Information and Policies
Introduction
This course of study provides students with the basic tools of Earth sciences and environmental studies needed to address environmental problems.
Students interested in the four available concentrations (geographic information systems, global environmental justice, conservation science and policy, and agroecology and sustainable food systems) should choose to pursue the environmental studies B.A. degree. This does not apply to students who declared a combined major and concentration in agroecology and sustainable food systems prior to 2019.
Academic Advising for the Program
Advising is one way to make the most of your university experience. The advising system at UC Santa Cruz is amazing, and we encourage you to use it often. Ask questions, seek advice, and make decisions that work best for you.
To receive advising for this major, contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu. Additional information for prospective transfer students can be found in the Transfer Information and Policy section.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. degree in environmental studies/Earth sciences will:
-
Identify the societal (social, political, economic and ethical) agents and structures that contribute to environmental change. (social science competency)
-
Describe the structure and functioning of major physical and ecological components of the earth’s systems. (natural science competency)
-
Access and analyze a complex literature addressing specific topics in environmental studies, and evaluate the usefulness and limitations of individual sources of information. (analytic thinking)
-
Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. (communication skills).
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
To qualify to declare the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents.
One of the following
Plus all of the following
| ENVS25 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 5 |
| CHEM1A | General Chemistry | 5 |
| STAT7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
| STAT7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
Determining qualification
-
Students who complete all the qualification courses with a grade of P, or letter grade of C or better are eligible to declare a major.
-
Students who have received one grade of C-, D+, D, D-, or F in one of the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz will only be eligible to declare after successfully completing the same or an equivalent course with a letter grade of C or better.
-
Students with two or more grades of C-, D+, D, D-, or F in the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz are not eligible to declare.
-
Students with AP credit for any of the qualification course(s) are eligible to declare after successfully completing the remaining qualification courses.
-
Students must attend an Environmental Studies Department declaration workshop when requesting to declare the major.
Appeal Process
Students who are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting an appeal to qualify for the major here within 15 days of the denial of the declaration. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student and college of the decision. If a student has questions about the appeals process, they should contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu.
How to Declare a Major
Students wishing to declare within the Environmental Studies Department should visit the Environmental Studies Department website and follow the steps to declare listed there. Degree requirement sheets may be downloaded from the Environmental Studies Undergraduate Program Requirements page.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
To be considered for admission to UC Santa Cruz in the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined majors, transfer students must pass equivalents of the following courses with a C (2.0) or better in these required courses:
One of the following:
Plus all of the following:
Plus one of the following courses:
| AM3 | Precalculus for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| MATH3 | Precalculus | 5 |
| MATH11A | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH19A | Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics | 5 |
Plus one of the following options:
Either ENVS 25; or ECON 1 and a course in national or international politics (defined in ASSIST); or or ECON 2 and a course in national or international politics (defined in ASSIST).
Prospective transfer students should review transfer information on the environmental studies transfer information.
Students who are proposed in a different major and have advanced standing when they come to UC Santa Cruz require permission from the department to change into the major. Contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu to request permission.
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
Transfer students pursuing environmental studies majors are encouraged to transfer in the fall quarter.
Transfer students should enroll in STAT 7 and STAT 7L during the summer or fall quarter in order to take ENVS 100 and ENVS 100L in winter or spring quarter of their first year. Transfer students who have completed the screening requirements listed above can formally declare their major, following the steps in How to Declare a Major given above.
ENVS 25 and CHEM 1A are usually offered during Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz, and transfer students are encouraged to take them if they have not completed a substitute requirement or want a better understanding of the relevant material. If you are transferring, compare catalog descriptions, consult your current institution's adviser, and refer to the ASSIST website to determine equivalency. Prospective transfer students should review the transfer information.
Letter Grade Policy
This program does not have a letter grade policy, except that the senior comprehensive requirement must be taken for a letter grade.
Course Substitution Policy
Students pursuing the Environmental Studies/Biology Combined Major cannot substitute courses to count toward their upper division electives.
