Environmental Studies/Earth Sciences Combined Major B.A.

• Information and Policies
• Requirements and Planners

Information and Policies

Introduction Expand and Collapse

This course of study provides students with the basic tools of Earth sciences and environmental studies needed to address environmental problems.

Students interested in the four available concentrations (geographic information systems, global environmental justice, conservation science and policy, and agroecology and sustainable food systems) should choose to pursue the environmental studies B.A. degree. This does not apply to students who declared a combined major and concentration in agroecology and sustainable food systems prior to 2019.

Academic Advising for the Program Expand and Collapse

Advising is one way to make the most of your university experience. The advising system at UC Santa Cruz is amazing, and we encourage you to use it often. Ask questions, seek advice, and make decisions that work best for you.

To receive advising for this major, contact [e-mail]. Additional information for prospective transfer students can be found in the Transfer Information and Policy section.

Program Learning Outcomes Expand and Collapse

Students graduating with a B.A. degree in environmental studies/Earth sciences will:

• Identify the societal (social, political, economic and ethical) agents and structures that contribute to environmental change. (social science competency)

• Describe the structure and functioning of major physical and ecological components of the earth’s systems. (natural science competency)

• Access and analyze a complex literature addressing specific topics in environmental studies, and evaluate the usefulness and limitations of individual sources of information. (analytic thinking)

• Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. (communication skills).

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process Expand and Collapse

Major Qualification Expand and Collapse

To qualify to declare the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents.

One of the following

ENVS24	General Ecology	5
BIOE20C	Ecology and Evolution	5

Plus all of the following

ENVS25	Environmental Policy and Economics	5
CHEM1A	General Chemistry	5
STAT7	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences	5
STAT7L	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory	2

Determining qualification

• Students who complete all the qualification courses with a grade of P, or letter grade of C or better are eligible to declare a major.

• Students who have received one grade of C-, D+, D, D-, or F in one of the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz will only be eligible to declare after successfully completing the same or an equivalent course with a letter grade of C or better.

• Students with two or more grades of C-, D+, D, D-, or F in the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz are not eligible to declare.

• Students with AP credit for any of the qualification course(s) are eligible to declare after successfully completing the remaining qualification courses.

• Students must attend an Environmental Studies Department declaration workshop when requesting to declare the major.

Appeal Process Expand and Collapse

Students who are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting an appeal to qualify for the major here within 15 days of the denial of the declaration. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student and college of the decision. If a student has questions about the appeals process, they should contact [e-mail].

How to Declare a Major Expand and Collapse

Students wishing to declare within the Environmental Studies Department should visit the Environmental Studies Department website and follow the steps to declare listed there. Degree requirement sheets may be downloaded from the Environmental Studies Undergraduate Program Requirements page.

Transfer Information and Policy Expand and Collapse

Transfer Admission Screening Policy Expand and Collapse

To be considered for admission to UC Santa Cruz in the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined majors, transfer students must pass equivalents of the following courses with a C (2.0) or better in these required courses:

One of the following:

ENVS24	General Ecology	5
BIOE20C	Ecology and Evolution	5

Plus all of the following:

CHEM1A	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1B	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1M	General Chemistry Laboratory	2
CHEM1C	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1N	General Chemistry Laboratory	2

Plus one of the following courses:

AM3	Precalculus for the Social Sciences	5
MATH3	Precalculus	5
MATH11A	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH19A	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5

Plus one of the following options:

Either ENVS 25; or ECON 1 and a course in national or international politics (defined in ASSIST); or or ECON 2 and a course in national or international politics (defined in ASSIST).

Prospective transfer students should review transfer information on the environmental studies transfer information.

Students who are proposed in a different major and have advanced standing when they come to UC Santa Cruz require permission from the department to change into the major. Contact [e-mail] to request permission.

Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student Expand and Collapse

Transfer students pursuing environmental studies majors are encouraged to transfer in the fall quarter.

Transfer students should enroll in STAT 7 and STAT 7L during the summer or fall quarter in order to take ENVS 100 and ENVS 100L in winter or spring quarter of their first year. Transfer students who have completed the screening requirements listed above can formally declare their major, following the steps in How to Declare a Major given above.

ENVS 25 and CHEM 1A are usually offered during Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz, and transfer students are encouraged to take them if they have not completed a substitute requirement or want a better understanding of the relevant material. If you are transferring, compare catalog descriptions, consult your current institution's adviser, and refer to the ASSIST website to determine equivalency. Prospective transfer students should review the transfer information.

Letter Grade Policy Expand and Collapse

This program does not have a letter grade policy, except that the senior comprehensive requirement must be taken for a letter grade.

Course Substitution Policy Expand and Collapse

Students pursuing the Environmental Studies/Biology Combined Major cannot substitute courses to count toward their upper division electives.

