Environment and Sustainability Major: Standard Program

Program Requirements

All standard majors require a minor in a second discipline or a second major.

A minimum of 42 credits is required for the ENVS Standard Major.

ENVS 100Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-SS2)3
ENVS 200Writing the Environment3
ENVS 250Environmental Justice3
ENVS 301Science of Sustainability and Resilience3
ENVS 350U.S. and Western Environmental Politics3
ENVS 390Environmental Monitoring4
ENVS 400Applied Sustainability3
ENVS 410Environmental Ethics3
Required Supporting Courses
BIOL 130Environmental Biology (GT-SC2)3
BIOL 135Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1)1
PHYS 125Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2)3
ECON 215Environmental Economics3
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)
Quantitative Research 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
Environmental Sociology
Social Problems
Social Movements
Social Class, Status, and Power
Total Credits42

Environment and Sustainability and Business Administration Coordinated Double Major

If a student elects to complete an Environment and Sustainability Major: Standard Program and the coordinated Business Administration Major: Standard Program, the student must take ECON 202 Microeconomics instead of ECON 215 Environmental Economics; and ENVS 360 Global Environmental Policy must be elected. ECON 216 Statistics for Business and Economics must be elected, with MATH 140 College Algebra (GT-MA1) as its prerequisite.

Capstone Course Requirement

The following course in the Environment and Sustainability Major fulfills the capstone course requirement: ENVS 400 Applied Sustainability.

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

Standard Major

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
HWTR 100 First Year Seminar 1
ENVS 100 Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-SS2) 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
Gen Ed General Education Courses 3
 Credits14
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
Elective Elective or minor course 3
Gen Ed General Education Courses 3
 Credits15
Year Two
Fall
HWTR 398 Headwaters Conference 1
ENVS 200 Writing the Environment 3
ENVS 250 Environmental Justice 3
Gen Ed Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences 3
Gen Ed Natural Sciences 3
Elective Elective/Minor 3
 Credits16
Spring
ECON 215 Environmental Economics 3
Gen Ed Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences 6
Elective Elective/Minor 6
 Credits15
Year Three
Fall
ENVS 301 Science of Sustainability and Resilience 3
ENVS 350 U.S. and Western Environmental Politics 3
Elective Elective/Minor 9
 Credits15
Spring
ENVS 360
Global Environmental Policy
or Water Policy and Politics
or The Water Planet
3
ENVS 390 Environmental Monitoring 4
Elective Elective/Minor 9
 Credits16
Summer
ENVS 499 Internship in Environmental Studies (recommended, but optional) 1-6
 Credits1-6
Year Four
Fall
Electivechosen from selection of classes on cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sex, sexuality, and/or class contexts 3
Elective Elective/Minor 9
ENVS 410 Environmental Ethics 3
 Credits15
Spring
Elective Elective/Minor 12
ENVS 400 Applied Sustainability 3
 Credits15
 Total Credits122-127

ENVS and BUAD Coordinated Double Major

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
HWTR 100 First Year Seminar 1
ENVS 100 Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-SS2) 3
ENG 102 Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) 3
BIOL 130 Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) 3
BIOL 135 Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) 1
MATH 213
Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1)
or Statistics for Business and Economics
3
 Credits14
Spring
CS 120
Professional Computer Skills
or Spreadsheets and Analysis
3
BUAD 185 Business Communication 3
PHYS 125 Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) 3
ENG 103 Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) 3
MATH 140 College Algebra (GT-MA1) 3
 Credits15
Year Two
Fall
ACC 201 Introduction to Financial Accounting 3
ECON 201 Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) 3
BUAD 210 Legal Environment of Business 3
ENVS 250 Environmental Justice 3
HWTR 398 Headwaters Conference 1
Gen Ed Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences 3
 Credits16
Spring
ACC 202 Introduction to Managerial Accounting 3
ECON 202 Microeconomics 3
ENVS 200 Writing the Environment 3
Elective Elective 3
BUAD 270 Principles of Marketing 3
 Credits15
Year Three
Fall
ENVS 301 Science of Sustainability and Resilience 3
ENVS 350 U.S. and Western Environmental Politics 3
BUAD 360 Managerial Finance 3
Gen Ed General Education (Area I, II, or III) 3
Gen Ed General Education (Area III) 3
 Credits15
Spring
ENVS 360
Global Environmental Policy
or Water Policy and Politics
or The Water Planet
3
Gen Ed General Education (Area I, II, or III) 3
ENVS 390 Environmental Monitoring 4
BUAD 333
Organizational Behavior
or Human Resource Management
3
Gen Ed General Education (Area II) 3
 Credits16
Summer
ENVS 499 Internship in Environmental Studies (Recommended, but optional) 3
 Credits3
Year Four
Fall
ECON 370 Natural Resource Economics 3
ENVS 380 Advanced Climate Policy 3
ENVS 410 Environmental Ethics 3
ENVS 435 Environmental Grant Writing 1
BUAD 363 Business and the Environment 3
 Credits13
Spring
Elective Elective/Minor 4
Electivechosen from selection of classes on cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sex, sexuality, and/or class contexts 3
BUAD 410 Water Law 3
ENVS 400 Applied Sustainability 3
BUAD 491 Strategic Management 3
 Credits16
 Total Credits123