Program Learning Goals:
Upon completion of the Environment and Sustainability Major: Standard Program 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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | 42 | |
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.
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(s)
Standard Major
| 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 or minor course | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| Western Watershed Course | Area I, II, or III (WWGE) | 3 |
| ENVS 200 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 215 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 6 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENVS 350 | U.S. and Western Environmental Politics | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | Upper Division (WWGE) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | Upper Division (WWGE) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 6 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta: Western Watershed Integration Seminar (WWGE) | 1 |
| ENVS 301 | Science of Sustainability and Resilience | 3 |
| ENVS 360 |
Global Environmental Policy or Water Policy and Politics or The Water Planet |
3 |
| ENVS 390 | Environmental Monitoring | 4 |
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 12 |
| Elective | Cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sex, sexuality, and/or class contexts | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENVS 400 | Applied Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 410 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 9 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
ENVS and BUAD Coordinated Double Major
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ENVS 100 | Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-HI1) | 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 or ECON 216 |
Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) (WWGE 101/102/103/104:: Headwaters (select one)) or Statistics for Business and Economics |
3 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters (select one) | 2 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CS 120 or BUAD 220 |
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 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACC 201 | Introduction to Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ECON 201 | Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| BUAD 210 | Foundations of Business Law | 3 |
| ENVS 250 | Environmental Justice (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| HWTR 398 | Headwaters Conference | 1 |
| Gen Ed | Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| 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 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| 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 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| 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 or BUAD 350 |
Organizational Behavior or Human Resource Management |
3 |
| Gen Ed | General Education (Area II) | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Summer | ||
| ENVS 499 | Internship in Environmental Studies (Recommended, but optional) | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| 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 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective | Elective/Minor | 4 |
| Elective | chosen 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 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 124 | |
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.