Study Abroad Expand and Collapse

Environmental studies students are encouraged to study abroad and participate in other off-campus programs. If students are interested in planning to study abroad
please note the following policies:

• Students planning to study abroad must be declared in their major prior to
  studying abroad.
• Students must have their courses they plan to take abroad reviewed and
  approved by Environmental Studies Advising.
• Environmental studies/biology combined majors cannot petition their courses
  taken abroad for upper division course substitution.
• For more information on EAP, please visit the UC Education Abroad Program
  website.

Honors Expand and Collapse

Departmental Honors. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in all courses used to satisfy the environmental studies upper-division requirements. To be considered for departmental honors, students are limited to no more than one grade of P in those upper-division courses.

Senior Comprehensive Honors. Only applicable to a senior thesis, senior internship, or individual work in a senior seminar. Honors must be awarded by the student’s faculty sponsor, and a second faculty member (chosen by the student’s faculty adviser) must confer.

Highest Departmental Honors. Students must have a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) in in all courses used to satisfy the environmental studies upper-division requirements and must also receive senior comprehensive honors (see above).

Students must fulfill all requirements for honors from environmental studies and biology.

Requirements and Planners

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Course Requirements Expand and Collapse

Lower-Division Courses Expand and Collapse

All of the following

STAT7	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences	5
STAT7L	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory	2

Plus one of the following options

Either these courses
MATH11A	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH11B	Calculus with Applications	5
or these courses
MATH19A	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5
MATH19B	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5

Plus all of the following

Choose one of the following:

CHEM1A	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1B	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1M	General Chemistry Laboratory	2
CHEM1C	General Chemistry	5
CHEM1N	General Chemistry Laboratory	2

Plus one of the following options

Either these courses
PHYS6A	Introductory Physics I	5
PHYS6L	Introductory Physics Laboratory	1
PHYS6B	Introductory Physics II	5
PHYS6M	Introductory Physics Laboratory	1
or these courses
PHYS5A	Introduction to Physics I	5
PHYS5L	Introduction to Physics Laboratory	1
PHYS5B	Introduction to Physics II	5
PHYS5M	Introduction to Physics Laboratory	1

Plus one of the following options

Either these courses
EART20	Environmental Geology	5
EART20L	Environmental Geology Laboratory	1
or these courses
EART5	California Geology	5
EART5L	California Geology Laboratory	1
or these courses
EART10	Geologic Principles	5
EART10L	Geologic Principles Laboratory	1

Plus one of the following

ENVS24	General Ecology	5
BIOE20C	Ecology and Evolution	5

Plus the following

ENVS25

Environmental Policy and Economics

5

Plus one of the following

ANTH2	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	5
PHIL22	Introduction to Ethical Theory	5
PHIL24	Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues	5
PHIL28	Environmental Ethics	5
BME80G /PHIL 80G	Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society	5
SOCY1	Introduction to Sociology	5
SOCY10	Issues and Problems in American Society	5
SOCY15	World Society	5

Upper-Division Courses Expand and Collapse

One of the following options

Either these courses
EART110A	Evolution of the Earth	5
EART110L	Evolution of the Earth Laboratory	2
or these courses
EART110B	Earth as a Chemical System	5
EART110M	Earth as a Chemical System Laboratory	2
or these courses
EART110C	The Dynamic Earth	5
EART110N	The Dynamic Earth Laboratory	2

Plus all of the following

ENVS100	Ecology and Society	3
ENVS100L	Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory	5

Electives Expand and Collapse

The upper-division courses should be selected in pursuit of a coherent plan of study, such as water policy-hydrology, restoration ecology-geochemistry, agroecology-soil physical processes, or environmental policy-climate change, among others, in consultation with faculty from both the Environmental Studies and Earth and Planetary Sciences departments. None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study or substitution course.

Three upper-division environmental studies courses

Three additional upper-division environmental studies courses (numbered ENVS 101-ENVS 179) including at least one course based in the social sciences selected from the following upper-division courses:

ENVS110	Institutions, the Environment, and Economic Systems	5
ENVS130B	Justice and Sustainability in Agriculture	5
ENVS140	National Environmental Policy	5
ENVS141	Ecological Economics	5
ENVS143	Sustainable Development: Economy, Policy, and Environment	5
ENVS145	Green Cities	5
ENVS146	Water Quality: Policy, Regulation, and Management	5
ENVS147	Environmental Inequality/Environmental Justice	5
ENVS149 /LGST 149	Environmental Law and Policy	5
ENVS150	Coastal and Marine Policy	5
ENVS151	Environmental Assessment	5
ENVS154	Amazonian Cultures and Conservation	5
ENVS158	Political Ecology and Social Change	5
ENVS165	Sustainable Water Systems	5
ENVS172	Environmental Risks and Public Policy	5
ENVS173	An Introduction to World Environmental History	5
ENVS176	Vulnerability, Complex Systems, and Disasters	5

A list of all courses offered by the Environmental Studies Department is available here. A list of which upper-division courses offered in the current year by the Environmental Studies Department are based in the natural sciences and in the social sciences is available here.

