BS in Environmental Studies

Units required for Major: 67-69
Total units required for BS: 120

Program Description

The Environmental Studies program can help students use the resources of the entire University to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of such increasingly serious issues as pollution, wildlife and wilderness preservation, land use, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, energy conservation, and a generally healthful relationship between nature and society.

The major is designed to help students understand environmental issues in their political, social, and scientific context. Because dealing with environmental issues requires an interdisciplinary approach, we emphasize the development of strong writing, research, and quantitative skills and a broad liberal arts perspective.

Minimum Grade Requirement

A minimum grade of "C-" is required in all courses required for the Environmental Studies B.A. and B.S. majors.

Program Requirements

Required Lower Division Courses (24 Units)
BIO 1Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology 15
BIO 2Cells, Molecules and Genes5
or BIO 10
BIO 15L
Basic Biological Concepts
Laboratory Investigations in Biology
CHEM 1AGeneral Chemistry I 15
or CHEM 6A Introduction to General Chemistry
ECON 1BIntroduction to Microeconomic Analysis 13
ENVS 10Introduction to Environmental Science3
GEOG 1Physical Geography: The Distribution of Natural Phenomena 13
or GEOL 10 Physical Geology
Required Upper Division Courses (21 Units)
BIO 160General Ecology3
ENVS 111Environmental Ethics3
ENVS 112International Environmental Problems 13
ENVS 120Quantitative Methods for Environmental Science3
ENVS 121Field Methods in Environmental Science2
ENVS 187Environmental Studies Seminar1
ENVS 190Senior Thesis3
ENVS 195Environmental Studies Internship3
Policy Electives (3 Units)
Select one of the following courses:3
Environmental Impact Analysis: CEQA and NEPA
Environment and the Law
Environmental Politics and Policy
Environmental Science Electives (9 Units)
Select three of the following courses:9
Contemporary Environmental Issues
Environmental Toxicology
California Water and Society
Conservation and Society
Sustainability Science & Policy
Energy, Society, and the Environment
Urban Agriculture and Aquaponics
Agroecology
Restoration Ecology
Wetlands Ecology
Interdisciplinary Electives (9 Units)
Select three of the following courses:9
Plants and Civilization
Plant Taxonomy
Natural Resource Conservation
General Entomology
Ichthyology: The Study of Fishes
Amphibians and Reptiles: An Introduction to Herpetology
Ornithology
Mammalogy
Animal Behavior
Principles of Fisheries Biology
Conservation Biology & Wildlife Management
Introduction to Environmental Sociology
Ethnoecology
Remote Sensing
Geographic Information Systems
Advanced Geographic Information Systems
Elements Of Meteorology
Climate
Biogeography
Global Climate Change
Earth Transformed
California's Water Resources
Hydrogeology
Oceanography
Geology and the Environment
Global Environmental History in the Age of Imperialism, 1450-Present Day
American Environmental History
Environmental Interpretation
Other Courses (require instructor permission) (1-3 Units)
ENVS 199Special Problems1 - 3
Total Units67-69

General Education Requirements1

Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units)
A1 - Oral Communication3
A2 - Written Communication3
A3 - Critical Thinking3
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (3 Units)
B1 - Physical Science 20
B2 - Life Forms 20
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B5) 20
B4 - Math Concepts3
B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 20
Area C: Arts and Humanities (12 Units)
C1 - Arts3
C2 - Humanities3
C1/C2 - Area C Course3
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area D: The Individual and Society (3 Units)
Area D Course3
Area D Course 20
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 20
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units)
Area E Course3
Area F: Ethnic Studies
Area F Course
Total Units30

Graduation Requirements1

Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (6 Units)
American Institutions: U.S. History3
American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government3
Writing Intensive (WI) 20
Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (12 Units)
English Composition II3
Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE)3
Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 36