Study Abroad
Environmental studies students are encouraged to study abroad and participate in other off-campus programs. If students are interested in planning to study abroad
please note the following policies:
- Students planning to study abroad must be declared in their major prior to
studying abroad.
- Students must have their courses they plan to take abroad reviewed and
approved by Environmental Studies Advising.
- Environmental studies/biology combined majors cannot petition their courses
taken abroad for upper division course substitution.
- For more information on EAP, please visit the UC Education Abroad Program
website.
Honors
Departmental Honors. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in all courses used to satisfy the environmental studies upper-division requirements. To be considered for departmental honors, students are limited to no more than one grade of P in those upper-division courses.
Senior Comprehensive Honors. Only applicable to a senior thesis, senior internship, or individual work in a senior seminar. Honors must be awarded by the student’s faculty sponsor, and a second faculty member (chosen by the student’s faculty adviser) must confer.
Highest Departmental Honors. Students must have a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) in in all courses used to satisfy the environmental studies upper-division requirements and must also receive senior comprehensive honors (see above).
Students must fulfill all requirements for honors from environmental studies and biology.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
Lower-Division Courses
All of the following
| STAT7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
| STAT7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
Plus one of the following options
Plus all of the following
Choose one of the following:
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following
Plus the following
| ENVS25 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 5 |
Plus one of the following
| ANTH2 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 5 |
| PHIL22 | Introduction to Ethical Theory | 5 |
| PHIL24 | Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues | 5 |
| PHIL28 | Environmental Ethics | 5 |
| BME80G
/PHIL 80G
| Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society | 5 |
| SOCY1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| SOCY10 | Issues and Problems in American Society | 5 |
| SOCY15 | World Society | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
One of the following options
Plus all of the following
| ENVS100 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENVS100L | Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory | 5 |
Electives
The upper-division courses should be selected in pursuit of a coherent plan of study, such as water policy-hydrology, restoration ecology-geochemistry, agroecology-soil physical processes, or environmental policy-climate change, among others, in consultation with faculty from both the Environmental Studies and Earth and Planetary Sciences departments. None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study or substitution course.
Three upper-division environmental studies courses
Three additional upper-division environmental studies courses (numbered ENVS 101-ENVS 179) including at least one course based in the social sciences selected from the following upper-division courses:
| ENVS110 | Institutions, the Environment, and Economic Systems | 5 |
| ENVS130B | Justice and Sustainability in Agriculture | 5 |
| ENVS140 | National Environmental Policy | 5 |
| ENVS141 | Ecological Economics | 5 |
| ENVS143 | Sustainable Development: Economy, Policy, and Environment | 5 |
| ENVS145 | Green Cities | 5 |
| ENVS146 | Water Quality: Policy, Regulation, and Management | 5 |
| ENVS147 | Environmental Inequality/Environmental Justice | 5 |
| ENVS149
/LGST 149
| Environmental Law and Policy | 5 |
| ENVS150 | Coastal and Marine Policy | 5 |
| ENVS151 | Environmental Assessment | 5 |
| ENVS154 | Amazonian Cultures and Conservation | 5 |
| ENVS158 | Political Ecology and Social Change | 5 |
| ENVS165 | Sustainable Water Systems | 5 |
| ENVS172 | Environmental Risks and Public Policy | 5 |
| ENVS173 | An Introduction to World Environmental History | 5 |
| ENVS176 | Vulnerability, Complex Systems, and Disasters | 5 |
A list of all courses offered by the Environmental Studies Department is available here. A list of which upper-division courses offered in the current year by the Environmental Studies Department are based in the natural sciences and in the social sciences is available here.
Three upper-division Earth sciences courses
Three additional upper-division Earth sciences courses (Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered EART 100-EART 191C). A list of the upper-division courses offered by the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department is available here.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement for the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined major is satisfied by completing:
The following courses:
| ENVS100 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENVS100L | Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory | 5 |
Plus one of the following options:
Students taking the cross-listed course BIOE 151B/ENVS 109B are recommended to enroll in ENVS 109B.
