Program Requirements
This Emphasis allows students to design a curriculum in consultation with an Environment and Sustainability advisor and with the approval of the Environment and Sustainability Council. A minimum of 60 credits is required including the 42- credit Standard Major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS 100 | Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Global Environmental Policy | ||
| Water Policy and Politics | ||
| Seminar in Water Topics | ||
| Required Supporting Courses | ||
| BIOL 130 | Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| BIOL 135 | Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| PHYS 125 | Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| One of the following: | 1 | |
| This Is The Headwaters | ||
| Headwaters Conference | ||
| And 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 | ||
| At least 18 additional credits for the Individualized Contract | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 63 | |
Proposals for an Individualized Contract should be developed before the second semester of the junior year, and applicants must have a minimum of a 3.200 GPA in the major and a 3.000 overall GPA. Consult an Environment and Sustainability advisor for details.
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: First Year Seminar (WWGE) | 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 (WWGE) | 1 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3-6 |
| Credits | 12-15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta: Western Watershed Integration Seminar (WWGE) | 1 |
| ENVS 360 |
Global Environmental Policy or Water Policy and Politics or The Water Planet |
3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Summer | ||
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies (Recommended but optional) | 1-6 |
| **Summer courses count towards a student’s GPA, Academic Standing, and follow summer tuition fee structure. | ||
| Credits | 1-6 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| IC | Individualized Contract Requirement | 3 |
| Elective | WWGE or elective with cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sex, sexuality, and/or class contexts | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 118-126 | |
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.