About the Program
Bachelor of Science (BS)
The environmental sciences (ES) major is designed for students interested in studying environmental problems from a scientific perspective. The ES major prepares students to deal with issues arising from the impact of human interaction on natural systems. To address these problems, all ES students acquire strong backgrounds in math, biological sciences, and physical sciences. Students may choose to specialize further in a biological or physical science field such as ecology, conservation biology, toxicology, geology, hydrology, meteorology, engineering, or a social science field such as planning, policy analysis, economics, environmental justice, or education. Each ES student completes a year-long senior research project with the support of a mentor in a biological, physical, or interdisciplinary research area.
Graduates are well-prepared for careers in fields such as environmental consulting, education, health, or law as well as community, urban, or regional planning and other related areas of environmentalism in public agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, and private companies. Graduates are well-qualified for a variety of graduate programs, including environmental policy and management, law school, medical school (and other prehealth programs), and environmental engineering.
Admission to the Major
Freshman students may apply directly to the major, or may select the College of Natural Resource's undeclared option, and declare the major by the end of their fourth semester. For further information regarding how to declare the major after admission, including information on a change of major of change of college, please see the College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Student Handbook .
Honors Program
Students with a GPA of 3.6 or higher may enroll in the College of Natural Resources honors program once they have reached upper division standing. To fulfill the program requirements, students design, conduct, and report on an individual research project working with a faculty sponsor. Qualified ES students enroll in ESPM H175A Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and ESPM H175L Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences fall of their senior year, and ESPM H175B Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and ESPM H175L Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences spring of their senior year. For further information on registration for the honors symposium and the honors requirements, please see the College of Natural Resources website .
Minor Program
There is no minor program in environmental sciences.
Other Majors Offered by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Conservation and Resource Studies
(Major and Minor)
Forestry and Natural Resources
(Major and Minor)
Molecular Environmental Biology
(Major only)
Society and Environment
(Major only)
Major Requirements
Students in this major choose a concentration in biological, physical, or social sciences based on intended research area, or general area of interest. The specific requirements for each concentration are outlined below.
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
-
All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
-
A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required.
-
A minimum GPA of 2.0 in upper division major requirements is required.
-
At least 15 of the 36 required upper division units must be taken in the College of Natural Resources (except for students majoring in environmental economics and policy; please see the EEP major adviser for further information).
-
A maximum of 16 units of independent study (courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199) may count toward graduation, with a maximum of 4 units of independent study per semester.
-
No more than 1/3 of the total units attempted at UC Berkeley may be taken Pass/Not Pass. This includes units in the Education Abroad Program and UC Intercampus Visitor or Exchange Programs.
-
A maximum of 4 units of physical education courses will count toward graduation.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Lower Division Requirements for all ES Majors
| ESPM Environmental Science Core (select one): | ||
| The Biosphere | ||
| Environmental Biology | ||
| Environmental Issues | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Sciences | ||
| ESPM Social Science Core (select one): | ||
| Americans and the Global Forest | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Studies | ||
| Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management | ||
| Environmental Policy, Administration, and Law | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Economics and Policy | ||
| Breadth Requirements (two courses): | ||
| Select courses from the Seven Course Breadth listing on the College of Letters & Science website. | ||
