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Environmental Studies, B.S.

Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the complex relationships between humans and the natural world. By combining a solid foundation of earth system science with social science and humanities courses, students will gain the skills and perspectives necessary to solving some of the pressing environmental issues of today. The program is flexible so that students can tailor the program to fit their interests and career goals. After a broad introduction to environmental issues students can focus on specific areas and topics of their interest, such as sustainability, planning, policy, communication, business, ecology, geology, environmental science, geography, and more. 

Total Program Credits: 120

General Education Requirements: 36 Credits
  ENGL 1010 Introduction to Academic Writing CC 3
or ENGH 1005 Literacies and Composition Across Context CC (5)  
  ENGL 2010 Intermediate Academic Writing CC 3
Complete one of the following: 4
  MATH 1050 College Algebra QL   
  MATH 1055 College Algebra with Preliminaries QL  
Complete the following: 3
  HIST 2700 US History to 1877 AS (3)  
and HIST 2710 US History since 1877 AS (3)  
  HIST 1700 American Civilization AS (3)  
  HIST 1740 US Economic History AS (3)  
  POLS 1000 American Heritage SS (3)  
  POLS 1100 American National Government AS (3)  
Complete the following:  
  PHIL 2050 Ethics and Values IH 3
  HLTH 1100 Personal Health and Wellness TE 2
or EXSC 1097 Fitness for Life TE (2)  
Distribution Courses  
  BIOL 1010 General Biology BB 3
or BIOL 1610 College Biology I BB (4)  
  ENVT 1110 Introduction to Environmental Management PP 3
  GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography PP 3
  Humanities Distribution 3
  GEOG 140G Introduction to Human Geography SS GI 3
  Fine Arts Distribution 3
Discipline Core Requirements: 22 Credits
  GEOG 2000 Sustainability and Environment SS 3
  GEOG 3000 Climate Change: Science and Society  3
  ENST 3000 Introduction to Environmental Studies 3
  ENST 3100 Environmental Justice 3
  ENVT 3290 Environmental Reporting WE 3
  ENVT 3850 Environmental Policy WE 3
  COMM 3115 Communicating in Environments 3
  GEO 480R Earth Science Seminar (must be taken twice) 1
Program Electives: 33 Credits
Complete six credits from the following 6
  ENVT 2560 Environmental Health (3)  
  ENVT 3280 Environmental Law (3)  
  ENVT 3800 Energy Use on Earth  (3)  
  ENVT 3770 Natural Resources Management  (3)  
  ENST 3520 Environmental Sociology (3)  
  ENST 490R Topics in Environmental Studies (3)  
  PHIL 3530 Environmental Ethics (3)  
  PHIL 4300 Environmental Aesthetics (3)  
Select one of the following methods courses 3
  ANTH 3850 Ethnographic Methods WE (3)  
  ENGL 3460 Wilderness and Environmental Writing (3)  
  GEOG 3600 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4)  
  STAT 2040 Principles of Statistics QL (4)  
Complete 12 credits from the following physical and life science courses  12
  ENVT 3750 Land Use Planning  (3)  
  GEOG 3700 Wetland Studies  (3)  
  GEOG 3400 Environmental Remote Sensing  (3)  
  GEOG 3300 Biogeography (4)  
  GEOG 3500 Geomorphology  (4)  
  GEOG 3650 Advanced Geographic Information Systems  (4)  
  GEOG 3705 Wetland Studies Laboratory  (1)  
  BIOL 2500 Environmental Biology BB (3)  
  BIOL 3700 General Ecology (3)  
  ENVT 2730 Introduction to Soils (4)  
  ENVT 3790 Applied Hydrology WE (4)  
  ENVT 4790 Hydrology II (4)  
  GEO 1080 Introduction to Oceanography PP (3)  
  GEO 1010 Introduction to Geology PP (3)  
  GEO 1085 Introduction to Oceanography Laboratory (1)  
  GEO 3080 Earth Materials WE (3)  
  GEO 3200 Geologic Hazards  (3)  
  GEO 202R Science Excursion (1)  
  GEO 3500 Geomorphology WE (4)  
