Environmental Studies Major
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies is a stand-alone interdisciplinary major that requires students to develop and articulate a focus or focus area of study, which will be designated on their transcript and diploma. Example focus areas of study include but are not limited to “Sustainable Entrepreneurship”, “Technical Environmental Analysis”, and “Environmental Justice”, and students are required to work closely with their team of advisors to develop their focus area. All proposed focus areas require final approval from their primary academic advisor and an ENSS department chair. Skills classes and electives must define and support the focus area and must be approved by the faculty advisor prior to taking the classes.
The major requires a minimum of 40 credit hours (ten courses).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS 101 | Environmental Science, Policy and Thought: Introduction to Environmental Studies | 4 |
| ENVS 380 | Junior Seminar: Socio-Ecol. | 4 |
| ENVS 480 | Senior Seminar | 4 |
| Skills course (one course from the following list or other approved courses of data analysis, presentation, computer analysis, etc.) | 4 | |
| GEOL 340 | Images of the Earth: GIS and Remote Sensing | 4 |
| GEOL 215 | Data Wrangling | 4 |
| ECON 301 | Research Methods | 4 |
| JPS 338 | Research Methods-CMJS | 4 |
| PSY 301 | Research Methods and Analysis | 4 |
| SOAN 337 | Social Research Methods | 4 |
| SPST 445 | Research Methods in Sport Studies | 4 |
| Required off-campus internship or study abroad at approved program | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 48 | |
Elective courses include those listed below and other approved courses. At least two courses must be in natural sciences and at least two courses must be in social sciences or humanities. At least two of the five electives must be at the three- or four-hundred level. Skills courses can fulfill the natural science or non-science requirement for electives. Students must clearly articulate to their advisor how their chosen, coherent group of courses defines and supports and represents their focus area. The chosen focus area must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and the department chair, and the group of supporting electives must be approved by the academic advisor prior to taking the courses – 20 credits
Natural Science Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 201 | Intro Biol: Form and Function | 4 |
| BIOL 202 | Intro Biol: Ecol and Evolution | 4 |
| BIOL 212 | Environmental Science | 4 |
| BIOL 224 | Field Botany | 4 |
| BIOL 233 | North Carolina Freshwater Fishes | 4 |
| BIOL 235 | Vertebrate Field Zoology | 4 |
| BIOL 332 | Invertebrate Zoology | 4 |
| BIOL 334 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
| BIOL 336 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOL 438 | General Ecology | 4 |
| CHEM 105 | Chemistry of Recycling | 4 |
| CHEM 110 | Real World Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | Chemical Principles I | 4 |
| CHEM 115 | Chemistry of Food and Cooking | 4 |
| CHEM 341 | Instrumental Analysis | 4 |
| GEOL 121 | Geology and the Environment | 4 |
| GEOL 141 | Oceanography | 4 |
| GEOL 230 | Environmental Pollution | 4 |
| GEOL 223 | Hydrology | 4 |
| GEOL 230 | Environmental Pollution | 4 |
| GEOL 340 | Images of the Earth: GIS and Remote Sensing | 4 |
| IDS 472 | Environmental Planning | 4 |
| MATH 112 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
Social Science and Humanities Elective
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 222 | Microeconomic Principles: Public Policy | 4 |
| ECON 301 | Research Methods | 4 |
| ECON 344 | Environmental and Resource Economics | 4 |
| ENGL 225 | American Literature Survey I | 4 |
| ENGL 228 | American Nature Writing (REL 120) | 4 |
| ENVS 220 | The American Landscape (ART 220) | 6 |
| ENVS 350 | Special Topics | 8 |
| GEOL 230 | Environmental Pollution | 4 |
| HIST 227 | Urban Environmental History | 4 |
| HIST 324 | American Rivers | 4 |
| IDS 418 | Science, Sex and Nature | 4 |
| IDS 428 | Agricultural Revolutions | 4 |
| INTR 350 | Special Topics | 1-8 |
| JPS 103 | Community Problem Solving | 4 |
| JPS 245 | Social & Envt Just Field Study | 4 |
| PHIL 242 | Environmental Ethics | 4 |
| PPS 211 | Change, Innovation and Impact | 4 |
| PSCI 318 | Environmentalism in Early America | 4 |
| PSCI 319 | Modern Environmental Problems | 4 |
| PSY 243 | Environmental Psychology | 4 |
| SFS 110 | Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture | 2 |
| SOAN 322 | Environmental Anthropology | 4 |
Total credits hours required for A.B. degree in environmental studies is 40 credits.