARTS 212: Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Mixed-Media Drawing
  • ARTS 275: Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: The Physical and Cultural Environment
  • ECON 240: Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 268: Economics of Cost Benefit Analysis · not offered in 2024-25
  • ECON 269: Economics of Climate Change
  • ECON 273: Water and Western Economic Development · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENGL 236: American Nature Writing · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENGL 247: The American West · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENGL 248: Visions of California · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENGL 288: California Program: The Literature of California · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 210: Environmental Justice · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 215: Environmental Ethics · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 220: Sovereignty and Sustainability
  • ENTS 244: Biodiversity Conservation and Development · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 248: Environmental Memoir · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 249: Troubled Waters · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 250: Food, Forests & Resilience · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 251: Field Study in Sustainability in Oaxaca · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 275: The Arts and Environmental Justice · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 307: Wilderness Field Studies: Grand Canyon · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 310: Topics in Environmental Law and Policy · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 318: Trees, Forests, and Climate Justice · not offered in 2024-25
  • HIST 286: Ecology and Society in African History · not offered in 2024-25
  • HIST 306: American Wilderness · not offered in 2024-25
  • HIST 308: American Cities and Nature
  • LTAM 220: Eating the Americas: 5,000 Years of Food
  • POSC 212: Political Psychology of Elites · not offered in 2024-25
  • POSC 268: Global Environmental Politics and Policy · not offered in 2024-25
  • POSC 274: Covid-19 and Globalization · not offered in 2024-25
  • POSC 333: Global Social Changes and Sustainability
  • POSC 335: Navigating Environmental Complexity–Challenges to Democratic Governance and Political Communication · not offered in 2024-25
  • POSC 379: Political Economy and Ecology of S.E. Asia: Diversity of Social Ecological Systems in Southeast Asia
  • RELG 239: Religion & American Landscape · not offered in 2024-25
  • RELG 243: Native American Religious Freedom · not offered in 2024-25
  • RELG 257: Asian Religions and Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • SOAN 203: Anthropology of Good Intentions
  • SOAN 233: Anthropology of Food · not offered in 2024-25
  • SOAN 323: Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment
  • SOAN 333: Environmental Anthropology · not offered in 2024-25

Environmental Science: Take 12 credits from the following list:

  • BIOL 215: Agroecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 224: Landscape Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 225: Landscape Ecology Laboratory · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 238: Entomology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 248: Behavioral Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 262: Ecological Physiology
  • BIOL 321: Ecosystem Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 350: Evolution
  • BIOL 352: Population Ecology
  • BIOL 363: Seminar: Ecomechanics
  • BIOL 374: Seminar: Grassland Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 225: Carbon and Climate · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 254: Topics in Landscape Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 288: Abrupt Climate Change · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 289: Climate Change and Human Health
  • GEOL 210: Geomorphology and Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 260: Coastal Marine Ecology & Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 340: Hydrogeology: Groundwater & Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 358: Soils and Lab
  • GEOL 370: Geochemistry of Natural Waters & Lab

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 321: Ecosystem Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 355: Seminar: The Plant-Animal Interface · not offered in 2024-25
  • BIOL 363: Seminar: Ecomechanics
  • BIOL 374: Seminar: Grassland Ecology · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 307: Wilderness Field Studies: Grand Canyon · not offered in 2024-25
  • ENTS 310: Topics in Environmental Law and Policy · not offered in 2024-25
  • GEOL 340: Hydrogeology: Groundwater & Lab · not offered in 2024-25
  • HIST 306: American Wilderness · not offered in 2024-25
  • 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 · not offered in 2024-25
  • SOAN 313: Woke Nature: Towards an Anthropology of Non-Human Beings
  • SOAN 323: Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment

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.