Program Requirements
The Climate Action Planning emphasis will provide the essential tools for climate planning which include assessing vulnerability to climate change and preparing for the future. The emphasis prepares students to identify and prioritize specific implementation steps in the electricity, transportation, land use, and waste management sectors. This includes an understanding of policies designed to mitigate climate change or help communities adapt, as well as quantitative approaches to measuring vulnerability and evaluating various paths forward.
Program Learning Goals:
Upon completion of the Environment and Sustainability Comprehensive Major: Climate Action Planning Emphasis students will have the skills and capability to:
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Apply an extensive knowledge of natural sciences and the scientific method to understand and analyze environmental problems and solutions.
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Utilize environmental policies and frameworks to develop local, national, and global sustainable solutions.
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Use the insights of environmental history, literature, and ethics to inform current environmental decision making.
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Develop interdisciplinary critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills to foster community and ecological resilience.
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Serve as leaders in sustainability, guiding colleagues in any industry and field towards enhanced practices in sustainability.
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Measure and quantify greenhouse gas emission data to inform climate action planning within organizations, businesses, and government.
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Develop and analyze public engagement to inform the integration of climate action approaches within organizations, businesses, and government.
A minimum of 58 credits is required for the Environment & Sustainability Comprehensive Major: Climate Action Planning Emphasis.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUAD 305 | Applied Energy Seminar | 3 |
| ENVS 100 | Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 210 | Introduction to Climate Policy | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 320 | Quantitative Skills for Climate Action Planning | 3 |
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| ENVS 380 | Advanced Climate Policy | 3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| ENVS 435 | Environmental Grant Writing | 1 |
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies | 3 |
| Required Supporting Courses | ||
| BIOL 130 | Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| BIOL 135 | Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| PHYS 125 | Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| This Is The Headwaters | ||
| Headwaters Conference | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Statistics for Business and Economics | ||
| Statistical Thinking (GT-MA1) | ||
| Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) | ||
| Questionnaires and Survey Methods | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Cultural Anthropology (with laboratory) | ||
| Cultural Ecology | ||
| Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Politics of the Environment | ||
| Politics of Social Movements | ||
| Human Rights | ||
| The Global South | ||
| Political Economy | ||
| Environmental Psychology | ||
| Multicultural Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Communities & Social Change | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Social Class, Status, and Power | ||
| Total Credits | 58 | |
Capstone Course Requirement
The following course in the Environment and Sustainability Major fulfills the capstone course requirement: ENVS 400 Applied Sustainability.
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Degree Plans are for planning purposes. They reflect a suggested plan to complete the degree in a projected timeframe per program of study.
"Western Watershed Course(s)” refers to a course from the Tributaries area of the Western Watershed program. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters | 2 |
| ENVS 100 | Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| BIOL 130 | Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| BIOL 135 | Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MATH 113 | Statistical Thinking (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| PHYS 125 | Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| HWTR 398 | Headwaters Conference | 1 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ENVS 210 | Introduction to Climate Policy | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| BUAD 305 | Applied Energy Seminar | 3 |
| ENVS 360 |
Global Environmental Policy or Water Policy and Politics or The Water Planet |
3 |
| Elective | chosen from selection of classes on racial, gender, sex, and/or class contexts | 3 |
| Elective | Elective | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta:Western Watershed Integration Seminar (WWGE) | 1 |
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 320 | Quantitative Skills for Climate Action Planning | 3 |
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| ENVS 380 | Advanced Climate Policy | 3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Summer | ||
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies (Recommended but optional) | 3 |
| **Summer courses count towards a student’s GPA, Academic Standing, and follow summer tuition fee structure. | ||
| Credits | 3 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENVS 435 | Environmental Grant Writing | 1 |
| Elective or minor course | 4 | |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies (if not taken over summer) | 1-6 |
| Credits | 12-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| Elective or minor course | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 117-122 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.