1 course from the Arts & Literature, Historical Studies, or Philosophy & Values category (3-4 units) | ||
1 course from the Social & Behavioral Science or International Studies category (3-4 units) | ||
| Area of Concentration: Choose a concentration in Biological, Physical, or Social Sciences (see below for requirements for each concentration) | ||
Lower Division Requirements by Concentration
Biological Science Concentration
| Math (select one calculus sequence): | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus and Analytic Geometry and Calculus | ||
| Calculus and Calculus | ||
| Chemistry (two courses): | ||
| General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Biology (two courses): | ||
| General Biology Lecture and General Biology Laboratory | ||
| General Biology Lecture and Laboratory | ||
| Physics (one course): | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
Physical Science Concentration
| Math (two courses): | ||
| Calculus and Calculus | ||
| Chemistry (two courses): | ||
| General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Biology (select one biology sequence): | ||
| General Biology Lecture and General Biology Laboratory and General Biology Lecture and Laboratory | ||
BIOLOGY 11 & BIOLOGY 11L, plus one of the following: INTEGBI 153, INTEGBI 154, ESPM 102A, ESPM 111, ESPM 113, ESPM 114, ESPM 115B, or ESPM 116B | ||
| Physics (2 courses): | ||
| Physics for Scientists and Engineers and Physics for Scientists and Engineers | ||
Social Science Concentration
| Math (select one calculus sequence): | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus and Analytic Geometry and Calculus | ||
| Calculus and Calculus | ||
| Chemistry (two courses): | ||
| General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
or CHEM 1B | General Chemistry | |
| Biology (select one biology sequence): | ||
| General Biology Lecture and General Biology Laboratory and General Biology Lecture and Laboratory | ||
BIOLOGY 11 & BIOLOGY 11L, plus one of the following: INTEGBI 153, INTEGBI 154, ESPM 102A, ESPM 111, ESPM 113, ESPM 114, ESPM 115B, or ESPM 116B | ||
| Physics (one course): | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
Upper Division Requirements
| Statistics (must be completed before spring semester of student's junior year) 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Life Scientists | ||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health | ||
| Introduction to Ecological Data Analysis | ||
| Intro to Methods of Environmental Science 1 | ||
| Introduction to the Methods of Environmental Science (must be taken spring of junior year) | ||
| Senior Research Seminar: First Half (select one): 1, 2 | ||
| Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences (must be taken fall of senior year) | ||
| Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences (must be taken fall of senior year) | ||
| Senior Research Seminar: Second Half (select one) 1, 2 | ||
| Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences (must be taken spring of senior year) | ||
| Senior Research Seminar in Environmental Sciences and Senior Research Laboratory in Environmental Sciences (must be taken spring of senior year) | ||
| Environmental Modeling (select one): | ||
| Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems | ||
| Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | ||
| Forest Ecosystem Management | ||
| Human Environment Interactions (select one): | ||
| Climate and Energy Policy | ||
| Society, Environment, and Culture | ||
ESPM 155 | Course Not Available | |
| American Environmental and Cultural History | ||
| Environmental Philosophy and Ethics | ||
| Bioethics and Society | ||
| Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment | ||
| Natural Resource Policy and Indigenous Peoples | ||
| Environmental Health and Development | ||
| Political Ecology | ||
| International Environmental Politics | ||
| Management and Conservation of Rangeland Ecosystems | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Globalization and the Natural Environment | ||
| Economics of Race, Agriculture, and the Environment | ||
| Population, Environment, and Development | ||
| Economics of Water Resources | ||
ENVECON C180 | Course Not Available | |
ENE,RES 170 | Course Not Available | |
| Water and Development | ||
| Food and the Environment | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| Energy, Culture and Social Organization | ||
| Area of Concentration Elective | ||
Select one 3-5 unit elective from area of concentration (see list below) | ||
| Additional ES Elective | ||
Select one 2-5 unit elective from any area of concentration (see list below) | ||
| 1 | These four courses must be completed in the sequence listed, beginning the fall semester of the student's junior year. Students who plan to study abroad or otherwise not continuously enroll at UC Berkeley for their junior and senior years should meet with the ES adviser. |