Comprehensive Requirement
Students satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement in environmental studies or Earth sciences by completing either:
- One of the senior comprehensive options for single environmental studies B.A. majors (see options listed below);
- One of the senior comprehensive options for Earth sciences B.S. (see Comprehensive Requirement under the Earth Sciences B.S.).
The senior comprehensive may be satisfied by completing one of the options listed below. All courses used to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement must be taken for a letter grade.
Before enrolling in the senior thesis or senior internship option, students must formally apply to work with a particular faculty mentor very early in their thesis or project preparation. The senior thesis and senior internship option require careful planning, additional independent research, and at least a two-quarter commitment.
Students with advanced skills in one of the graduate focal areas may also take a graduate seminar by invitation from the instructor.
Students taking the cross-listed course BIOE 151B/ENVS 109B are recommended to enroll in ENVS 109B.
ENVS 190 is offered in the spring and summer.
ENVS 183B and ENVS 195B are usually taken after successfully completing ENVS 183A and ENVS 195A respectively.
Planners
The following are two sample academic plans for students pursuing the environmental studies B.A. major without a concentration. Plan One is for incoming frosh and Plan Two is for incoming transfer students.
Plan One for Incoming Frosh
|
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| 1st (frosh) |
MATH 3 or AM 3
|
ENVS 25 |
CHEM 1A |
| |
EART 5 & EART 5L |
SOCY/ANTH/ethics
course |
| |
|
|
| 2nd (soph) |
ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C |
ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L* |
CHEM 1B & CHEM 1M |
STAT 7 & STAT 7L
|
MATH 11A |
PHYS 6A & PHYS 6L or
PHYS 5A & PHYS 5L |
|
|
|
| 3rd (junior) |
CHEM 1C & CHEM 1N |
Upper-division ENVS |
PHYS 6B & PHYS 6M or
PHYS 5B & PHYS 5M
|
| MATH 11B |
EART 110B & EART 110M |
Upper-division ENVS
|
| |
|
|
| 4th (senior) |
Upper-division EART |
Upper-division EART |
Upper-division EART
|
Upper-division ENVS
(social sciences) |
|
Comprehensive
requirement
|
| |
|
|
*This course is also offered in the spring term.
Students completing this major will have satisfied the SI, IN, PE-E, IS, IN, MF, and PR-E general education requirements. In addition, they will need to fulfill all remaining university, college, and general education requirements.
Plan Two for Incoming Transfer Students
|
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| 3rd (junior) |
STAT 7 & STAT 7L |
ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L* |
Upper-division EART
|
| |
EART 110B & EART 110M |
Upper-division ENVS
|
| |
|
|
| 4th (senior) |
Upper-division ENVS
|
Upper-division ENVS
(social sciences) |
Comprehensive
requirement |
| Upper-division EART |
Upper-division EART |
|
| |
|
|
*This course is also offered in the spring term.
This planner assumes that a student has completed all required lower-division courses—including UCSC or community college general education requirements—with the exception of STAT 7 and STAT 7L, which is only offered at UC Santa Cruz.
A transfer student who has completed the requirements for the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) before matriculating at UC Santa Cruz, with at most two course requirements left to complete, is allowed to satisfy IGETC in lieu of the UCSC general education requirements.
Plan One for Incoming Frosh
|
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| 1st (frosh) |
MATH 3 or AM3
|
SOC/ANTH/ethics
course |
ENVS 23 or
CHEM 1A |
| |
ENVS 25 |
|
| |
|
|
| 2nd (soph) |
ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C |
ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L* |
Upper-division ENVS |
STAT 7 & STAT 7L
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 3rd (junior) |
Upper-division ENVS
(social science) |
Upper-division ENVS
(natural science) |
Upper-division ENVS
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| 4th (senior) |
Upper-division ENVS |
Upper-division ENVS |
Upper-division ENVS
|
| |
|
Comprehensive
requirement |
| |
|
|
*This course is also offered in the spring term.