Environmental Science & Sustainability (First Year and Transfer)

• Information for Transfer Students

Environmental Science & Sustainability
Academic Bulletin

Area of Study:  Interdisciplinary Studies
Program: Major (BA & BS)

Overview

Students often say they are interested broadly in “the environment” or related topics: environmental science, environmental justice, wildlife, environmental communication or humanities, the outdoors, or sustainability.  If that’s the case, we strongly suggest that the student take ENVSC 110 - Intro. to Environmental Science during the first year, preferably the first semester.  There are always spaces reserved for first year and transfer students in ENVSC 110. It is much harder to get into this course during the sophomore and junior years and it serves as a prerequisite for many of our upper-level courses. 

The ESS department unites many disciplines, allowing students significant flexibility in shaping the major to their interests. However, these pathways often require thoughtful planning in the first two years given prerequisite sequences. This holds for ESS students interested in either natural science pathways (ecology, wildlife management, conservation biology, environmental engineering, agriculture, etc.) or those oriented toward environmental humanities, environmental social sciences, or other environmental focus areas (environmental policy, ecological economics, sustainable development, environmental justice, environmental writing, art and the environment, etc.). ESS majors therefore typically benefit from active planning with ESS professors. We strongly encourage students to meet with an ESS professor during their first semester, before registration in any semester, and to refer to the bulletin for lists of approved courses to meet curricular requirements.

Every ESS major designs a thematic concentration based on their interests (i.e., aquatic ecology, ecological economics, environmental justice, environmental writing, food and farming, forestry, sustainable energy). Their concentration is a cluster of seven courses, of which at least four must be at an upper level, and at least one must have the ENVSC prefix. Every ESS major also participates in community-based work as part of their ESS major. This work is integrated into the required courses. 

When advising a student interested in Environmental Science & Sustainability, please note:

• Off-campus study (EL seminars and study-away) and internships are strongly recommended within the major. Most courses completed during these experiences count toward the major. 
• Environmental Science & Sustainability majors develop a thematic concentration in consultation with an advisor in the department, a process that usually begins in the first year. If a student is already interested in a particular area, they should take foundational courses within appropriate departments as early as possible. If students are not yet invested in a particular concentration, please see the model concentrations below for inspiration and meet with an ESS advisor at your earliest convenience.
• The major leads to the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree (students may elect to receive either based on their area of specialization).

Environmental Science & Sustainability Pathways

• Students declaring an ESS major should simpy ask a faculty member to be their advisor.
• Students should plan to complete ENVSC 585 in either semester of the junior year.
  • ESS will send out a survey to all rising juniors before fall registration of their junior year. In the survey we will ask when they plan to take their junior seminar, in the fall or spring semester of their junior year. If they are taking it in the fall, we will ask them to select the section that works best for their schedule. They will receive a follow-up survey at the end of the fall semester to register for the spring junior seminars.
• ESS requires a two semester Senior Project
  • ENVSC 600, Senior Project I taken in the fall of the senior year
  • ENVSC 610, Senior Project II taken in the spring of the senior year
     

Sample Concentrations in Environmental Science & Sustainability

What might a thematic concentration in ESS look like? Here are a few ideas to help students imagine the possibilities before an advising session. An ESS concentration is a cluster of seven courses, with at least four at the upper level. At least one course in the concentration must have the ENVSC prefix. The other concentration courses can come from any department. Please keep in mind a full concentration is a cluster of seven courses, of which at least four must be at an upper level, and at least one must have the ENVSC prefix. The sample concentrations below are not fixed requirements, but rather examples to help envision what your concentration might begin to look like.

Information for Transfer Students

Environmental Science & Sustainability Transfer Pathways