| 2 | The ESPM H175 sequence is for ES students who have an overall 3.6 or above GPA and will enroll in the CNR honors program. |
Upper Division Electives by Concentration
Biological Sciences Concentration Electives
| CHEM 103 | Inorganic Chemistry in Living Systems | 3 |
| CHEM 112A | Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 112B | Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 115 | Organic Chemistry--Advanced Laboratory Methods | 4 |
| CIV ENG 101 | Fluid Mechanics of Rivers, Streams, and Wetlands | 3 |
| CIV ENG C106 | Air Pollution | 3 |
| CIV ENG 107 | Climate Change Mitigation | 3 |
| CIV ENG 113N | Course Not Available | 3 |
| CIV ENG 114 | Environmental Microbiology | 3 |
| EPS/INTEGBI C100/GEOG C146 | Communicating Ocean Science | 4 |
| EPS/ESPM C129 | Biometeorology | 3 |
| EPS 185 | Course Not Available | |
| ENE,RES 101 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENE,RES 102 | Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems | 4 |
| ENVECON C115/ESPM C104 | Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | 4 |
| ESPM 102A | Terrestrial Resource Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 102B & 102BL | Natural Resource Sampling and Laboratory in Natural Resource Sampling | 4 |
| ESPM C103/INTEGBI C156 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| ESPM C104/ENVECON C115 | Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | 4 |
| ESPM 105A | Sierra Nevada Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 106 | American Wildlife: Identification and Conservation | 3 |
| ESPM C107/INTEGBI 158LF | Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands | 13 |
| ESPM 108A | Trees: Taxonomy, Growth, and Structures | 3 |
| ESPM 110 | Primate Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 111 | Ecosystem Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 112 | Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 113 | Insect Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 114 | Wildlife Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 115B | Biology of Aquatic Insects | 2 |
| ESPM 116B | Range Ecology, Improvements, and Management | 3 |
| ESPM 116C | Tropical Forest Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 117 | Urban Garden Ecosystems | 4 |
| ESPM 118 | Agricultural Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 119 | Chemical Ecology | 2 |
| ESPM 120 | Soil Characteristics | 3 |
| ESPM 121 | Development and Classification of Soils | 3 |
| ESPM/EPS C129 | Biometeorology | 3 |
| ESPM 131 | Soil Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 134 | Fire, Insects, and Diseases in Forest Ecosystems | 3 |
| ESPM C138/MCELLBI C114/PLANTBI C114 | Introduction to Comparative Virology | 4 |
| ESPM 140 | General Entomology | 4 |
| ESPM 144 | Insect Physiology | 3 |
| ESPM 147 | Field Entomology | 1 |
| ESPM C148/NUSCTX C114 | Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology | 3 |
| ESPM/INTEGBI C149 | Molecular Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 152 | Global Change Biology | 3 |
| ESPM 162 | Bioethics and Society | 4 |
| ESPM 172 | Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing | 3 |
| ESPM/EPS C180 | Air Pollution | 3 |
| ESPM 181A | Fire Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 184 | Agroforestry Systems | 3 |
| ESPM 185 | Applied Forest Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 186 | Management and Conservation of Rangeland Ecosystems | 4 |
| ESPM 187 | Restoration Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 188 | Case Histories in Wildlife Management | 2 |
| GEOG C146 | Communicating Ocean Science | 4 |
| GEOG 148 | Biogeography | 4 |
| GEOG/LD ARCH C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| INTEGBI/EPS C100/GEOG C146 | Communicating Ocean Science | 4 |
| INTEGBI 102LF | Introduction to California Plant Life with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 103LF | Invertebrate Zoology with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 104LF | Natural History of the Vertebrates with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 106A | Physical and Chemical Environment of the Ocean | 4 |
| INTEGBI 117 | Medical Ethnobotany | 2 |
| INTEGBI C144 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
| INTEGBI C149 | Molecular Ecology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 151 & 151L | Plant Physiological Ecology and Plant Physiological Ecology Laboratory | 6 |
| INTEGBI 152 | Environmental Toxicology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 153 | Ecology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 154 & 154L | Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI C156/ESPM C103 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 157LF | Ecosystems of California | 4 |
| INTEGBI 158LF | Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands | 13 |
| INTEGBI 160 | Evolution | 4 |
