Environmental Studies B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

The environmental studies major provides an interdisciplinary approach to learning how to move toward a more sustainable future for human and ecological systems. Courses in environmental studies provide training not only in the physical, biological, and social sciences, but also in writing, critical thinking, quantitative analysis, project and team management, and more. Most students extend their learning outside the classroom through the departmental internship program.

The major is available either without a concentration or in conjunction with one of three more specialized concentrations that provide depth in particular areas of expertise. See the Undergraduate Program page for a description of each of the concentrations offered.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a B.A. degree in environmental studies will be able to:

• 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).

Academic Advising for the Program

Advising is one way to make the most of your university experience. Ask questions, seek advice, and make decisions that work best for you.

To receive advising for this major, contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu. Additional information for prospective transfer students can be found in the Transfer Information and Policy section.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

This is a course-intensive and/or sequential program, and students who intend to pursue this major must begin taking classes for the major in their first year at UC Santa Cruz. Math placement is required for one or more of the foundational courses for this major. For more information, please review the Math Placement website. Language placement is not required for the major.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

Students who apply for transfer admission to the major are required to have taken the equivalents of the following courses with a C grade (2.0) or better by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall.

One of the following:

ENVS 23 or a general chemistry course 

Plus one of the following:

GPA Requirement

To be considered for admission in the environmental studies majors, transfer students must pass the screening policy courses or its equivalents with a C grade (2.0) or better. 

Recommended Courses

In addition, the following courses are recommended prior to transfer to ensure timely graduation. 

One of these courses:

Plus one of these:

ENVS 25

or

A course in national or international politics and a course in macroeconomics or microeconomics

Plus both of these courses:

Plus one of the following courses:

General Education Courses (GEs)

Prospective students are also encouraged to complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or to complete all UC Santa Cruz general education requirements before matriculation.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

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

Transfer students should complete as many lower-division requirements as possible before transferring. All remaining lower-division requirements should be completed in enroll in summer, fall, and winter of their first year in order to take ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L in winter or spring quarter of their first year. Transfer students can formally declare their major once STAT 7 & STAT 7L are completed. Transfer students can formally declare their major once qualification courses are successfully completed, following the declaration steps on the ENVS department website.

ENVS 25 and ENVS 23 are usually offered during Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz, and transfer students are encouraged to take these classes if they have not yet completed a substitute requirement or if they want a better understanding of the relevant material. If you are transferring, compare catalog descriptions, consult your current institution's advisor, and refer to the ASSIST website to determine equivalency. 

Students who are proposed in a different major and have advanced standing when they come to UCSC require permission from the department to change into the major. Contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu to request permission.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

To qualify for the environmental studies major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents.

For transfer requirements see Transfer Admission Screening Requirements. Transfer students must have ENVS major listed on their application in order to pursue the major, unless approved by appeal. If a student has questions about the appeals process, they should contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu.

One of the following:

Plus one of the following:

Plus this course:

Plus one of these statistics series:

Determining Qualification

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

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

• Students with two or more grades of NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F in the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz are not qualified to declare the major. See appeal process below.

• Students with AP credit (score of  3 or higher) for any of the qualification course(s) are qualified to declare after successfully completing the remaining qualification courses.

Appeal Process

Students who are not qualified to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting an appeal to qualify for the major 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 envsadvi@ucsc.edu.

How to Declare this Major

Petition to declare your major as soon as you have met qualification requirements and/or reach your declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first.

Students wishing to declare within the Environmental Studies Department should visit the Environmental Studies Department website and follow the declaration steps. 

Letter Grade Policy

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

Course Substitution Policy

Single environmental studies students can petition up to two upper-division courses to count toward the single environmental studies major requirements. These two substitutions courses may be the following:

• Pre-approved substitution courses: See the department website for a list of classes that can be taken without petition, as a substitution for an ENVS elective.

• By petition: You may petition to substitute courses taken outside of ENVS and/or UC Santa Cruz such as: other institutions, other departments, courses not listed on the pre-approved substitution list, other programs including Educational Abroad Program (EAP), Wildlands Studies, or the Sierra Institute. Please review the petitioning process here.

Study Abroad

Students in environmental studies are encouraged to participate in Study Abroad programs and other off-campus programs. Students who are interested in these programs shall note the following policies:

• Students who are planning to take part in Study Abroad programs 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.
• Single environmental studies majors may petition to substitute up to two courses taken abroad to count toward the environmental studies upper-division electives. Combined environmental studies majors cannot petition for substitution. Please review the petitioning process here prior to your EAP program.
• For more information on EAP, please visit the UC Education Abroad Program website.

Honors

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 nominated by the student’s faculty sponsor, and a second faculty member must concur.

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). To be considered for highest departmental honors, students are limited to no more than one grade of P in those upper-division courses.

Major Without a Concentration

Course Requirements

Continuing students must complete all lower-division course requirements before taking ENVS 100 and ENVS 100L.

Lower-Division Courses

One of the following options:

Plus one of the following courses:

Plus the following course:

Plus one of the following options:

One of the following courses

Or take a placement exam:

Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE) with a score of 300 or higher or take the AP Calculus exam with a score of 3 or higher

Plus one of these statistics series:

Plus one of the following:

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete the following upper-division courses:

Electives

A total of seven upper-division electives (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101 through ENVS 179) must be completed. At least one course must be from the list below of upper-division courses based on natural sciences, and at least one course must be from the list below of upper-division courses based on the social sciences.

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

Environmental studies electives based in natural sciences:

Lecture/lab combinations count as one course. See class details to check whether the lab is optional or required.

