Requirements

Environmental Studies Major

The Environmental Studies (ENVS) major is a challenging multidisciplinary program of study that involves 14 courses from at least five departments. Each student tailors the major to her/his own interests and strengths within curricular guidelines. 

Many of these courses are not offered every year, so careful planning is a must. We recommend that potential Environmental Studies majors complete most of the required 100-level courses by the end of their second year. Environmental Studies majors are required to successfully complete all prerequisite courses, particularly Bio 163 and Econ 110 (Delete: 199), to be admitted into upper-level courses. Once a major, students will be given preferential placement in some Environmental Studies courses.

After reviewing the course requirements, students should also review the information in the Guide for Prospective Students page. 

Students seeking to major in Environmental Studies are required to meet with the Director of Environmental Studies to devise an initial plan of study. Please see the Procedures for Enrolling in Environmental Studies page for more details.

Major requirements

(14 courses are required for the major)

1. BIOL 117 Environmental Science

2. ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives

3. ENVS 404 Capstone Seminar 

4. And 5. Two of these introductory science courses (BIOL 163, CHEM 141 (with lab) or CHEM 181, GEOS 150, PHYS 115)

6. And 7. Two environmental humanities courses, one of which must be 200-level or higher

8. One environmental economics course (ECON 224, etc.)

9. One additional environmental social science course

10. And 11. Two additional environmental science courses, one of which must include a lab

12. A quantitative or spatial analysis course (GIS or Statistics or MATH 303 Mathematical Modeling)

13. And 14. Two more upper level environmental electives in any area.  One of the upper level course requirements can be fulfilled by undergraduate research (e.g., BIOL  401 or college honors thesis) for academic credit with prior permission of the ENVS Director.

Advanced Placement Credit in the ENVS major

  • Students scoring a 5 on the AP Environmental Science exam will normally skip BIOL 117 Environmental Science and take an additional Environmental Studies science elective.
  • Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam may opt to skip CHEM 181 Atoms & Molecules and take CHEM 231 Equilibrium & Reactivity instead.
  • Students will forfeit their AP Chemistry credit if they choose to take CHEM 181 instead.
  • AP Statistics or AP Microeconomics: Talk to the Director.
  • AP credits may be used for advanced placement in the Environmental Studies major; however, they do not reduce the number of courses required.  Students are invited to contact the program director with questions.

AP credits cannot be applied toward the ENVS minor.

Environmental Studies Minor

The Environmental Studies Minor is a multidisciplinary program of study that involves 7 courses from at least 3 departments. Each student tailors the minor to his/her own interests and strengths within the curricular guidelines. Students may apply for an Environmental Studies Minor in conjunction with any major. 

Students seeking to minor in ENVS are required to meet with the Director of ENVS (currently  Prof. McAlister) to devise a list of available courses that complement the student’s major.

All ENVS minors are required to have successfully completed all of the pre-requisite courses to be admitted into upper-level courses. 

Only two courses can count toward both a major and the ENVS minor.

Minor requirements

(7 courses, beginning with class of 2023)

1. BIOL 117 Environmental Science or BIOL 280 General Ecology

2. ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives

3. One environmental humanities course

4. One environmental social science course

5. And 6. Two additional environmental science courses

7. One more environmental course in any area 

No more than 2 courses can overlap with major, and at least three courses must be at the 200-level or higher.

Advice for Potential Majors and Minors

Students contemplating the Environmental Studies major or minor should take BIO 117 Environmental Science during their first year (and no later than the spring of their second year), and potential majors should plan to take ECON 110 before the end of their second year. Performance and interests in these courses will help you decide on majoring or minoring in Environmental Studies.

Students interested in Environmental Studies must meet with the director to discuss the program’s curriculum and to determine their level of interest and aptitude. Below are a series of questions we use to help potential Environmental Studies students find the best major and level of involvement in the program. We encourage some students to pursue majors in traditional departments and be involved in Environmental Studies as either a minor or "friend of the program." 

Consideration #1: Are you really best served by majoring in biology or chemistry? Students who aspire to attend graduate school or careers in environmental science should be advised to fully consider biology or chemistry as a major and Environmental Studies as a minor.

Consideration #2: Are you really best served by majoring in a social science discipline with a traditional department (e.g., economics, political science, or sociology) and minoring in Environmental Studies? Students who aspire to pursue graduate school in the social sciences or environmental policy or work at an economic firm are advised to fully consider this option.

Consideration #3: Are you really best served by majoring in a humanities department (e.g., English, history, philosophy, or religion) and minoring in Environmental Studies?

Consideration #4: Finally, are you perhaps really best served by majoring in Environmental Studies? A) Are your interests in Environmental Studies and post-graduate aspirations well defined? B) Do you have a sufficient academic record and strong performance in environmental science, suggesting that you will succeed in the other required science courses? C) Are you likely to flourish in a multidisciplinary program?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an Environmental Science major or minor?
No. If you are interested in a career or graduate school in an environmental science field, we encourage you to consider majoring in a science discipline (biology, chemistry, or physics) and minoring in Environmental Studies. The Environmental Studies major is for students who are interested in a truly multidisciplinary program with significant coursework in the social sciences and humanities.

Where Can I find Environmental Studies courses?

In the STAR Course Search window, select "Environmental Studies" under "Subject."  You will see all courses that count toward the ENVS major and minor listed there.

I'd like to minor in Environmental Studies but don't plan to be a biology major. Can I take the upper level biology classes, like Marine Biology or Conservation Biology?
Yes, but assume that all course prerequisites apply. The decision about letting Environmental Studies students in without prerequisites is solely up to the course instructor. If you are interested in these upper level biology classes, you will probably need to take biology 163 and possibly other biology classes first, but talk to the professor about it before your enrollment period.

I started out as a biology major and took Bio 161 and/or Bio 162. Do I still need to take Bio 163 for the Environmental Studies major?
Yes. Bio 163 is the introduction to biological diversity and ecology, and is the prerequisite for most of the upper level environmental biology courses.

What classes should I take first? 

ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives and BIOL 117 are the two "gateway" courses to the major and minor, so it is best if possible to start with those.  That said, you are welcome to take any course listed under Environmental Studies that interests you.  That can be the best way to determine if you still wish to pursue the major or minor. For ENVS majors, we recommend that students take most of the required introductory courses (requirements 1-5) early, preferably before the end of sophomore year if you can; note that only first- and second-year students can enroll in BIOL 117 and ECON 110. Minors should also try to take ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives and BIOL 117 Environmental Science before the end of sophomore year

Can I fulfill common area requirements with Environmental Studies courses?
Certainly! Many Environmental Studies courses carry common area designations, and there is no limit to the number of common area requirements that can be fulfilled through the Environmental Studies major or minor.

I took an environmentally themed Montserrat class. Does that count towards the major or minor?
Maybe. Certain Montserrat courses can be applied toward the Environmental Studies major and/or minor. The list of approved Montserrat courses and what requirements they fulfill change every year, so you should check with the director if you have a question about a specific one. In all cases, approved year-long Montserrat courses can only fulfill ONE course toward the major or minor.