Environmental Studies/Biology Combined Major B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

This course of study provides students with the basic tools of biological science and sufficient understanding of resource conservation, conservation biology, and concerns about environmental sustainability to apply these tools to environmental problems.

Students interested in the available concentrations 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/biology combined will be able to:

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/biology combined major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents.

All of the following:

ENVS 25	Environmental Policy and Economics	5
BIOE 20C	Ecology and Evolution	5
BIOL 20A	Cell and Molecular Biology	5
CHEM 1A	General Chemistry	5
STAT 7	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences	5
STAT 7L	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory	2

Students must take all of these courses for a letter grade.

Determining qualification

Students who complete all the qualification courses with a 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 non-letter grades in any of the qualification courses for the environmental studies/biology combined B.A. major will not be eligible to declare until a grade of C or better has been assigned.
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 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

All students are required to attend one declaration workshop offered during the first three weeks of the quarter they are eligible to declare. Before students attend declaration workshops, they should check to see if they are eligible to declare using the major qualification page. Students wishing to declare within the Environmental Studies Department should visit the Environmental Studies Department website and follow the steps listed in the "how to declare" tab. Degree requirement sheets may be downloaded from the Environmental Studies Undergraduate Program Requirements page.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

The following courses or their equivalents are required prior to transfer, by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall. To be considered for admission in the environmental studies majors, transfer students must pass the following courses or their equivalents of the following courses with a C (2.0) or better in these required courses:

All of the following:

BIOE 20C	Ecology and Evolution	5
BIOL 20A	Cell and Molecular Biology	5
CHEM 1A	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1B	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1C	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1N	General Chemistry Laboratory	2

Plus one of the following:

AM 3	Precalculus for the Social Sciences	5
AM 11A /ECON 11A	Mathematical Methods for Economists I	5
AM 11B /ECON 11B	Mathematical Methods for Economists II	5
MATH 11A	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH 11B	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH 19A	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5
MATH 19B	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5
MATH 22	Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables	5
MATH 23A	Vector Calculus	5

Plus one of the following options:

ENVS 25; or ECON 1 and a course in national or international politics ; or ECON 2 and a course in national or international politics

Recommended Courses

In addition, one of the following courses is recommended prior to transfer to ensure timely graduation.

SOCY 1	Introduction to Sociology	5
SOCY 10	Issues and Problems in American Society	5
SOCY 15	World Society	5
ANTH 2	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	5
PHIL 22	Introduction to Ethical Theory	5
PHIL 24	Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues	5
PHIL 28	Environmental Ethics	5
BME 80G /PHIL 80G	Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society	5

and the following course:

BIOE 20B

Development and Physiology

GPA Requirement

To be considered for admission in the environmental studies majors, transfer students must pass the following courses or their equivalents of the following courses with a C (2.0) or better in the required courses.

General Education Courses

Prospective students are encouraged to prioritize required and recommended major preparation, and may additionally complete courses that articulate to UC Santa Cruz general education requirements as time allows.

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 can formally declare their major once qualification courses are successfully completed, 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.

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.

Letter Grade Policy

All requirements for the environmental studies/biology combined major 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.

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 concur.

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/biology combined.

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Courses

Biology and mathematics courses may require placement examinations. See the course descriptions for prerequisite information.

All of the following courses

BIOL 20A	Cell and Molecular Biology	5
BIOE 20B	Development and Physiology	5
BIOE 20C	Ecology and Evolution	5
ENVS 25	Environmental Policy and Economics	5

Plus one of the following

ANTH 2	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	5
PHIL 22	Introduction to Ethical Theory	5
PHIL 24	Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues	5
PHIL 28	Environmental Ethics	5
BME 80G /PHIL 80G	Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society	5
SOCY 1	Introduction to Sociology	5
SOCY 10	Issues and Problems in American Society	5
SOCY 15	World Society	5

Plus one of the following

One of the following:

AM 3	Precalculus for the Social Sciences	5
AM 6	Precalculus for Statistics	5
MATH 3	Precalculus	5
AM 11A /ECON 11A	Mathematical Methods for Economists I	5
AM 11B /ECON 11B	Mathematical Methods for Economists II	5
MATH 11A	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH 11B	Calculus with Applications	5
MATH 19A	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5
MATH 19B	Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics	5
MATH 22	Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables	5
MATH 23A	Vector Calculus	5

Or take a placement exam:

Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE) with a score of 300 or higher or take the AP Calculus exam with a score of 3 or higher.

