Program Learning Goals:
Upon completion of the Environment and Sustainability Comprehensive Major: Water Emphasis students will have the skills and capability to:
-
Apply an extensive knowledge of natural sciences and the scientific method to understand and analyze environmental problems and solutions.
-
Utilize environmental policies and frameworks to develop local, national, and global sustainable solutions.
-
Use the insights of environmental history, literature, and ethics to inform current environmental decision making.
-
Develop interdisciplinary critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills to foster community and ecological resilience.
-
Serve as leaders in sustainability, guiding colleagues in any industry and field towards enhanced practices in sustainability.
-
Explain how water moves through the landscape in different ways and what anthropogenic threats exist at different stages of movement
-
Design rigorous studies to test water research questions, whether social or scientific or both
-
Create reports and science communication pieces that interpret various types of water data (quality, flow, biological indices) and policies
-
Facilitate interdisciplinary discussions about water use, ethics, and threats for water planning, management, and conservation purposes
Program Requirements
A minimum of 71 credits is required for the Environment & Sustainability Comprehensive Major: Water Emphasis.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 130 | Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| BIOL 135 | Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| 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 370 | Water Policy and Politics | 3 |
| ENVS 373 | The Water Planet | 3 |
| ENVS 375 | Seminar in Water Topics | 3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies | 1-6 |
| GEOG 340 | Intro Geographic Info Systems | 3 |
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| 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 | |
| Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry (GT-SC2) | ||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | ||
| 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 two of the following: | 6-7 | |
| Aquatic Ecology (with laboratory) | ||
| Water Law | ||
| Natural Resource Economics | ||
| Global Environmental Policy | ||
| Outdoor Pursuits Education - Water w/ Lab | ||
| 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 | 68-74 | |
Admission to Recreation and Outdoor Education courses for declared Water Emphasis students is based on instructor permission and available seats.
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.
Sample Plan
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.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BIOL 130 & BIOL 135 |
Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) and Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) |
4 |
| CHEM 101 or CHEM 111 |
Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry (GT-SC2) or General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) |
3 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) (Wesstern Watershed Fundamental Skills - Writing I) | 3 |
| ENVS 100 | Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters (select one) | 2 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) (Western Watershed Fundamental Skills - Writing II) | 3 |
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) (Area II Gen Ed) | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) (Area II Gen Ed) | 1 |
| MATH 113 | Statistical Thinking (GT-MA1) (Western Watershed Fundamental Skills - Mathematics) | 3 |
| PHYS 125 | Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| HWTR 398 | Headwaters Conference | 1 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ENVS 210 | Introduction to Climate Policy | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective or minor course | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| ENVS 370 or ENVS 375 |
Water Policy and Politics or Seminar in Water Topics |
3 |
| ENVS 370 and ENVS 375 are offered in alternating fall semesters. | ||
| ENVS 373 | The Water Planet | 3 |
| Elective | Elective course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective course | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 301 | General Ecology | 3 |
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| Elective | chosen from selection of classes on cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sex, sexuality, and/or class contexts | 3 |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta course (select one) | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| 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 | ||
| GEOG 340 | Intro Geographic Info Systems | 3 |
| ENVS 370 or ENVS 375 |
Water Policy and Politics or Seminar in Water Topics |
3 |
| ENVS 370 and ENVS 375 are offered in alternating fall semesters. | ||
| Elective | Elective course | 3 |
| Elective | Elective course | 3 |
| Water Elective | ROE 293 or ECON 370 or ENVS 360 or BIOL 467 or BIOL 476 | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Internship in Environmental Studies (if not taken already) | ||
| Elective | Elective course | 3 |
| Water Elective | ROE 293 or ECON 370 or ENVS 360 or BIOL 467 or BIOL 476 | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 123 | |
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.