Environmental Studies, B.A.
Preparing the next generation of environmental professionals to overcome emerging challenges at the intersection between social and environmental justice.
The Environmental Studies program will educate and inspire you with the knowledge, skills, and compassion to promote social and environmental justice and sustainable communities in a wide range of invigorating career pathways.
Public University Price, Private University Experience
A Lifetime of Value
Environmental Studies, B.A.
The program will fuel your academic and professional growth with an intentional integration of community-focused, interdisciplinary, and applied problem-solving skills that will uniquely position you to tackle a range of environmental pressures, from the impacts of climate change to biodiversity loss to environmental and social justice.
Educational Objectives
Our solutions-focused curriculum and opportunities will powerfully equip you with the knowledge, research experiences, and applied skills to frame problems, investigate solutions, engage stakeholders, and visualize complex ideas along the path to applied problem solving.
Our capstone courses and project will put you to work with community partners to plan and implement regionally relevant research and applied outreach, serving as an impressive culminating project, enriching your hands-on skills and abilities, and helping to meet local and regional environmental needs.
Our concentrations in Sustainable Communities and Education and Community Outreach link with more than a dozen other minors across the University’s program offerings and will offer you a personalized path for specializing your studies in a way that best aligns with your career goals.
Our intentional flexibility will allow you to craft your own, custom curriculum that enhances the program’s core with electives, options for a minor, and individually-tailored coursework based on your future academic and career goals.
Complete all of the following Environmental Studies core courses:
- STAT 100 - Introduction to Statistics Units: 3
- ENVS 240 - Environmental Biology Units: 4
- ENSTU 280 - Environmental Economics and Policy Units: 3
- ENSTU 300 - Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies Units: 4
- ENSTU 350 - Research Methods for Environmental Studies Units: 4
- ENSTU 410 - Capstone Integration Seminar Units: 1
- ENSTU 412 - Enviro Thought & Practice Units: 3
Complete one of the following Environmental Science courses:
- ENVS 201 - Intro to Environmental Science Units: 4
- FYS 124 - Introduction to Environmental Science Units: 4
Complete one of the following courses:
- GEOL 110 - Introduction to Earth Science Units: 3
- GEOL 210 - Earth Science for Teachers Units: 3
- GEOL 260 - Geology/Hydrology Units: 4
- AGPS 128 - Introduction to Soil Science Units: 3
Complete one of the following courses:
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENSTU 309 - Climate Change Science and Solutions Units: 3
- ENSTU 387 - Water Resource Assess/Law/Poli Units: 3
Complete one of the following Capstone Project courses:
- ENSTU 471 - Projects for Sustainable City Year Units: 4
- ENSTU 472 - Projects in Environmental Education Units: 4
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES CONCENTRATION
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENVS 332 - Intro to GIS/GPS Units: 4
- SBS 371 - GIS Applications for the Social Sciences and Business Units: 4
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENSTU 375 - Sustainability Systems Units: 4
- ENSTU 376 - Infrastructure Systems: Past, Present and Future Units: 4
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENSTU 384S - Social and Ecological Justice Service Learning Units: 4
- ENVS 382S - Climate Justice and Communication Units: 4
Sustainable Communities Electives:
- ENSTU 309 - Climate Change Science and Solutions Units: 3
- ENSTU 349S - Environmental Interpretation and Outreach Units: 5
- ENSTU 369S - Civic Ecology SL Units: 4
- ENSTU 375 - Sustainability Systems Units: 4
- ENSTU 376 - Infrastructure Systems: Past, Present and Future Units: 4
- ENSTU 384S - Social and Ecological Justice Service Learning Units: 4
- ENSTU 387 - Water Resource Assess/Law/Poli Units: 3
- ENSTU 394 - Environmental Studies Internship Units: 1-2
- ENSTU 397 - Independent Study Units: 1-2
- ENSTU 497 - Independent Study Units: 1-2
- AGPS 315 - Soil Resource Management Units: 4
- BIO 356 - Zoology Specimen Preparation Units: 2
- BIO 362 - Field Ornithology Units: 4
- BIO 364 - Mammalogy Units: 4
- BUS 433 - Management of Nonprofit Organizations Units: 4
- CHHS 330 - Collaborative Leadership & Community Building Units: 3
- CHHS 445 - Principles of Grantsmanship Units: 3
- ENVS 303 - Calif Transect Orientation Units: 2
- ENVS 303L - California Transect Lab Units: 3
