Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Environmental and Sustainability Studies Major with Concentration in Sustainability Studies

Major Overview

The major in environmental and sustainability studies with a sustainability studies concentration is an interdisciplinary track in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies program that examines the ecological, ethical, and economic forces of human–environment interactions and how organizations design their activities to mitigate human impacts with ecological sustainability in mind. The concentration provides students with the tools necessary to contribute to the development of resilient human-natural systems and organizations in a changing climate.

Major Requirements

The requirements for a major in environmental and sustainability studies with a sustainability studies concentration are 37-40 credits:

Environmental and Sustainability Studies Courses
ENVR 103Ecosystems and Human Influence4
or BIOL 221 Ecology
ENVR/PSC 365Global Sustainability Issues4
Statistical or Geographical Reasoning Courses
Select 4 credits in statistical or geographical reasoning from the following:4
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Introduction to Statistics
Methods and Techniques of Political Analysis
Statistics and Psychology Measurement
Ethics or Theology Courses
Select 4 credits in ethics or theology from the following:4
Environmental Ethics
Ethics of Sustainable Community
Religion and Ecology
Policy or Economics Courses
Select 8 credits in policy or economics from the following:8
Principles of Global Economics
Global Development Issues
Climate Change and Conflict
Environmental Policy- Politics
Petroleum Politics & Planet
Environmental Nutrition
Politics of Development
Urban Communities
Social Change in Theory & Practice
Arts and Humanities Courses
Select 4 credits in arts and humanities from the following:4
Video Production
Global Literature and Environmental Justice
Animal Stories: Kinship, Rivalry, and Alterity
Sustainability in Germany
Nature's Place in U.S. History
Sustainability in History
Upper-Level Environmental Science or GIS
Select 4 credits of upper-level environmental science or GIS not taken above from the following:4
Conservation Biology
Limnology
Ecology of East Africa
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geology
Sustainability-Related Internship
Select 1-4 credits in sustainability-related internship, study away, or directed research experience approved by the environmental and sustainability studies program director(s) from:1-4
Academic Internship
Directed Research
Research
ENVR 475Interdisciplinary Research4
Total Hours37-40

Degree and Graduation Requirements
In addition to the program-specific requirements listed above, all students must complete the graduation requirements specified for their degree.  See the Degree and Graduation Requirements section for more information.