Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Environmental Studies:

Global Environmental Systems:

Course work is focused on understanding global environmental systems.

Planner for the Global Environmental Systems concentration

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS- italicized requirements can be fulfilled by a list of pre-approved courses, organized by theme

1) Earth Systems: 1 cu
2) Biotic History: 1 cu
3) Geochemical Dynamics: 1 cu
4) Global Politics and International Relations: 1 cu
5) International Environmental Issues: 1 cu
6-7) Two upper division courses that are thematically related to the senior thesis and are chosen with the approval of a major advisor.  Courses in Environmental Modeling or Field based courses are strongly recommended for this concentration.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

(Minimum 15 credits for Major / 35 credits total )

Required Core Courses (8 cu’s). 

1) ENVS 200: Intro to Environmental Earth Science

2) ENVS 204: Global Climate Change or GEOL 100: Intro to Geology or 109: Intro to Geology  

3) Data Analysis and Statistics; 1 course from the following, or a suitable replacement

4) Economics and Policy; 1 course from the following, or a suitable replacement

5) ENVS 301: Environmental Case Studies or ENVS 400 Environmental Studies Seminar

6) Geographical or Environmental Modeling; 1 course unit. See course options below

7) ENVS 399 Environmental Research Seminar (1 cu).  This seminar is designed to help Juniors initiate their Thesis research. Topic selection, advisor identification, funding options, and basic research methods will be discussed.

8) ENVS 499/498a and b: Senior Thesis (0.5 cu each):  Students work with an advisor in their discipline and write and present a thesis on a topic which combines their concentration with Environmental Studies.  Students meet as a group once a week to discuss progress and prepare for the Senior Research Conference.

CURRICULUM-RELATED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Each student is encouraged to attend a summer field course or to seek a summer internship, summer employment, and/or academic-year practical experience/research related to his/her individual curriculum. Opportunities suited to a student's interests can usually be found. Students should discuss their options with their ENVS advisor.