- ENVS 307 - Energy Solutions and Climate Change Units: 3
- ENVS 342 - Plant Communities of CA Units: 4
- ENVS 360 - Natural History of California Wildlife Units: 4
- ENVS 382S - Climate Justice and Communication Units: 4
- ENVS 483 - Environmental Impact Assessment Units: 4
- GEOL 310 - Natural Disasters and Human Impacts Units: 3
- HOSP 471 - Sustainable Tourism Management Units: 4
- HOSP 473 - Sustainable Destination Planning and Management Units: 4
- SBS 371 - GIS Applications for the Social Sciences and Business Units: 4
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH CONCENTRATION
Complete the following courses:
- ENSTU 365 - Critical Pedagogy for Environmental Education Units: 3
- ENVS 363 - Field Natural History for Educators Units: 4
Complete one of the following Environmental Education in a Community Setting courses:
- ENSTU 349S - Environmental Interpretation and Outreach Units: 5
- ENSTU 369S - Civic Ecology SL Units: 4
Education and Community Outreach Electives:
- ENSTU 309 - Climate Change Science and Solutions Units: 3
- ENSTU 349S - Environmental Interpretation and Outreach Units: 5
- ENSTU 369S - Civic Ecology SL Units: 4
- ENSTU 394 - Environmental Studies Internship Units: 1-2
- ENSTU 397 - Independent Study Units: 1-2
- ENSTU 497 - Independent Study Units: 1-2
- BIO 356 - Zoology Specimen Preparation Units: 2
- BIO 362 - Field Ornithology Units: 4
- BIO 364 - Mammalogy Units: 4
- BIO 379S - Biology Service Learning Units: 3
- CART 424 - Environmental Media Arts Units: 4
- ENVS 303 - Calif Transect Orientation Units: 2
- ENVS 303L - California Transect Lab Units: 3
- ENVS 342 - Plant Communities of CA Units: 4
- ENVS 360 - Natural History of California Wildlife Units: 4
- ENVS 382S - Climate Justice and Communication Units: 4
- GEOL 310 - Natural Disasters and Human Impacts Units: 3
- KIN 382 - Wilderness Leadership Units: 3
- KIN 382L - Wilderness Leadership Lab Units: 1
- KIN 383 - Fdn of Adventure Education Units: 3
- KIN 383L - Fdn of Adventure Education Lab Units: 1
- KIN 384 - Wilderness Experience Units: 3
- KIN 384L - Wilderness Experience Lab Units: 1
- KIN 385 - Outdoor Edu/Rec Program Admin Units: 3
- KIN 385L - Outdoor Ed/Rec Prog Admin Lab Units: 1
- LS 380 - Teaching for Social Change Units: 3
- LS 383 - Innov Approaches to Schooling Units: 3
- LS 384 - Issues in Comparative and International Education Units: 3
- MSCI 305 - Marine Life of Monterey Bay Units: 3
You’ll engage in a learning experience that makes the most of our distinctive coastal setting, with courses and lab work that unfolds at local conservation and environmental education sites like Watsonville Wetlands Watch and the Elkhorn Slough for field-based learning experiences.
Your courses will regularly integrate field-based learning within local and regional ecosystems, including an opportunity to take part in an outdoor education practicum at the Elkhorn Slough Foundation’s Carneros Creek Outdoor Classroom in the community of Las Lomas.
Community-engaged learning is interwoven throughout the program’s curriculum, as a way to instill in you an appreciation and dedication to using your knowledge of pressing environmental issues to improve lives and communities.
You’ll develop your skills working on community-based restoration projects along with research and courses like Environmental Interpretation, Civic Ecology, and Social and Ecological Justice. These learning initiatives will empower you to view environmental problems through a social justice and equity lens, and strive to develop applied and locally contextual solutions to environmental challenges.
Faculty & Staff
Our faculty are passionate about their work, lauded for their accomplishments, and dedicated to mentoring and supporting their students in a way that makes the most of their potential and ensures academic and professional success.
Susan Alexander
Department Chair AY
Susan Alexander
Special Consultant
Jennifer Duggan
Associate Professor
Jennifer Duggan
Special Consultant
Jennifer Duggan
Special Consultant
Sharon Anderson
Lecturer
Sharon Anderson
Lecturer
Robert Burton
Lecturer
Michelle Ericksen
Administrative Support Coordinator
James Guilinger
Assistant Professor
John Olson
Associate Professor
Carmen Ramirez
Academic Advisor
Fred Watson
Professor
Suzanne Worcester
Professor
The new program provides support for students who were formerly incarcerated.
Geology students not only get the chance to study real-world examples, but they can contribute to current research by gathering data.
A five-year $1.3 million grant-funded program has drawn together leaders from three universities and teachers from three counties to introduce over 4,000 middle and high school students to environmental issues
Questions? We’re Here to Help!
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