Environmental Studies/Biology Combined Major B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

This course of study provides students with the basic tools of biological science and sufficient understanding of resource conservation, conservation biology, and concerns about environmental sustainability to apply these tools to environmental problems.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a B.A. degree in environmental studies/biology combined 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:

All of the following courses:

Plus one of the following:

Recommended Courses

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

The following course:

Plus one of the following options:

ENVS 25

or

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

Plus the following courses:

Plus one of the following courses:

GPA Requirement

To be considered for admission in the environmental studies majors, transfer students must pass the preceding courses or their equivalents of the preceding courses with a C (2.0) or better in the required courses.

General Education Courses

Prospective students are encouraged to prioritize required and recommended major preparation, and may additionally complete courses that articulate to UC Santa Cruz general education requirements as time allows.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Transfer students pursuing any of the environmental studies majors are encouraged to transfer in the fall quarter. Transfer students should complete as many lower-division courses as possible before transferring. All remaining lower-division requirements should be completed in summer, fall, and winter of their first year in order to start upper-division courses in winter or spring of the first year. 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 general chemistry are usually offered during Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz, and transfer students are encouraged to take these courses 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 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 UC Santa Cruz 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/biology combined 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.

All of the following courses

Determining qualification

• Students who complete all the qualification courses with a 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 non-letter grades in any of the qualification courses for the environmental studies/biology combined B.A. major will not be eligible to declare until a grade of C or better has been assigned.

Plus one of the following:

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 a Major

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

To declare the ENVS/BIO major, students should visit the department website and follow declaration steps. 

Letter Grade Policy

All requirements for the environmental studies/biology combined major must be taken for a letter grade.

Course Substitution Policy

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

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 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

Departmental Honors. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in all courses used to satisfy the major's upper-division requirements. 

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 major's upper-division requirements and must also receive senior comprehensive honors (see above). 

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Courses

Chemistry and mathematics courses may require placement examinations. See the course descriptions for prerequisite information.

All of the following courses:

Plus one of the following courses:

Plus the math requirement

Either take 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 both of the following:

Plus one of the following chemistry series:

Plus one of the following physics options:

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete nine upper-division courses, plus the senior comprehensive requirement. 

All of the following courses:

Electives

Students must take a total of six upper-division electives:

• Three electives in ENVS (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101-ENVS 179). One of these three ENVS electives must be based in the social sciences -- see list below.
• Three electives in EEB (ecology and evolutionary biology courses numbered BIOE 107-BIOE 188) or MCD (molecular, cell, and developmental biology courses numbered BIOL 100-BIOL 140). One of these three must be a lab course -- see list below.

ENVS electives based in the social sciences:

Lab-based elective options:

If course has a lab offered, the lab must be taken to count for this requirement. Combined lecture/lab classes count as one course.

A list of all courses offered by the Environmental Studies Department is available in the courses section of the catalog. 

Students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in the pure or applied sciences are strongly encouraged to complete the organic chemistry series as well. 

These upper-division elective courses should be selected in pursuit of a coherent plan of study, chosen in consultation with faculty sponsors from both the Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies Departments. None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study, or substitution course.

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/biology combined major is satisfied by completing:

The DC requirement in environmental studies/biology combined is satisfied by completing

Plus one of the following:

Lecture/lab combinations count as one course. 

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/biology combined B.A. major. 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 plan does not explicitly show the required lab course among the ENVS or BIOE electives. 

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 plan does not include the required lab based course. Students must complete the lab-based requirement with the courses listed in the course requirements. 

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.