  GEOG 4100 Geospatial Field Methods  (3)  
  METO 3100 Climate and the Earth System (3)  
Complete 12 credits from the following social science and humanities classes 12
  ANTH 3200 Food and Culture (3)  
  ANTH 101G Social Cultural Anthropology SS GI (3)  
  GEOG 2500 Geography of Latin America and the Caribbean (3)  
  GEOG 3110 Urban Geography WE (3)  
  GEOG 3200 Geography of Utah (3)  
  GEOG 3350 Geography of Africa (3)  
  GEOG 3800 Environmental History of the United States (3)  
or HIST 3800 Environmental History of the United States (3)  
  HIST 322G History of the American West to 1850 GI WE (3)  
  HIST 323G History of the American West since 1850 GI WE (3)  
  HIST 4320 History of Scientific Thought (3)  
  POLS 3030 State and Local Government (3)  
  POLS 3410 Globalization and Sustainable Development (3)  
  POLS 3310 Introduction to Public Policy WE (3)  
  POLS 3320 Nonprofits and The Public Sector (3)  
  POLS 3640 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (3)  
  PHIL 3400 Philosophy of Science (3)  
  SOC 1010 Introduction to Sociology SS (3)  
  SOC 3520 Environmental Sociology (3)  
or ENST 3520 Environmental Sociology (3)  
  SOC 4100 Contemporary Social Theory WE (3)  
  SOC 4400 Social Change (3)  
  PJST 3200 Global Poverty Facts Causes and Solutions (3)  
  PJST 3300 Community Development (3)  
Electives:  29 Credits
Choose any classes. It is recommended that you select classes listed in the categories above that have not been taken or select from the courses below. It is also recommended to select classes from the following prefixes: GEOG, GEO, ENVT, ENST, AIST, ANTH, SOC, BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, NSS, HIST, GIS, MATH, STAT, CS, REC, PHIL, ENTR, ARC, ART, HUM, ENGL, METO, PJST, POLS, MGMT.  29
  GEOG 482R GIS Internship  (1-3)  
  GEOG 489R Student Research in Geography  (1-4)  
  AIST 327G Indians of Utah GI (3)  
  CHEM 1210 Principles of Chemistry I PP (4)  
and CHEM 1215 Principles of Chemistry I Laboratory (1)  
  CHEM 1220 Principles of Chemistry II PP (4)  
and CHEM 1225 Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory (1)  
  STAT 2060 Introduction to Statistical Computing (1)  
  STAT 3040 Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences (3)  
  ENGL 373R Literature of Cultures and Places (3)  
  ENTR 2500 Creativity and Entrepreneurial Thinking SS (3)  
  ETHS 2500 Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)  
  AIST 3600 American Indian Policy and Tribal Government (3)  
  AIST 3810 Precolumbian America (3)  
  ANTH 3150 Culture Ecology and Health (3)  
  ANTH 3450 Shamanism and Indigenous Religion (3)  
  SOC 3700 Social Inequality (3)  
  SOC 3460 Political Sociology (3)  
  ETHS 2510 Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)  
  ENVT 3600 Appropriate Technology and Sustainable Development for the Developing World (3)  
  GEO 1220 Historical Geology  (3)  
  GEO 3100 Isotope Geochemistry  (3)  
  GEO 3000 Environmental Geochemistry (3)  
  GEO 3700 Structure and Tectonics (4)  
  GEO 4500 Sedimentary Geology WE (4)  
  MATH 1060 Trigonometry QL (3)  
  MATH 1210 Calculus I QL (4)  
  PHYS 2010 College Physics I PP (4)  
or PHYS 2210 Physics for Scientists and Engineers I PP (4)  
  PHYS 2020 College Physics II PP (4)  
or PHYS 2220 Physics for Scientists and Engineers II PP (4)  
  REC 1535 Backpacking (1)  
  REC 2700 Leave No Trace Trainer (1)  
  SOC 263G Race and Minority Relations GI (3)  
  SOC 3030 Social Research Methods WE (3)  
  SOC 2370 Sociology of Gender (3)  
  SOC 3690 Internet and Society (3)  
  SOC 3850 Rural Life--Global and Local (3)  

Notes;

  1. You need at least 40 hours of upper division credit to graduate. Work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting the 40 credits of upper division requirement. 

