Major and Minor Requirements

Environmental Studies Courses

This list includes all the courses that contribute towards the Environmental Studies major and minor, and specifies the General Education requirements they fulfill and their pre-requisites. You can download a pdf version of this list. For more details on these courses and requirements, see the full University Catalog.

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Major in Environmental Studies
40 semester hours, completed with a grade of C- or higher and with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher in those courses.

1. Multidisciplinary Courses in Environmental Studies – 4 semester hours

By examining the broad dimensions of environmental studies, these courses present various perspectives that highlight the complex relationships between people and the environment and that transcend the boundaries of any particular discipline. Students select one of the following multidisciplinary courses that anchor their understanding of environmental issues. This course should be completed prior to enrolling in either ENVT 350 or 499.

• ECON 101: Principles of Microeconomics (4)
• ENVT/GEOS 104: Conservation of Natural Resources (4)
• RELI 239: Environment and Culture (4)

2. Disciplinary Breadth in Environmental Studies

Each course explores the key content, ways of inquiry, conceptual framework, and modes of communication of the discipline. Students take courses from each of three areas of study that provide an in-depth exposure to environmental issues within a discipline.

A. The Environment and Science – 8 semester hours
These courses emphasize the understanding of scientific knowledge that underpins environmental issues. The interpretation and presentation of data along with concepts of science are stressed. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:

• BIOL 116: Introductory Ecology (4)
• BIOL 367: Conservation Biology & Management, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• BIOL 368: Ecology, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• BIOL 369: Marine Biology, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• CHEM 104: Environmental Chemistry (4)
  • (Science majors may substitute with CHEM 115)
• GEOS 103: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Geological Hazards (4)
• GEOS 109: The Geology of Energy (4)
• GEOS 332: Geomorphology, Pre-req: GEOS 201 (4)
• NSCI 350: STEM Education Partnership (4)

B. The Environment and Society – 8 semester hours
These courses focus on the understanding of the institutions within which environmental decisions are made and investigate the implementation and implications of environmental decisions. They also consider how human communities have shaped and been shaped by their environment and how these relationships have changed over time. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:

• ANTH 368: Edible Landscapes, The Foraging Spectrum (4)
• ECON 215: Investigating Environmental & Economic Change in Europe, Pre-req: ECON 101 or 111 (4)
• ECON 313: Environmental Economics, Pre-requisite: ECON 101 or 111 (4)
• HIST 370: Environmental History of the US, Pre-req: Sophomore status (4)
• POLS 346: Environmental Politics and Policy (4)

C. The Environment and Sensibility – 8 semester hours
These courses examine the ways in which nature shapes and is shaped by human consciousness and perception. The courses critically interpret the values and assumptions that structure human communities and their relationships with the earth’s ecosystems. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:

• ENGL 234: Environmental Literature (4)
• ENGL 394: Studies in Literature and the Environment (4)
• PHIL 226: Environmental Ethics (4)
• PHIL 327: Environmental Philosophy (4)
• RELI 236: Native American Religious Traditions (4)
• RELI 257: Christian Theology, when topic is “Green Theology” only (4)

3. Environmental Justice – 4 semester hours

These courses examine intersections between environmental degradation and structural discrimination and how Indigenous and/or minoritized communities live in and experience these intersections. The courses critically interpret values and assumptions that structure human communities and their relationships to the earth’s ecosystem with special attention to the history of colonialism and capitalism, questions of racism, sexism, xenophobia, and/or speciesism, the exclusions of minoritized communities from environmentalist movements and the survivance and resistance of such communities at theses intersections. Students select one course from the following:

• NAIS 244: Environmental Justice and Indigenous People (4)
• RELI 365: Climate Justice (4)
• RELI 397: Indigenous Religions and Cultures of the Pacific Northwest (4)

4. Interdisciplinary Advanced Courses in Environmental Studies – 8 semester hours

Each student will complete these two synthesis courses that integrate methods and content of various academic perspectives to develop approaches to complex environmental challenges. The courses serve to raise questions, create products, or produce explanations that cannot be addressed within the framework of a particular discipline.

• ENVT 350: Environmental Methods of Investigation (4)
• ENVT 499: Capstone: Senior Project (4)

Additional Requirements for an Environmental Studies Major

• A complementary major or minor in another discipline
• A minimum of 20 semester hours of upper-division course work in the environmental studies major
• Completion of a pre-approved experiential learning activity (see program chair or website for specific requirements)

Minor in Environmental Studies
24 semester hours, completed with a grade of C- or higher and with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher in those course

1. Multidisciplinary Courses in Environmental Studies – 4 semester hours

Students select one of the following multidisciplinary courses that anchor their understanding of environmental issues. This course should be completed prior to enrolling in ENVT 350.

• ECON 101: Principles of Microeconomics (4)
• ENVT/GEOS 104: Conservation of Natural Resources (4)
• RELI 239: Environment and Culture (4)

2. The Environment and Science – 4 semester hours

Students select one course from the following that examine the scientific foundations of environmental issues:

• BIO 116: Introductory Ecology (4)
• BIOL 367: Conservation Biology & Management, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• BIOL 368: Ecology, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• BIOL 369: Marine Biology, Pre-req: BIOL 226 (4)
• CHEM 104: Environmental Chemistry (4)
  • (Science majors may substitute with CHEM 115)
• GEOS 103: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Geological Hazards (4)
• GEOS 109: The Geology of Energy (4)
• GEOS 332: Geomorphology, Pre-req: GEOS 201 (4)
• NSCI 350: STEM Education Partnership (4)

3. The Environment and Society – 4 semester hours

Students select one course from the following that pursue the study of institutions where environmental perspectives and policies are applied and how these have changed over time:

• ANTH 368: Edible Landscapes, The Foraging Spectrum (4)
• ECON 215 Investigating Environmental & Economic Change in Europe, Pre-req: ECON 101 or 111 (4)
• ECON 313: Environmental Economics, Pre-req: ECON 101 or 111 (4)
• HIST 370: Environmental History of the U.S. (4)
• POLI 346: Environmental Politics and Policy (4)

4. The Environment and Sensibility – 4 semester hours

Students select one course from the following that examine the ways in which nature shapes and is shaped by human consciousness and perception:

• ENGL 234: Environmental Literature (4)
• ENGL 394: Studies in Literature and the Environment (4)
• PHIL 226: Environmental Ethics (4)
• PHIL 327: Environmental Philosophy (4)
• RELI 236: Native American Religious Traditions (4)
• RELI 257: Christian Theology, when topic is “Green Theology” only (4)

5. Environmental Justice – 4 semester hours

Students select one course from the following that examine intersections between environmental degradation and structural discrimination and how Indigenous and/or minoritized communities live in and experience these intersections:

• NAIS 244: Environmental Justice and Indigenous Peoples (4)
• RELI 365: Climate Justice (4)
• RELI 397: Indigenous Religions and Cultures of the Pacific Northwest (4)

6. Environmental Methods of Investigation – 4 semester hours

• ENVT 350: Environmental Methods of Investigation (4)

Complimentary Minors

These are some of the minors you can combine with an Environmental Studies major. Please email or make an appointment with the Chair of the Program if you have any questions about which option might be best for you.