The Environmental Studies (ENVS) degrees are built on specialized natural and social science courses and a set of interdisciplinary courses focusing on sustainability. The social science core courses focus on environmental problems from political, legal, economic and international prospectives. Specially designed one-semester surveys of biology, earth science and chemistry provide the natural science competency for subsequent policy or science advanced course work in environmental studies. Two concentrations are available in the Environmental Studies BA degree: Science and Management; and Policy and Management. Four concentrations are available in the Environmental Studies BS degrees; Sustainability and Society; Oceans and People; Climate and Environment; and Environmental Policy.

Bachelor of Science Environmental Studies Curriculum (ENVS)

ENVS Curriculum Sheet

  • Math Requirement:

    Choose one:

    GEOL 425L Data Analysis in the Earth and Environmental Sciences

    HP 340Lg Health Behavior Statistical Methods

    MATH 114xg Foundation of Statistics

    PSYC 274Lg Statistics

    QBIO 305g Statistics for Social Sciences

    Natural Science Core Experiences:

    BISC 103Lgx General Biology for Environment and Life

    CHEM 103Lgx General Chemistry for the Environment and Life

    GEOL 160Lg Introduction to Geosystems

    Environmental Studies Core Experiences:

    ENST 100g Introduction to Environmental Studies

    ENST 320a Water and Soil Sustainability

    ENST 320b Energy and Air Sustainability

    ENST 344 Environmental Ethics

    ENST 387 Economics for Natural Resources and the Environment

    ENST 495 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies

    Social Science Core Experience:

    ENST/IR 323 Politics of Global Environment

    POSC 270 Introduction to Environmental Law and Politics

  • Six of the following (a minimum of three classes must have the ENST prefix)

    BISC 315L Introduction to Ecology

    BISC 419L Microbiology for a Sustainable Future

    BISC 431 Aquatic Microbiology or BISC 457L Methods in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography

    BISC 469L Marine Biology or BISC 473 Biological Oceanography

    ENST 310 Sustainable Fisheries Management

    ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environmental Policy

    ENST 405 Public Engagement for Nature Conservation

    ENST/GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment

    ENST 413 Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security

    ENST/GEOL 470L Environmental Hydrogeology

    ENST 483 Coastal Zone Sustainability

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship ((Max units towards major: 4)

    GEOL 450L Geosystems

    PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning or SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

  • Further Add (12 units):

    (Note: students cannot take more than one of the following climate science courses: ENST 445, GEOL 351, ENST/GEOL 412. If one of these options is taken as a required climate class, none of them are available to take as an elective).

    MATH 125g Calculus I

    PHYS 151Lg Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics

    Choose one:
    ENST/GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment
    ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy
    ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society
    ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future
    GEOL 351 Climate Systems

    Electives

    Three of the following. A minimum of two classes must have the ENST prefix.

    (Note: students cannot take more than one of the following climate science courses: ENST 445, GEOL 351, ENST/GEOL 412. If one of these options is taken as a required climate class, none of them are available to take as an elective.
    Courses cannot be double counted for credit as an elective and required course.)

    ENST 330 Energy, Environment, and Geopolitics (Note: Part of USC’s Dornsife Washington D.C. Program)

    ENST 335 Science, Health and the Environment

    ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society

    ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present and Future or ENST/GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate and the Environment or GEOL 351 Climate Systems

    ENST/GEOL 470 Environmental Hydrogeology

    ENST 483 Coastal Zone Sustainability

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship (Max units towards major: 4)

    GEOL 425L Data Analysis in the Earth and Environmental Sciences

    GEOL 450L Geosystems

    HP 448 Global Environmental Change and Health

    PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning or SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

  • Six of the following (a minimum of three classes must have the ENST prefix):

    ANTH 302 Human and Ancient Environments

    ARCH 447 Ecological Factors in Design (3 units)

    ENST 310 Sustainable Fisheries Management

    ENST 405 Public Engagement for Nature Conservation

    ENST 413 Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security

    ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy

    ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future

    ENST/MOR 466 Business and Environmental Sustainability

    ENST 486 Social Science Research Methods for Environmental Analysis

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship ((Max units towards major: 4)

    GEOL 425L Data Analysis in the Earth and Environmental Sciences

    MDES 401 Environment and Politics in the Middle East

    POSC 418 Environmental Sustainability and Public Participation

    PPD 361 Sustainable Communities, Policy and Planning

    PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning or SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

