Lower-Division Courses
Both of the following
STAT 7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
STAT 7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
Plus one of the following options
Plus all of the following
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following
Plus the following
ENVS 25 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 5 |
Plus one of the following
ANTH 2 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 5 |
PHIL 22 | Introduction to Ethical Theory | 5 |
PHIL 24 | Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues | 5 |
PHIL 28 | Environmental Ethics | 5 |
BME 80G
/PHIL 80G
| Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society | 5 |
SOCY 1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
SOCY 10 | Issues and Problems in American Society | 5 |
SOCY 15 | World Society | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
One of the following options
Plus all of the following
Electives
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. Please note that lecture/lab combinations count as a single elective.*
*Revised: 4/19/23.
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:
ENVS 110 | Institutions, the Environment, and Economic Systems | 5 |
ENVS 130B | Justice and Sustainability in Agriculture | 5 |
ENVS 140 | National Environmental Policy | 5 |
ENVS 141 | Ecological Economics | 5 |
ENVS 143 | Sustainable Development: Economy, Policy, and Environment | 5 |
ENVS 145 | Green Cities | 5 |
ENVS 146 | Water Quality: Policy, Regulation, and Management | 5 |
ENVS 147 | Global Environmental Justice | 5 |
ENVS 149
/LGST 149
| Environmental Law and Policy | 5 |
ENVS 150 | Coastal and Marine Policy | 5 |
ENVS 151 | Environmental Assessment | 5 |
ENVS 154 | Amazonian Cultures and Conservation | 5 |
ENVS 158 | Political Ecology and Social Change | 5 |
ENVS 165 | Sustainable Water Systems | 5 |
ENVS 172 | Environmental Risks and Public Policy | 5 |
ENVS 173 | An Introduction to World Environmental History | 5 |
ENVS 176 | Vulnerability, Complex Systems, and Disasters | 5 |
None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study or substitution course.
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 on the department website.
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 in the courses section of the catalog.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
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:
Plus one of the following options:
Students taking the cross-listed course BIOE 151B/ENVS 109B are recommended to enroll in ENVS 109B.
Comprehensive Requirement
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.
The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.
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
*This course is also offered in the spring term.
This planner assumes that a student has placed into MATH 3 or AM 3.
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.
Students interested in taking the senior thesis or senior internship as their comprehensive requirement must take ENVS 195A (thesis) or ENVS 183A (internship) in the quarter before completing ENVS 195B (thesis) or ENVS 183B (internship). Both the senior thesis and senior internship are two consecutive quarter commitments.
Plan Two for Incoming Transfer Students
*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.
Students interested in taking the senior thesis or senior internship as their comprehensive requirement must take ENVS 195A (thesis) or ENVS 183A (internship) in the quarter before completing ENVS 195B (thesis) or ENVS 183B (internship). Both the senior thesis and senior internship are two consecutive quarter commitments.