Plus all of the following

STAT 7	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences	5
STAT 7L	Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory	2

Plus all of the following

CHEM 1A	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1B	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1C	General Chemistry	5
CHEM 1N	General Chemistry Laboratory	2

Plus one of the following options in physics

Either this course
PHYS 1	Physics for Everyone	5
or these courses
PHYS 6A	Introductory Physics I	5
PHYS 6L	Introductory Physics I Laboratory	1
or these courses
PHYS 7A	Elementary Physics I	5
PHYS 7L	Elementary Physics Laboratory	1

Upper-Division Courses

Students are required to complete nine upper-division courses and the senior comprehensive requirement. Three of the nine upper-division courses must be the following courses (ENVS 100 and ENVS 100L is considered a single course).

ENVS 100	Ecology and Society	3
ENVS 100L	Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory	5
BIOL 105	Genetics	5
BIOE 109	Evolution	5

Electives

The remaining six upper-division elective courses include three in ecology and evolutionary biology (ecology and evolutionary biology courses numbered BIOE 107-BIOE 188) and three in environmental studies (environmental studies courses numbered ENVS 101-ENVS 179).

One of the six electives must be a laboratory course; laboratory courses are upper-division courses in BIOE or ENVS that carry 5 credits and have a “L” in their course number.

Additionally, one of the three environmental studies courses electives must be based in the social sciences selected from the following upper-division courses:

ENVS 110	Institutions, the Environment, and Economic Systems	5
ENVS 130B	Justice and Sustainability in Agriculture	5
ENVS 140	National Environmental Policy	5
ENVS 141	Ecological Economics	5
ENVS 143	Sustainable Development: Economy, Policy, and Environment	5
ENVS 145	Green Cities	5
ENVS 146	Water Quality: Policy, Regulation, and Management	5
ENVS 147	Environmental Inequality/Environmental Justice	5
ENVS 149 /LGST 149	Environmental Law and Policy	5
ENVS 150	Coastal and Marine Policy	5
ENVS 151	Environmental Assessment	5
ENVS 154	Amazonian Cultures and Conservation	5
ENVS 158	Political Ecology and Social Change	5
ENVS 165	Sustainable Water Systems	5
ENVS 172	Environmental Risks and Public Policy	5
ENVS 173	An Introduction to World Environmental History	5
ENVS 176	Vulnerability, Complex Systems, and Disasters	5

One lab-based course

One of the six electives must be a laboratory course; laboratory courses are upper-division courses in BIOE or ENVS that carry 5 credits and have a “L” in their course number. In order to fulfill the lab-based requirement students must take the lecture and lab. Students must take the concurrent lecture and lab of one of the following:

BIOE 112L	Ornithology Field Studies	2
BIOE 117L	Systematic Botany of Flowering Plants Laboratory	2
BIOE 120L	Marine Botany Laboratory	2
BIOE 122L	Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory	2
BIOE 124L	Mammalogy Laboratory	2
BIOE 127L	Ichthyology Laboratory	2
BIOE 128L	Large Marine Vertebrates Field Course	5
BIOE 129L	Biology of Marine Mammals Laboratory	2
BIOE 131L	Animal Physiology Laboratory	2
BIOE 133L	Exercise Physiology Laboratory	2
BIOE 134L	Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Laboratory	2
BIOE 135L	Plant Physiology Laboratory	2
BIOE 137L	Molecular Ecology Laboratory	2
BIOE 141L	Behavioral Ecology Field Course	5
BIOE 145L	Field Methods in Plant Ecology	5
BIOE 150L	Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
BIOE 151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
BIOE 159D	Marine Ecology Field Quarter: Methods in Field Ecology Laboratory	5
BIOE 161L	Kelp Forest Ecology Laboratory	5
BIOE 163L	Ecology of Reefs, Mangroves, and Seagrasses Laboratory	2
BIOE 172L	Population Genetics Laboratory	2
ENVS 104L	Field Methods Laboratory	2
ENVS 108L	General Entomology Laboratory	3
ENVS 115L	Exercises in Geographic Information Systems	2
ENVS 129L	Integrated Pest Management Laboratory	2
ENVS 130L	Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Laboratory	2
ENVS 162L	Plant Physiological Ecology Laboratory	2
ENVS 163L	Plant Disease Ecology Lab	2
ENVS 167L	Freshwater and Wetland Ecology Lab	2

A list of all courses offered by the Environmental Studies Department is available in the courses section of the catalog. 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 on the department website.