  • Six of the following (a minimum of three classes must have the ENST prefix):

    ECON 203 Microeconomics or ECON 205 Macroeconomics

    ENST 330 Energy, Environment, and Geopolitics (Note: Part of USC’s Dornsife Washington D.C. Program)

    ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environment Policy

    ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policymaking

    ENST/POSC 436 Environmental Politics

    ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society

    ENST 486 Social Science Research Method for Environmental Analysis

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship (Max units towards major: 4)

    HP 446 Poisons, People, Politics

    MATH 208 Elementary Probability and Statistics or PHIL 258 Probability and Rational Choice

    MDES 401 Environment and Politics in the Middle East

    POSC 418 Environmental Sustainability and Public Participation

    PPD 315 Analytic Foundations for Public Policy

    PPD 410 Comparative Urban Development

    PPD 420 Environmental Impact Assessment

    PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications or SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies Curriculum (ENVS)

ENVS Curriculum Sheet

  • Math Requirement:

    Choose one:

    GEOL 425L Data Analysis in the Earth and Environmental Sciences

    HP 340Lg Health Behavior Statistical Methods

    MATH 114xg Foundation of Statistics

    PSYC 274Lg Statistics

    SOCI 314Lg Analyzing Social Statistics

    QBIO 305g Data Analysis in the Earth and Environmental Sciences

    Natural Science Core Experiences:

    Choose two:

    BISC 103Lgx General Biology for Environment and Life

    CHEM 103Lgx General Chemistry for the Environment and Life

    GEOL 160Lg Introduction to Geosystems

    Environmental Studies Core Experiences:

    ENST 100g Introduction to Environmental Studies

    ENST 320a Water and Soil Sustainability

    ENST 320b Energy and Air Sustainability

    ENST 344 Environmental Ethics

    ENST 387 Economics for Natural Resources and the Environment

    ENST 495 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies

    Social Science Core Experience:

    Choose one:

    ENST/IR 323 Politics of Global Environment or POSC 270 Introduction to Environmental Law and Politics

  • Four of the following (a minimum of two class must have the ENST prefix):

    BISC 315L Introduction to Ecology or BISC 469L Marine Biology or BISC 473L Biological Oceanography

    ENST 310 Sustainable Fisheries Management

    ENST 335 Science, Health and the Environment

    ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environmental Policy

    ENST 413 Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security

    ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future or ENST/GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment

    ENST/GEOL 470 Environmental Hydrogeology

    ENST 480 Integrated Ecosystem Management in Micronesia

    ENST 483 Coastal Zone Sustainability

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship (Max units towards major: 4)

    GEOL 351L Climate Systems

    HP 408 Environmental Health in the Community or HP 448 Global Environmental Change and Health

    SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning or PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications

  • Four of the following (a minimum of two classes must have the ENST prefix):

    ECON 203g Principles of Microeconomics

    ECON 317 Introduction to Statistics for Economists

    ENST/IR 323 Politics of the Global Environment or POSC 270 Introduction to Environmental Law and Politics*

    *ENST/IR 323 and POSC 270 cannot be double counted

    ENST 330 Energy, Environment, and Geopolitics (Note: Part of USC’s Dornsife Washington D.C. Program)

    ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environmental Policy

    ENST 405 Public Engagement for Nature Conservation

    ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy

    ENST/POSC 436 Environmental Politics

    ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society

    ENST/MOR 466 Business and Environmental Sustainability

    ENST 486 Social Science Research Methods for Environmental Analysis

    ENST 490x Directed Research (Max units towards major: 4) or ENST 492 Directed Environmental Policy and Science Internship (Max units towards major: 4)

    HP 446 Poisons, People, Politics

    POSC 418 Environmental Sustainability and Public Participation

    PPD 410 Comparative Urban Development

    SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning or PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications

The Environmental Studies Program acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Tongva/Gabrielino/Kizh people and their neighbors, the Chumash, Tataviam, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Cahuilla, Payomkawichum, Acjachemen, Ipai-Tipai, Kumeyaay, and Quechan peoples. Indigenous stewardship and rightful claims to these lands have never been voluntarily relinquished nor legally extinguished. We pay our respect to the members and elders of these communities – past, present, and future – who remain stewards and advocates of this region.