 

Graduation Requirements:

  1. Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits with a minimum of 40 upper-division credits.
  2. Overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) or above.
  3. Grade of C- or better in core curriculum courses.
  4. Successful completion of at least one Global/Intercultural course.
  5. Successful completion of at least two Writing Enriched (WE) courses.

Graduation Plan

This graduation plan is a sample plan and is intended to be a guide. Your specific plan may differ based on your Math and English placement and/or transfer credits applied. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor and set up an individualized graduation plan in Wolverine Track.

Semester 1 Course Title Credit Hours

MATH 1050

College Algebra QL

4

ENGL 1010

Introduction to Academic Writing CC

3
GEOG 140G Introduction to Human Geography SS GI 3
ENVT 1110 Introduction to Environmental Management PP 3
  Semester total: 13
Semester 2 Course Title Credit Hours
ENGL 2010 Intermediate Academic Writing CC 3
PHIL 2050 or PHIL 205G Ethics and Values IH GI 3
GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography PP 3
Humanities Distribution 3
American Institutions Distribution  3
  Semester total: 14.5
Semester 3 Course Title Credit Hours
GEOG 2000 Sustainability and Environment SS 3
ENST 3000 Introduction to Environmental Studies 3
Social Science/Humanities Prorgam Electives 3
BIOL 1010 or BIOL 1610 General Biology BB or College Biology I BB 3
Physical/Life Science Program Electives 3
  Semester total: 15
Semester 4 Course Title Credit Hours
Fine Arts Distribution 3
GEOG 3600 or ANTH 3850 or ENGL 3460 or STAT 2050 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems or Ethnographic Methods WE or Wilderness and Environmental Writing or Introduction to Statistical Methods 3
COMM 3115 Communicating in Environments 3
Social Science/Humanities Program Electives 3
Physical/Life Science Program Electives 3
  Semester total: 15
Semester 5 Course Title Credit Hours
GEO 480R Earth Science Seminar 0.5
ENVT 3850 Environmental Policy WE 3
Physical/Life Science Program Electives 3
Social Science/Humanities Program Electives 3
Elective 4
HLTH 1100 Personal Health and Wellness TE 2
  Semester total: 15.5
Semester 6 Course Title Credit Hours
GEOG 3000 Climate Change in Science and Society 3
Elective 4
Physical/Life Science Program Electives 3
Social Science/Humanities Program Electives 3
Program Electives 3
  Semester total: 16
Semester 7 Course Title Credit Hours
GEO 480R Earth Science Seminar 0.5
ENVT 3290 Environmental Reporting WE 3
ENST 3100 Environmental Justice 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
  Semester total: 15.5
Semester 8 Course Title Credit Hours
Program Electives 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
  Semester total: 15
  Degree total: 120

 

Department

Earth Science

The Earth Science department is in the College of Science. To find the most up-to-date information, including Program Learning Outcomes for degree programs offered by the Earth Science department, visit their website.

Earth Science

Program Details

Program Learning Outcomes
  1. Analyze the scientific underpinnings, social context, and political ramifications of key environmental challenges to design sustainable solutions.
  2. Evaluate the links between social and natural systems to identify appropriate areas of intervention.
  3. Critically assess environmental and sustainability programs, organizations, and reporting mechanisms to create new and/or revised programs, organizations, and reports.
  4. Analyze key environmental challenges facing societies and their unevenly distributed impacts.
  5. Influence policy outcomes using existing laws, regulations, stakeholders, and interesting groups relating to environmental issues.
  6. Create compelling written, verbal, and graphic presentations of environment and sustainability issues.
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