Environmental Science

Degree

Bachelor of Science with a major in Environmental Science
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
School of Marine and Environmental Programs

Contact

Noah Perlut, Ph.D.
Assistant Academic Director, School of Marine and Environmental Programs
nperlut@une.edu

Mission

Environmental Studies programs strive to increase awareness and appreciation of human connections with the rest of nature and to stimulate advocacy for sustainable behaviors. The curriculum stresses sound interdisciplinary understanding of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities disciplines in order to explore past, present, and potential ways of living on the earth. We are concerned with environmental issues at local, regional, national, and global levels, and we especially desire to help individuals and communities practice sustainable living by means of our research, teaching, and service. Faculty and students collaborate in active and critical learning through community discourse, personal inquiry, and experiential learning. We intend that our students develop a personal aesthetic awareness of the earth and that they engage in the inquiry, discovery, critical thinking, and debate that characterize the study of environmental issues.

Major Description

The program offers majors in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, and Sustainability and Business (offered jointly with the College of Business). All three (3) majors build upon a sound foundation in basic science, and both provide broad explorations of human interaction with the environment.

During the first two (2) years of the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors, course requirements are similar. The difference between the two (2) majors emerges during the final two (2) years in course selection: Environmental Science emphasizes scientific aspects of environmental questions, while Environmental Studies emphasizes humanistic, social, and political aspects. 

During the first year both majors take courses in Environmental Issues; Biology; Literature, Nature and the Environment (or appropriate substitute); and Economics in Context (or appropriate substitute). This two (2)-semester program, called the Blue Green Learning Community (GLC), provides an interdisciplinary framework to explore fundamental themes of environmental studies. Moreover, it develops academic, social, and affective skills necessary for successful college learning and collaborative professional work.

During the second year, students look more deeply into the nature of environmental issues by taking courses in Environment and Society; Conservation and Preservation; and Environmental Policy. In addition, the Conservation Field Lab teaches conservation field skills as well as data analysis and environmental communication arts. And, in the Environmental Sustainability Lab, students apply classroom learning as they propose, research, and bring about a sustainability project on the campus or the larger community. These interdisciplinary environmental issues courses ensure a broad understanding while preparing students for more advanced study.

In their third year, students in both majors take BIO 350 鈥 Ecology. In their third and fourth years, aided by a faculty advisor, students choose advanced courses according to their interests and career plans. Environmental Science majors choose science electives in Environmental Science as well as in Environmental Studies, GIS, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Marine Biology, and Psychology. Environmental Studies majors in the third and fourth years choose advanced courses from the following distribution groups: Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration; Environmental Policy and Management; Arts, Humanities, and Values; Global Ecology and Social Justice.

In both majors, the advanced courses stress deeper understanding and involve problem-solving. Some courses examine the ways that human attitudes affect our environment, while other courses deal with hands-on tasks such as designing a conservation area, restoring a natural ecosystem, or considering technologies to reduce pollution. To ensure an intense direct experience of the natural world, the School of Marine and Environmental Programs offers a variety of field study courses. The curriculum culminates with the senior capstone in Sustainability in which students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to an in-depth study of the concept.

Philosophy

Because the study of environmental issues requires knowledge from a wide range of subjects, the School of Marine and Environmental Programs maintains a firm commitment to interdisciplinary education in our curriculum. Core courses in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs utilize knowledge and concepts drawn from the basic sciences as well as from the humanities and social sciences. Upper-division courses investigate environmental questions through disciplines such as literature, anthropology, economics, biology, history, political science, geographic information systems, chemistry, physics, and ecology. Through all four years, our curriculum develops the skills necessary for dealing with environmental problems: writing, speaking, critical thinking, computing, research techniques, and media arts. The Environmental Studies Program prepares students to become informed citizens, competent professionals, and lifelong learners.

The Blue Green Learning Community

As mentioned above, all entering first-year environmental students participate in a year-long learning community focused on the fundamental themes of environmental studies. The Blue Green Learning Community includes courses as follows: eight (8) credits of biology, three (3) credits of literature (or an appropriate substitute), three (3) credits of economics, and three (3) credits of environmental issues for a total of seventeen (17) credits over two (2) semesters. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to understand more clearly the complexity of environmental issues and at the same time improve skills in critical thinking, writing, oral communication, research, and the use of computers. Experiential learning activities are central.

Internships and Careers

Internships provide students with opportunities to practice learned skills in an actual work environment with the guidance of an internship coordinator, who helps students match their interests with a work experience that might take place locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Internships provide career exploration and can help establish professional networks that lead to career opportunities upon graduation. The interdisciplinary nature of Environmental Studies and Environmental Science is reflected in the wide variety of careers open to graduates, such as air and water resource management, ecological restoration, education, habitat conservation, park management, toxicology, field research, journalism, environmental advocacy, environmental impact assessment, law and regulation, and environmental health. Our graduates enter both master's and doctoral programs in several of these fields.

