Environmental Studies, B.A. Program (120 units)

Program Description

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences offers a suite of four undergraduate majors. The Environmental Studies Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program is characterized by its focus on equitable, just, and sustainable environmental solutions. Graduates who emerge from the program are well-rounded environmental professionals who can identify and synthesize the ecological, social, ethical, economic, technical, and behavioral dimensions of critical environmental problems. Using qualitative and quantitative problem solving concepts, approaches, and tools, our students are prepared to synthesize and communicate appropriate environmental solutions.

Majors are typically involved in campus and community sustainability projects such as greenhouse gas assessment, water resource and sustainability assessment, climate action and sustainability planning, and urban restoration projects. The program engages actively in collaborations across the campus, locally, and internationally. The Environmental Studies B.A. program benefits from its close association with the other Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences programs, providing students access to a wide range of electives and to training in the spatial analytical tools that can greatly leverage their expertise for careers as sustainability directors and environmental resource managers. The program also benefits from integration with regional and state programs to promote environmental sustainability and social justice that make the San Francisco Bay Area a national hotspot for environmental careers.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates with a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies should be able to:

• Articulate key threats to the global environment, the scientific basis of the understanding of those threats, their underlying causes and implications for society.
• Articulate and apply key concepts to critical environmental problems including ecological limits, threshold effects, tragedy of the commons, and the interconnectedness of natural and human systems.
• Identify and apply a range of prominent tools and strategies to maintain and restore environmental quality and achieve sustainability.
• Describe and evaluate social justice and equity issues in the context of sustainable development.
• Identify, describe and assess the environmental and associated equity and justice implications of human actions including one’s own.
• Apply quantitative and qualitative approaches to identify, analyze, and assess environmental problems.

• Program Roadmaps

These program roadmaps represent recommended pathways through the program. Please see an advisor to create an education plan that is customized to meet your needs.

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities are highly diverse and new opportunities are rapidly emerging. Our graduates work in all sectors: governmental, non-profit, private, and education. Our students pursue graduate degrees in many fields including: environmental policy and management, urban planning, environmental law, recreation management, landscape architecture, green business, public administration, and education.

Many become environment and resource managers working on issues of water, energy, climate, parks, transportation, and urban environments.

Job titles include, but are not limited to:

Sustainability Officer/Director • Environmental Advocate / Analyst / Educator / Program Manager / Planner • Energy Analyst / Manager • Water Resources Analyst / Manager / Planner • Environmental Justice Analyst, Compliance Specialist • Environmental Permitting, Planning, and Compliance • Environmental Business Entrepreneur

Degree Requirements Unit-Outline

• A baccalaureate of arts degree requires a total of 120 units:
  • The major requirements consist of 49-53 units;
  • General Education & Graduation Requirements consist of 52 units;
  • Free Electives may consist of 15-19 units (actual number of free elective units may depend on GE/GR units).

Note: It may be possible to double-count units within the graduation requirements or that a course may satisfy both a graduation requirement and a major requirement. Students should contact their program advisors for information.

Other Undergraduate Degree Requirements

In addition to major requirements, every student must also complete the University’s baccalaureate requirements for graduation, which are described in the Undergrad Baccalaureate & Program Requirements  chapter of this catalog. 

Department Courses Listed by Course Type

Anthropology, Geography, and Environmental Studies Courses