Environmental studies electives based in the social sciences:

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. A primary goal of the environmental studies major is to train students who are able to critically analyze interdisciplinary environmental problems, justify their position on an issue, and communicate that position to a range of audiences verbally and in writing.

The DC requirement in environmental studies is satisfied by completing

Plus one of the following:

Comprehensive Requirement

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.

Planners

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.

** WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

Students completing this major will have satisfied the SI, IN, PE-E, IS, 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.

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. 

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.

Geographic Information Systems Concentration

Course Requirements

Continuing students must complete all lower-division courses before taking ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L.

Lower-Division Courses

One of the following options:

Plus one of the following courses:

Plus the following course:

Plus one of the following courses:

Or take a placement exam

Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE) with a score of 300 or higher or take the AP Calculus exam with a score of 3 or higher

Plus one of the following statistics series:

Plus one of the following courses:

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete the following upper-division courses:

All of the following

Plus all of the following:

Electives

Four upper-division electives (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101 through ENVS 179). 

At least one course must be from the list below of upper-division courses based on natural sciences, and at least one course must be from the list below of upper-division courses based on the social sciences.

Lecture and lab combinations count as a single course.

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

In addition to coursework, it is strongly recommended that students complete at least one internship related to GIS applications environmental problem-solving (either upper- or lower-division).

Environmental studies electives based on natural sciences:

Environmental studies electives based on the social sciences:

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. A primary goal of the environmental studies major is to train students who are able to critically analyze interdisciplinary environmental problems, justify their position on an issue, and communicate that position to a range of audiences verbally and in writing.

The DC requirement in environmental studies is satisfied by completing

Plus one of the following:

Comprehensive Requirement

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. The topic engaged in the senior comprehensive courses must be relevant to the field of Geographic Information Systems. The relevance of the topic will be reviewed by the instructor of the senior comprehensive course. 

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 options require careful planning, additional independent research, and at least a two-quarter commitment. The topic must be related to geographic information systems.

Planners

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 with a concentration in geographic information systems. 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.

** WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

This planner assumes that a student has placed into MATH 3 or AM 3. 

Students completing this major will have satisfied SI, IN, PE-E, IS, 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 & STAT 7L, which is only offered at UC Santa Cruz.

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. 

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.

Global Environmental Justice Concentration

Course Requirements

Continuing students must complete all lower-division courses before taking ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L.

Lower-Division Courses

One of the following options:

Plus one of the following courses:

Plus the following course:

Plus the math requirement

The math requirement may be satisfied by taking one of the classes below, or by testing out via AP score or ALEKS math placement.

One of the following:

Or take a placement exam

Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE) with a score of 300 or higher or take the AP Calculus exam with a score of 3 or higher.

Plus one of these statistics series:

Plus one of the following courses:

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete the following upper-division courses:

Both of the following courses:

Plus four of the following environmental justice electives:

Electives

Three upper-division electives (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101 – ENVS 179). 

At least one course must be from the list below of upper division courses based on natural sciences.

Lecture and lab combinations count as a single course.

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

Courses based on natural sciences

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. A primary goal of the environmental studies major is to train students who are able to critically analyze interdisciplinary environmental problems, justify their position on an issue, and communicate that position to a range of audiences verbally and in writing.

The DC requirement in environmental studies is satisfied by completing

Plus one of the following:

Comprehensive Requirement

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. The topic engaged in the senior comprehensive courses must be relevant to the field of global environmental justice. 

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 options require careful planning, additional independent research, and at least a two-quarter commitment. The topic must be related to global environmental justice.

Planners

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 with a concentration in global environmental justice. 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.

** WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

Students completing this major will have satisfied SI, IN, PE-E, IS, IN, 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 & STAT 7L, which is only offered at UC Santa Cruz.

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. 

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.

Conservation Science and Policy Concentration

Course Requirements

Continuing students are required to complete all six lower-division courses before taking ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L. Five of the lower-division courses are preset and are listed below. See the course descriptions for more specific information.

Lower-Division Courses

One of the following options:

Plus one of the following courses:

Plus the following course:

Plus the math requirement

The math requirement may be satisfied either by taking one of the classes listed below, or by testing out via AP exam or ALEKS placement.

One of the following courses:

Or take a placement exam:

Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE) with a score of 300 or higher or take the AP Calculus exam with a score of 3 or higher

Plus one of these statistics series:

Plus one of the following courses:

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete the following upper-division courses:

Both of the following:

Plus one of the following:

Plus one of the following:

Plus two of the following CSP electives:

No duplicate courses from lists above.

Lecture/lab combinations count as a single course.

Field course

One of the following options:

One of the following field courses:

Or UCNRS field course

Or the University of California Natural Reserve System (UCNRS) California Ecology and Conservation Field Course (XENV 188).

Electives

Two upper-division electives (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101 – ENVS 179).

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. A primary goal of the environmental studies major is to train students who are able to critically analyze interdisciplinary environmental problems, justify their position on an issue, and communicate that position to a range of audiences verbally and in writing.

The DC requirement in environmental studies is satisfied by completing

Plus one of the following:

Comprehensive Requirement

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. The topic engaged in senior comprehensive courses must be relevant to the field of conservation science and policy. The relevance of the topic will be reviewed by the instructor of the senior comprehensive course. 

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. These courses require careful planning, additional independent research, and at least a two-quarter commitment. The topic must be related to conservation science and policy.

Planners

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 with a concentration in conservation science and policy. 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.

** WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

Students completing this major will have satisfied SI, SR, IN, PE-E, IS, 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 & STAT 7L, which is only offered at UC Santa Cruz.

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. 

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.