Curricular Requirements

Since 1991 the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences has defined environmental awareness as a major theme in the College's Core Curriculum and asked Environmental Studies programs to deliver the course Introduction to Environmental Issues to all undergraduates regardless of major. The SWAG视频 College of Arts and Sciences is one (1) of the few in the nation that requires formal instruction in Environmental Studies as a requirement for graduation.

CAS Core RequirementsCredits
Total Credits42
Program Required CoursesCredits
BIO 105/105L 鈥 Biology I: Ecology/Evolution w/LabCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
BIO 106/106L 鈥 Biology II: Cellular/Molecular w/Lab4
BIO 350/350L 鈥 Ecology w/Field Lab (third year)4
BUEC 104 and 105 or BUEC 106 鈥 Economics in ContextCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
CHE 110/110L 鈥 General Chemistry I w/Lab4
CHE 111/111L 鈥 General Chemistry II w/Lab4
ENV 100 and 101 or ENV 104 鈥 Introduction to Environmental IssuesCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
ENV 200 鈥 Environment and Society: A Global PerspectiveCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
ENV 220/220L 鈥 Conservation and Preservation w/Lab5
ENV 250 鈥 Environmental Policy in Comparative Perspective3
ENV 499 鈥 Senior Capstone in Environmental Studies3
GIS 161 鈥 GIS I: Fundamentals of Geospatial Science and Technology3
LIT 121 and 122 or LIT 124 鈥 Literature, Nature and The EnvironmentCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
MAT 151 鈥 Statistics for Environmental SciencesCredits Fulfilled by Core Requirements
Sixteen (16) Credits of Upper Division Science Electives*16
Two (2) courses from different distribution groups in the list of Environmental Studies Distribution Requirements6鈥8
Up to twelve (12) credits of ENV 295 and/or ENV 495 may be arranged with special permission from the Academic Director3鈥12
Total Credits55鈥65
Open Elective Courses (as needed to reach 120 credits)Variable
Minimum Total Required Credits120

*Upper-Division Science Electives 鈥 After consulting with their academic advisors, Environmental Science majors will choose at least sixteen (16) credit hours of upper-division science courses in Environmental Science, Biology, Marine Science, Chemistry, Physics, or Psychology. (This group of courses should be taken during the third and fourth years.)

Environmental Studies Distribution Requirements List

Group A 鈥 Conservation, Preservation, RestorationCredits
ENV 309 鈥 Sustainability and Ecological Restoration3
ENV 312/312L 鈥 Wetland Conservation and Ecology w/Field Lab4
ENV 313/313L 鈥 Wetland Restoration: Science and Policy w/Field Lab4
ENV 316/316L 鈥 Land Conservation Practicum w/Field Lab4
ENV 317 鈥 Case Studies in Preserving Biodiversity and Protected Areas3
ENV 397 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies (meets ADV requirement for non-majors only)3
ENV 398 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies3
ENV 399 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies w/Lab4
Group B 鈥 Environmental Policy and ManagementCredits
BUEC 390 鈥 Environmental Economics (can also meet ADV requirement)3
BUEC 395 鈥 Ecological Economics3
ENV 204 鈥 Urban Forestry3
ENV 321 鈥 Environmental Communication: Expert Practices for Ecosystem Management3
ENV 328 鈥 Environmental Pollution: Ecosystems, Wildlife and Human Health3
ENV 357 鈥 Sustaining Water: Social and Global Perspectives3
ENV 362 鈥 Climate Change Adaptation3
ENV 397 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies (meets ADV requirement for non-majors only)3
ENV 398 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies3
ENV 399 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies w/Lab4
Group C 鈥 Arts, Humanities, and ValuesCredits
ENV 331 鈥 Women and the Environment3
ENV 333/333L 鈥 The Nature Writers w/Field Lab4
ENV 334/334L 鈥 Contemporary Nature Writing w/Lab4
ENV 397 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies (meets ADV requirement for non-majors only)3
ENV 398 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies3
ENV 399 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies w/Lab4
Group D 鈥 Global Ecology and Social JusticeCredits
ENV 340 鈥 Environmental Movements and Social Change3
ENV 341 鈥 Indigenous Ecology, Conservation Biology, and the Politics of Knowledge3
ENV 344 鈥 Environmental Ethics3
ENV 349/349L 鈥 Environment, Health, and Community Development in E. Africa w/Lab4
ENV 376 鈥 Caribbean Sustainable Development3
ENV 397 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies (meets ADV requirement for non-majors only)3
ENV 398 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies3
ENV 399 鈥 Topics in Environmental Studies w/Lab4

The Environmental Studies program also offers minors in the following areas:

Students wishing to pursue teacher certification in Life Science can complete a double major with Environmental Science and Secondary Education or a major in Secondary Education and a concentration in Environmental Science. For more information, see the Secondary Education catalog page.

Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.

Academic and Technical Standards

All courses that fulfill a degree requirement must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. 

Learning Outcomes

All graduates will achieve the below learning outcomes.

Intellectual Flexibility

Students will possess the intellectual flexibility necessary to view environmental questions from multiple perspectives, prepared to alter their understanding as they learn new ways of understanding.

