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 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.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. degree in environmental studies/Earth sciences combined will be able to:
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Identify the societal (social, political, economic and ethical) agents and structures that contribute to environmental change. (social science competency)
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Describe the structure and functioning of major physical and ecological components of the earth’s systems. (natural science competency)
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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)
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Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. (communication skills).
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.
Getting Started in the Major: Frosh
This is a course-intensive and/or sequential program, and students who intend to pursue this major must begin taking classes for the major in their first year at UC Santa Cruz. Math placement is required for one or more of the foundational courses for this major. For more information, please review the Math Placement website. Language placement is not required for the major.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Students who apply for transfer admission to the major are required to have taken the equivalents of the following courses with a C grade (2.0) or better by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall:
One of the following
Plus all of the following
Plus one of the following courses
| AM 3 | Precalculus for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| MATH 3 | Precalculus | 5 |
| MATH 11A | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| MATH 19A | 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; or or ECON 2 and a course in national or international politics.
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.
Recommended courses
In addition, the following courses are recommended prior to transfer to ensure timely graduation.
| MATH 11A | Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| EART 5 | California Geology | 5 |
| EART 5L | California Geology Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 6A | Introductory Physics I | 5 |
| PHYS 6L | Introductory Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 6B | Introductory Physics II | 5 |
| PHYS 6M | Introductory Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
And one of the following courses
| 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 |
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 in the Major: Transfer Students
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.
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.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
To qualify for the environmental studies/Earth sciences combined major, students must complete the specific courses listed below, or their approved equivalents. For transfer requirements, see Transfer Admission Screening Requirements. Transfer students must have ENVS major listed on their application in order to pursue the major, unless approved by appeal. If a student has questions about the appeals process, they should contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu.
One of the following
Plus all of the following
| ENVS 25 | Environmental Policy and Economics | 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 |
Determining qualification
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Students who complete all the qualification courses with a grade of P, or letter grade of C or better are qualified to declare a major.
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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 qualified to declare after successfully completing the same or an equivalent course with a letter grade of C or better.
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Students with two or more grades of C-, D+, D, D-, or F in the qualification courses taken at UC Santa Cruz are not qualified to declare the major.
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Students with AP credit (score of 3 or higher) for any of the qualification course(s) are qualified to declare after successfully completing the remaining qualification courses.
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Students must attend an Environmental Studies Department declaration workshop when requesting to declare the major.
Appeal Process
Students who are not qualified 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.
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/Earth Sciences Combined Major cannot substitute courses to count toward their upper division electives.
Study Abroad
Students in environmental studies are encouraged to participate in Study Abroad programs and other off-campus programs. Students who are interested in these programs shall 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 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). To be considered for highest departmental honors, students are limited to no more than one grade of P in those upper-division courses.
Students must fulfill all requirements for honors from environmental studies and biology.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
Lower-Division Courses
Both 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 one of the following options
Plus all of the following
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following options
Plus one of the following
Plus the following
| 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 |
Upper-Division Courses
One of the following options
Plus all of the following
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. Please note that lecture/lab combinations count as a single elective.*
*Revised: 4/19/23.
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:
| 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 | Global 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 |
None of the three environmental studies upper-division courses can be an environmental studies internship, individual study or substitution course.
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.
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 in the courses section of the catalog.
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:
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.
Planners
The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.
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
*This course is also offered in the spring term.
This planner assumes that a student has placed into MATH 3 or AM 3.
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.
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
*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.
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.