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 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/biology 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/biology combined major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents.
All of the following:
| ENVS25 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 5 |
| BIOE20C | Ecology and Evolution | 5 |
| BIOL20A | Cell and Molecular Biology | 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 |
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 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/biology combined majors, transfer students must pass equivalents of the following courses with a C (2.0) or better in these required courses:
All of the following:
Plus one of the following:
| AM3 | Precalculus for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| AM11A
/ECON 11A
| Mathematical Methods for Economists I | 5 |
| AM11B
/ECON 11B
| Mathematical Methods for Economists II | 5 |
| MATH11A | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH11B | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH19A | Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics | 5 |
| MATH19B | Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics | 5 |
| MATH22 | Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables | 5 |
| MATH23A | Vector Calculus | 5 |
Plus one of the following options:
ENVS 25; or ECON 1 and a course in national or international politics (defined in ASSIST); 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 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.
Letter Grade Policy
All courses 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 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 and biology.
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
| BIOL20A | Cell and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| BIOE20B | Development and Physiology | 5 |
| BIOE20C | Ecology and Evolution | 5 |
| 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 |
Plus one of the following
One of the following:
| AM3 | Precalculus for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| AM6 | Precalculus for Statistics | 5 |
| MATH3 | Precalculus | 5 |
| AM11A
/ECON 11A
| Mathematical Methods for Economists I | 5 |
| AM11B
/ECON 11B
| Mathematical Methods for Economists II | 5 |
| MATH11A | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH11B | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH19A | Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics | 5 |
| MATH19B | Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics | 5 |
| MATH22 | Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables | 5 |
| MATH23A | 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
| STAT7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
| STAT7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
Plus all of the following
Plus one of the following options in physics
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).
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 the BIOE course code 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:
| 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.
A list of the upper-division courses offered by the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department is available here.
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 is satisfied by completing
| ENVS100 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENVS100L | 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.
| BIOE151B
/ENVS 109B
| Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory | 5 |
| ENVS183B | Senior Internship | 5 |
| ENVS190 | Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving | 5 |
| ENVS195B | Senior Thesis Group | 5 |
| ENVS196 | Senior Seminar | 5 |
| BIOE108 | Marine Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE114 | Herpetology | 5 |
| BIOE114L | Field Methods in Herpetological Research | 2 |
| BIOE120 | Marine Botany | 5 |
| BIOE120L | Marine Botany Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOE122 | Invertebrate Zoology | 5 |
| BIOE122L | Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOE127 | Ichthyology | 5 |
| BIOE127L | Ichthyology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOE128L | Large Marine Vertebrates Field Course | 5 |
| BIOE129 | Biology of Marine Mammals | 5 |
| BIOE129L | Biology of Marine Mammals Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOE137 | Molecular Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE141L | Behavioral Ecology Field Course | 5 |
| BIOE145 | Plant Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE145L | Field Methods in Plant Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE150 | Ecological Field Methods | 5 |
| BIOE150L | Ecological Field Methods Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE151B
/ENVS 109B
| Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse: Ecological Field Methods Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE153C | Disciplinary Communication for Biologists | 5 |
| BIOE158L | Marine Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE159A | Marine Ecology Field Quarter: Marine Ecology with Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE161L | Kelp Forest Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE172 | Population Genetics | 5 |
| BIOE172L | Population Genetics Laboratory | 2 |
Comprehensive Requirement
Students satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement by completing either:
- One of the options for environmental studies B.A. majors
- One of the approved internships, independent research or field course or a thesis, as specified for the biology B.A.
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.
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 combine 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/ethics
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.
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.
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
|
| |
|
|
*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.