Three upper-division Earth sciences courses

Three additional upper-division Earth sciences courses (Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered EART 100-EART 191C). A list of the upper-division courses offered by the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department is available here.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement Expand and Collapse

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement for the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined major is satisfied by completing:

The following courses:

ENVS100	Ecology and Society	3
ENVS100L	Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory	5

Plus one of the following options:

Either one of these courses
BIOE151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
ENVS183B	Senior Internship	5
ENVS190	Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving	5
ENVS195B	Senior Thesis Group	5
ENVS196	Senior Seminar	5
EART195	Senior Thesis	5
or these courses
EART188A	Summer Field Internship	5
EART188B	Geographic Information Systems with Applications to the Earth Sciences	5

Students taking the cross-listed course BIOE 151B/ENVS 109B are recommended to enroll in ENVS 109B.

Comprehensive Requirement Expand and Collapse

Students satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement in environmental studies or Earth sciences by completing either:

• One of the senior comprehensive options for single environmental studies B.A. majors (see options listed below);
• One of the senior comprehensive options for Earth sciences B.S. (see Comprehensive Requirement under the Earth Sciences B.S.).

The senior comprehensive may be satisfied by completing one of the options listed below. All courses used to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement must be taken for a letter grade.

Before enrolling in the senior thesis or senior internship option, students must formally apply to work with a particular faculty mentor very early in their thesis or project preparation. The senior thesis and senior internship option require careful planning, additional independent research, and at least a two-quarter commitment.

Students with advanced skills in one of the graduate focal areas may also take a graduate seminar by invitation from the instructor.

Either this course
BIOE151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
or these courses
ENVS183A	Senior Internship	5
ENVS183B	Senior Internship	5
or this course
ENVS190	Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving	5
or these courses
ENVS195A	Senior Research	5
ENVS195B	Senior Thesis Group	5
or this course
ENVS196	Senior Seminar	5

Students taking the cross-listed course BIOE 151B/ENVS 109B are recommended to enroll in ENVS 109B.

ENVS 190 is offered in the spring and summer.

ENVS 183B and ENVS 195B are usually taken after successfully completing ENVS 183A and ENVS 195A respectively.

Planners Expand and Collapse

The following are two sample academic plans for students pursuing the environmental studies B.A. major without a concentration. Plan One is for incoming frosh and Plan Two is for incoming transfer students.

Plan One for Incoming Frosh

	Fall	Winter	Spring
1st (frosh)	MATH 3 or AM 3	ENVS 25	CHEM 1A
		EART 5 & EART 5L	SOCY/ANTH/ethics course
2nd (soph)	ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C	ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L*	CHEM 1B & CHEM 1M
	STAT 7 & STAT 7L	MATH 11A	PHYS 6A & PHYS 6L or PHYS 5A & PHYS 5L
3rd (junior)	CHEM 1C & CHEM 1N	Upper-division ENVS	PHYS 6B & PHYS 6M or PHYS 5B & PHYS 5M
	MATH 11B	EART 110B & EART 110M	Upper-division ENVS
4th (senior)	Upper-division EART	Upper-division EART	Upper-division EART
	Upper-division ENVS (social sciences)		Comprehensive  requirement

*This course is also offered in the spring term.

Students completing this major will have satisfied the SI, IN, PE-E, IS, IN, MF, and PR-E general education requirements. In addition, they will need to fulfill all remaining university, college, and general education requirements.

Plan Two for Incoming Transfer Students

 

	Fall	Winter	Spring
3rd (junior)	STAT 7 & STAT 7L	ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L*	Upper-division EART
		EART 110B & EART 110M	Upper-division ENVS
4th (senior)	Upper-division ENVS	Upper-division ENVS (social sciences)	Comprehensive requirement
	Upper-division EART	Upper-division EART

*This course is also offered in the spring term.

This planner assumes that a student has completed all required lower-division courses—including UCSC or community college general education requirements—with the exception of STAT 7 and STAT 7L, which is only offered at UC Santa Cruz.

A transfer student who has completed the requirements for the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) before matriculating at UC Santa Cruz, with at most two course requirements left to complete, is allowed to satisfy IGETC in lieu of the UCSC general education requirements.

Plan One for Incoming Frosh

	Fall	Winter	Spring
1st (frosh)	MATH 3 or AM3	SOC/ANTH/ethics course	ENVS 23 or CHEM 1A
		ENVS 25
2nd (soph)	ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C	ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L*	Upper-division ENVS
	STAT 7 & STAT 7L
3rd (junior)	Upper-division ENVS (social science)	Upper-division ENVS (natural science)	Upper-division ENVS
4th (senior)	Upper-division ENVS	Upper-division ENVS	Upper-division ENVS
			Comprehensive  requirement

*This course is also offered in the spring term.