Problem Solving

Students will solve problems systematically, creatively, and reflexively, ready to assemble knowledge and formulate strategy.

Interdisciplinary

When encountering environmental problems students will assess necessary scientific concepts and data, consider likely social dynamics, and establish integral cultural contexts.

Research

When faced with questions that lie beyond their current knowledge base, students will actively research data, concepts, histories, and narratives necessary for adequate consideration of the issue.

Communication

Students will communicate with precision, effective art, and sound rhetoric in writing, in speech, and in digital media.

Values

Reflecting upon their internalized values system, students will continue to evolve an individual vision of harmonious and sustainable interaction among humans as well as between humans and the rest of the natural world.

Knowledge

Students will have mastered foundational knowledge enabling them to make sound life decisions as well as enter a career in an environmental profession or graduate school.

Detailed Learning Outcomes

To deal with environmental issues one must understand not only scientific concepts, but also the social interactions by which humans behave and the cultural values that underlay behaviors. Therefore, our Environmental Studies and Environmental Science programs lead to learning outcomes involving many different disciplines, or ways of knowing. We have organized our more detailed learning outcomes according to the three (3) traditional academic categories: social sciences, natural sciences, and the humanities.

Social Sciences
  • Students will be able to articulate the basic structure, functions, and processes of key social systems affecting the environment.
  • Students will be able to apply specific models of social system processes derived from various social science theories to explain environmental issues (including current and past conditions), and to propose future solutions to environmental problems
  • Students will be able to identify, interpret, and apply basic measures (metrics and formulae) of social system variables to assess socio-environmental conditions.
  • Students will be able to articulate a basic understanding of various social science theories/frameworks and how they apply to environmental issues.
  • Students will be able to explain how various paradigms or world views and their implicit and explicit assumptions and values shape the viewer鈥檚 perception of environmental problems and solutions.
  • Students will be able to explain how perceptions of environmental problems, the problems themselves, and the proposed solutions are shaped by their historical, geographical, social, political, economic, and cultural contexts.
  • Students will be able to assess/weigh ethical considerations as a component of environmental decision-making and problem-solving.
Natural Sciences
  • Students will understand key concepts of life and physical sciences and be able to apply them to environmental issues. 
  • Students will understand and apply the scientific process, as well as appreciate both the potential and limitations of the process. 
  • Students will be able to locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from the scientific literature. 
  • Students will analyze data using appropriate statistical methods and will be able to evaluate the use of statistics by others in a variety of contexts. 
  • Students will apply knowledge of the sciences within an interdisciplinary context in solving environmental issues such as environmental health, food and agriculture, energy, waste and pollution, climate change, population, resource management, and loss of biodiversity. 
  • Students will carry out an applied research project in the natural sciences. 
  • Students will be able to communicate science effectively through written work and oral presentations to a variety of audiences. 
  • Students will apply the tools commonly used in field research, particularly in the study of plants, animals, and soils, and will find their way on the landscape using map, compass, and GPS technology, and use spatial analysis software such as GIS, Google Earth, and Google Maps.
Humanities 
  • Students will articulate historical epochs and concepts relevant to the evolution of environmental consciousness and policy.  
  • Students will analyze and evaluate ideological and philosophical approaches used to understand environmental relationships. 
  • Students will be aware of and able to analyze the potential of literature and fine arts to communicate assumptions of value about human relations with the biosphere. 
  • Students will articulate a coherent philosophy of the environment, and consider ethical bases for responding to environmental questions.

The third- and fourth-year curriculum of the Environmental Studies/Science majors builds on the core learning outcomes through a process of intensification, adding depth and sophistication to students鈥 learning of the concepts and skills specified above. For students majoring in Environmental Studies, the outcomes listed under 鈥淪ocial Sciences鈥 and 鈥淗umanities鈥 are emphasized, while the outcomes listed under 鈥淣atural Sciences鈥 are emphasized for students majoring in Environmental Science. 

Double Major

It is possible for students to add a second major or minor in areas such as marine biology, medical biology, political science, history, sociology, math, and English. Students interested in a double major should consult with their faculty advisor, who in turn will coordinate with an advisor from the second program.

Transfer Credit

See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

Admissions

See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

Financial Information

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.

Notice and Responsibilities Regarding this Catalog

This catalog outlines the academic programs, degree criteria, policies, and events of the SWAG视频 for the 2024鈥2025 academic year and serves as the official guide for academic and program requirements for students enrolling at the University during the Summer of 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 semesters.

The information provided is accurate as of its publication date on April 26, 2024.
The SWAG视频 reserves the right to modify its programs, calendar, or academic schedule as deemed necessary or beneficial. This includes alterations to course content, class rescheduling, cancellations, or any other academic adjustments. Changes will be communicated as promptly as possible.

While students may receive guidance from academic advisors or program directors, they remain responsible for fulfilling the requirements outlined in the catalog relevant to their enrollment year and for staying informed about any updates to policies, provisions, or requirements.