Please pay close attention to the courses listed here and the explanations of which requirements are filled by each course. The information here is more on target than the information you will get anywhere else (including from a degree audit since the computer does not know which course substitutions can be made).

Please note that since the “additional courses/supporting courses” requirement tends to create the most confusion, those courses are listed in a separate section—read the list of courses carefully so you know what counts where and you should review your selections with your adviser.

Required and Recommended Courses

BIOL 110: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity (4 credits)

Several sections. Also fulfills a general education (GN) requirement.

BIOL 220W: Biology: Populations and Communities (4 credits)

Essentially an ecology course.

CHEM 20/21: Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry Lab (3 credits/1 credit)

ECON 102 or 104: Microeconomics/Macroeconomics (3 credits)

Also fulfills a general education requirement in the social sciences (GS).

ENGL 180: Literature and the Natural World, GH (3 credits)

PLSC 235: Environmental Politics, GS (3 credits)

Note: This course is usually offered in the fall and is being offered this spring specifically for ENVST majors.

ENVST 100N: Visions of Nature, GS

Required course in ENVST; counts as a GS general education course for non-majors only. This is the “gateway” course for Environmental Studies, an interdisciplinary look at the natural world, an introduction to environmental science, art, literature, history, ethics, policy, law, and economics. Field trips are a required component of the course.

ENVST 200: Research Methods in Environmental Studies (3 credits)

ENVST 395: Internship

Requirement for the major. Note that you must first take the one-credit INTSP 370. To be admitted to the course, you need the permission of the instructor, Dr. Dolney, and to get permission you must first complete the extensive application process and have it approved. All this should be in place before the start of the spring semester.

ENVST 400W: Senior Seminar (3 credits)

ENVST 428: Environmental Economics and Policy (3 credits)

Substitutes for ECON 428; the substitution may not automatically show up on your degree audit; ask your adviser to do a degree audit substitution).

GEOG 115: Landforms of the World, GN (3 credits)

INTSP 370: Internship Preparation (1 credit)

This course, a prerequisite for the internship (ENVST 395) will be very helpful in helping you find, secure, and prepare for an internship, including completing the online proposal. The course will also include contacts with our alums via our Alumni Mentoring Program. If you are planning on taking an internship anytime in the next year, you MUST take this course. Note that the section taught by Dr. Mahan is reserved for ENVST majors and does not have a regularly scheduled meeting time; students meet with her by appointment.

PHIL 403: Seminar in Environmental Ethics (3 credits)

STAT 200: Elementary Statistics, GQ (4 credits)

This or Stat 250 is required for ENVST majors (but note that 200 is 4 credits).

STAT 250: Biostatistics, GQ (3 credits)

This or Stat 200 is required for ENVST majors (but note that 200 is 4 credits).

Courses that fulfill the Additional Courses requirements

The courses that fill this requirement are specific. Not any social science course counts—it has to be one that is relevant to the environmental studies major (because it deals with human relations to nature or environmental issues, for example). Remember that for bachelor of arts majors, two of the three selections in the additional courses (one each in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities) must be at the 400 level. For bachelor of science majors, you need not one but two courses in natural sciences, both at the 400 level.

Natural Science Requirements

  • BIOL 446: Physiological Ecology (3 credits)
  • BIOL 441: Plant Physiology (3 credits)
  • BIOL 427: Evolution (3 credits)
  • BIOL 429: Animal Behavior (3 credits)
  • BIOL 421: Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (3 credits)
  • BISCI 3: Environmental Science, GN (3 credits)

Social Sciences Requirements

  • ANSC 215: Pets and Society, GS (3 credits)
  • EARTH 101: Natural Disasters, GN, US (3 credits)
  • GEOG 1N: Parks and Sustainability, GS, US, IL (3 credits)
    Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.
  • GEOG 6N: Maps and the Geospatial Revolution, GN, GS (3 credits)
    Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.
  • GEOG 30N: Environment and Society in a Changing World, GS GN, US, IL (3 credits)
    This is essentially a course on sustainability. Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.
  • GEOG 212N: Earthquakes and Human History, GH, GN (3 credits)
    Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.

Arts and Humanities Requirement

  • HIST 12: History of Pennsylvania, GH, US (3 credits)
  • ARCH 170N: Introduction to Sustainable Architecture, GA, GN (3 credits)
    This is a web-based class offered through University Park with seats saved for ENVST majors. Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.

Courses Required Only for the Bachelor of Science Program

  • BIOL 222: Genetics (3 credits)
    (This or 230 or 240 is required.)
  • BIOL 240W: Physiology (3 credits)
    This or BIOL 222 or 230 is required for the ENVBS degree.
  • CHEM 110/111: General Chemistry and Lab (3 credits)
  • MATH 110: Techniques of Calculus I (4 credits)
    This or Math 140 is required for the ENVBS degree. Make sure you have the prerequisites if your placement scores indicate you are not quite ready for calculus coming out of high school.
  • MATH 140: Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (3 credits)
    This or Math 110 is required for the ENVBS degree. (3 credits) Make sure you have the prerequisites if your placement scores indicate you are not quite ready for calculus coming out of high school.
  • SOILS 101: Introduction to Soil Science, GN (3 credits)

Interesting Electives Focused on Environmental Themes

  • METEO 5: Severe and Unusual Weather, GN (3 credits)
  • PHIL 133N: The Ethics of Climate, GH, GA (3 credits)
    Also fills integrative studies: inter-domain university requirements.

Scheduling Tips

When in doubt, take required courses first, starting with the lower numbers. Save 400-level courses for your third and fourth years.