Environmental Sustainability Major, B.S.

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Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Available Program Format(s): Online

About the Program

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sustainability combines core principles of environmental science, policy, planning, and climate change science, with advanced integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The program focuses on understanding human-environment interactions, sustainable resource management, and the application of GIS for environmental analysis and decision-making. Emphasizing real-world applications, the degree equips graduates with the tools to address challenges such as climate adaptation, land use management, and sustainable development. By integrating GIS technology, students will learn to analyze spatial data, create geospatial visualizations, and develop solutions for environmental issues such as land-use planning, natural disaster response, natural resource management, and habitat conservation. Graduates will be prepared for high-impact careers in both the private and public sectors, including urban and regional planning, sustainability consulting, environmental policy, and GIS analysis.

Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the B.S. in Environmental Sustainability, students should be equipped to:

Describe how government policies, regulations and/or case law influence environmental decision making, sustainable planning, and resource management.
Utilize geospatial tools (e.g., GIS, remote sensing) and quantitative methods to collect, analyze, and interpret environmental data.
Effectively communicate environmental concepts and solutions through written, oral, and/or visual means.
Analyze environmental sustainability challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, by integrating concepts from environmental science, geography, policy, and/or geospatial science.
Critically assess environmental policies, regulations, and planning strategies, considering their historical development, ethical and social justice considerations, and impact on sustainability practices.
Design and propose practical, sustainable solutions to global environmental challenges, incorporating scientific, social, ethical, and economic considerations.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

Program Requirements

A total of 120 semester hours are required for graduation.
A grade of C- or better is required for each course in this program to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.

General Studies Requirements: 33 credits

Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements for degree completion.

Written Communication (6 credits)
Oral Communication (3 credits)
Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
- Recommended: MTH 1210 - Introduction to Statistics
Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
Historical (3 credits)
Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits)
- Recommended: Students may fulfill this requirement with courses required in the degree, GEG 1100 - Introduction to Physical Geography , or GEG 1910 - Global Water Concerns , or GEL 1010 - Physical Geology , or MTR 1400 - Weather and Climate , or MTR 1600 - Global Climate Change , and ENV 1200 - Introduction to Environmental Science .
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
- Recommended: Students may fulfill this requirement with courses required in the degree, GEG 1000 - World Regional Geography , or GEG 1300 - Introduction to Human Geography , or GEG 1700 - Global Sustainability , and GEG 2700 - Geographies of Environmental Justice (Geography elective).
Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)
- Recommended: Students may fulfill this requirement with a course required in the degree, GEG 1000 - World Regional Geography , GEG 1300 - Introduction to Human Geography , GEG 1700 - Global Sustainability , or MTR 1600 - Global Climate Change .

**Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.

Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement: 0 or 3 credits

Students should consult the Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Graduation Requirement for a list of courses that fulfill the ESSJ Requirement for degree completion.

Recommended: Students may fulfill this requirement with GEG 2700 - Geographies of Environmental Justice (Geography elective).

Environmental Sustainability Required Courses: 25-26 credits

This list of courses is designed to expose students to each of the various aspects of environmental sustainability studies, including environmental science, geography and planning, climate change science, and GIS.

ENV 1200 - Introduction to Environmental Science Credits: 3
GEG 1100 - Introduction to Physical Geography Credits: 3
or
GEG 1910 - Global Water Concerns Credits: 3
or
GEL 1010 - Physical Geology Credits: 4
or
MTR 1400 - Weather and Climate Credits: 3
or
MTR 1600 - Global Climate Change Credits: 3
GEG 1000 - World Regional Geography Credits: 3
or
GEG 1300 - Introduction to Human Geography Credits: 3
or
GEG 1700 - Global Sustainability Credits: 3
GIS 2250 - Geographic Information Systems Credits: 4
GEG 3100 - Geography Methods and Applications Credits: 3
MTR 3340 - Climate Change Science Credits: 3
ENV 4200 - Environmental Policy and Planning Credits: 3
GEG 4720 - Planning for Climate Change Credits: 3

Environmental Science Electives: 6 credits

Students are required to take a minimum of 6 credits of Environmental Science courses from the list below:

ENV 3200 - Climate Change and Ecosystems Credits: 3
ENV 3350 - Climate Change Solutions Credits: 3
ENV 3400 - Water Resources Credits: 3
ENV 3620 - Resource Use and the Environment Credits: 3
ENV 3700 - Mountain Environments Credits: 3
Any Upper Division ENV Course (ENV 3000-4999)
Any ENV Variable Topic or Omnibus Course (ENV 300X-499X)

Geography Electives: 6 credits

Students are required to take a minimum of 6 credits of Geography courses from the list below:

GEG 2700 - Geographies of Environmental Justice Credits: 3
GEG 3610 - Principles of Urban and Regional Planning Credits: 3
GEG 3720 - Global Sustainable Development Credits: 3
Any Upper Division GEG Course (GEG 3000-4999)
Any GEG Variable Topic or Omnibus Course (GEG 300X-499X)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Electives: 6 credits

Students are required to take a minimum of 6 credits of GIS courses from the list below:

GIS 3250 - Cartography Credits: 3
GIS 3410 - Web Mapping Credits: 3
GIS 4810 - GIS Programming Credits: 3
GIS 4840 - Remote Sensing Credits: 3
GIS 4850 - Spatial Modeling in Raster Credits: 4
GIS 4860 - GIS Applications Credits: 4
GIS 4870 - Spatial Databases Credits: 3
Any Upper Division GIS Course (GIS 3000-4999)
Any GIS Variable Topic or Omnibus Course (GIS 300X-499X)

Geology Electives: 3 credits

Students are required to take a minimum of 3 credits of Geology courses from the list below:

GEL 3440 - Energy and Mineral Resources Credits: 4
GEL 4000 - Geologic Hazards Credits: 3
Any Upper Division GEL Course (GEL 3000-4999)
Any GEL Variable Topic or Omnibus Course (GEL 300X-499X)

Senior Experience: 3 credits

Students must take the following Senior Experience course:

ENV 4960 - Global Environmental Challenges Credits: 3

Summary of Requirements

General Studies Requirement	33 credits
ESSJ Requirement	0-3 credits
Environmental Studies Required Courses	25-26 credits
Environmental Science Electives	6 credits
Geography Electives	6 credits
Geographic Information Systems Electives	6 credits
Geology Elective	3 credits
Environmental Sustainability Senior Experience	3 credits
Unrestricted Electives	34-50 credits
Total for Environmental Sustainability Major, B.S.	120 credits

Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and ESSJ requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.