Students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in the pure or applied sciences are strongly encouraged to complete the organic chemistry series as well.

These upper-division elective courses should be selected in pursuit of a coherent plan of study, chosen in consultation with faculty sponsors from both the Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies Departments. None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study, or substitution course.

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/biology combined major is satisfied by completing:

The DC requirement in environmental studies/biology combined is satisfied by completing

ENVS 100	Ecology and Society	3
ENVS 100L	Ecology and Society Writing Laboratory	5

Plus one of the following

Where two-credit lab courses have to be taken concurrently with a 5-credit lecture course, the combination counts as one course.

BIOE 151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
ENVS 183B	Senior Internship	5
ENVS 190	Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving	5
ENVS 195B	Senior Thesis Group	5
ENVS 196	Senior Seminar	5
BIOE 108	Marine Ecology	5
BIOE 114	Herpetology	5
BIOE 114L	Field Methods in Herpetological Research	2
BIOE 120	Marine Botany	5
BIOE 120L	Marine Botany Laboratory	2
BIOE 122	Invertebrate Zoology	5
BIOE 122L	Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory	2
BIOE 127	Ichthyology	5
BIOE 127L	Ichthyology Laboratory	2
BIOE 128L	Large Marine Vertebrates Field Course	5
BIOE 129	Biology of Marine Mammals	5
BIOE 129L	Biology of Marine Mammals Laboratory	2
BIOE 137	Molecular Ecology	5
BIOE 141L	Behavioral Ecology Field Course	5
BIOE 145	Plant Ecology	5
BIOE 145L	Field Methods in Plant Ecology	5
BIOE 150	Ecological Field Methods	5
BIOE 150L	Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
BIOE 151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
BIOE 153C	Disciplinary Communication for Biologists	5
BIOE 158L	Field Methods in Marine Ecology	5
BIOE 159A	Marine Ecology Field Quarter: Marine Ecology with Laboratory	5
BIOE 161L	Kelp Forest Ecology Laboratory	5
BIOE 172	Population Genetics	5
BIOE 172L	Population Genetics Laboratory	2

Comprehensive Requirement

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.

Either this course
BIOE 151B /ENVS 109B	Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory	5
or these courses
ENVS 183A	Senior Internship	5
ENVS 183B	Senior Internship	5
or this course
ENVS 190	Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving	5
or these courses
ENVS 195A	Senior Research	5
ENVS 195B	Senior Thesis Group	5
or this course
ENVS 196	Senior Seminar	5

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/biology combined B.A. major. 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	CHEM 1A	CHEM 1B
		ENVS 25	SOCY/ANTH/PHIL course

2nd (soph)	BIOE 20C	ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L*	BIOE 20B
	STAT 7 & STAT 7L	BIOL 20A	CHEM 1C & CHEM 1N

3rd (junior)	BIOL 105	BIOE 109	Upper-division BIOE
	Upper-division ENVS	PHYS 1	Upper-division ENVS

4th (senior)	Upper-division BIOE	Upper-division BIOE	Comprehensive requirement
	Upper-division ENVS (social sciences)

*This course is also offered in the spring term.

This plan does not explicitly show the required lab course among the ENVS or BIOE electives.

Students completing this major will have satisfied the SI, IN, PE-E, IS, and PR-E general education requirements. In addition, they will need to fulfill all remaining university, college, and general education requirements.

Students interested in taking the senior thesis or senior internship as their comprehensive requirement must take ENVS 195A (thesis) or ENVS 183A (internship) in the quarter before completing ENVS 195B (thesis) or ENVS 183B (internship). Both the senior thesis and senior internship are two consecutive quarter commitments.

Plan Two for Incoming Transfer Students

	Fall	Winter	Spring
3rd (junior)	STAT 7 & STAT 7L	ENVS 100 & ENVS 100L*	Upper-division ENVS
		BIOL 105	BIOE 109

4th (senior)	Upper-division ENVS (social sciences)	Upper-division ENVS	Upper-division BIOE
	Upper-division BIOE	Upper-division BIOE	Comprehensive requirement
		PHYS 1

*This course is also offered in the spring term.

This plan does not include the required lab based course. Students must complete the lab-based requirement with the courses listed in the course requirements.

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.