| INTEGBI 162 | Ecological Genetics | 4 |
| INTEGBI 163 | Molecular and Genomic Evolution | 3 |
| INTEGBI 168 & 168L | Systematics of Vascular Plants and Systematics of Vascular Plants with Laboratory | 6 |
| INTEGBI 173LF | Mammalogy with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 174LF | Ornithology with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 175LF | Herpetology with Laboratory | 4 |
| LD ARCH 110 | Ecological Analysis | 3 |
| LD ARCH/GEOG C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| MCELLBI 102 | Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| MCELLBI C112 & C112L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 6 |
| MCELLBI C114/ESPM C138/PLANTBI C114 | Introduction to Comparative Virology | 4 |
| MCELLBI/PLANTBI C116 | Microbial Diversity | 3 |
| NUSCTX 110 | Toxicology | 4 |
| NUSCTX C114/ESPM C148 | Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology | 3 |
| PLANTBI C110L | Biology of Fungi with Laboratory | 4 |
| PLANTBI C112 & C112L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 6 |
| PLANTBI C114/ESPM C138/MCELLBI C114 | Introduction to Comparative Virology | 4 |
| PLANTBI/MCELLBI C116 | Microbial Diversity | 3 |
| PLANTBI 120 & 120L | Biology of Algae and Laboratory for Biology of Algae | 4 |
| PLANTBI 180 | Environmental Plant Biology | 2 |
| PB HLTH 140 | Introduction to Risk and Demographic Statistics | 4 |
| PB HLTH 150A | Introduction to Epidemiology and Human Disease | 4 |
| PB HLTH 150B | Introduction to Environmental Health Sciences | 3 |
| PB HLTH 162A & PB HLTH 162L | Public Health Microbiology and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory | 4 |
Physical Sciences Concentration Electives
| ARCH 140 | Energy and Environment | 4 |
| ARCH 149 | Special Topics in Energy and Environment | 1-4 |
| CHM ENG 140 | Introduction to Chemical Process Analysis | 4 |
| CHM ENG 141 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
| CHM ENG 142 | Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering | 4 |
| CHM ENG 150A | Transport Processes | 4 |
| CHM ENG 150B | Transport and Separation Processes | 4 |
| CHEM 103 | Inorganic Chemistry in Living Systems | 3 |
| CHEM 104A | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 104B | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 105 | Instrumental Methods in Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 112A | Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 112B | Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 120A | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 120B | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 125 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 130B | Biophysical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM/EPS C182 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Laboratory | 3 |
| CIV ENG 100 | Elementary Fluid Mechanics | 4 |
| CIV ENG 101 | Fluid Mechanics of Rivers, Streams, and Wetlands | 3 |
| CIV ENG 103 | Introduction to Hydrology | 3 |
| CIV ENG C106/EPS C180/ESPM C180 | Air Pollution | 3 |
| CIV ENG 107 | Climate Change Mitigation | 3 |
| CIV ENG 111 | Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CIV ENG 115 | Water Chemistry | 3 |
| CIV ENG C116/ESPM C128 | Chemistry of Soils | 3 |
| CIV ENG 171 | Rock Mechanics | 3 |
| CIV ENG 173 | Groundwater and Seepage | 3 |
| EPS/INTEGBI C100/GEOG C146 | Communicating Ocean Science | 4 |
| EPS 100A | Minerals: Their Constitution and Origin | 4 |
| EPS 100B | Genesis and Interpretation of Rocks | 4 |
| EPS 101 | Field Geology and Digital Mapping | 4 |
| EPS 117 | Geomorphology | 4 |
| EPS 119 | Geologic Field Studies | 2 |
| EPS/ESPM C129 | Biometeorology | 3 |
| EPS 131 | Geochemistry | 4 |
| EPS C146/GEOG C145 | Geological Oceanography | 4 |
| EPS 170AC | Course Not Available | |
| EPS/ESPM C180 | Air Pollution | 3 |
| EPS C181/GEOG C139 | Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics | 3 |
| EPS/CHEM C182 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Laboratory | 3 |
| EPS 185 | Course Not Available | |
| ENE,RES C100 | Energy and Society | 4 |
| ENE,RES 102 | Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems | 4 |
| ENGIN 115 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
| ESPM 102B & 102BL | Natural Resource Sampling and Laboratory in Natural Resource Sampling | 4 |
| ESPM 120 | Soil Characteristics | 3 |
| ESPM 121 | Development and Classification of Soils | 3 |
| ESPM 122 | Field Study of Soil Development | 1 |
| ESPM C128/CIV ENG C116 | Chemistry of Soils | 3 |
| ESPM C130/GEOG C136 | Terrestrial Hydrology | 4 |
| ESPM 131 | Soil Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM C148/NUSCTX C114 | Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology | 3 |
| ESPM 172 | Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing | 3 |
| ESPM/EPS C180 | Air Pollution | 3 |
| ESPM 181A | Fire Ecology | 3 |
| GEOG C136/ESPM C130 | Terrestrial Hydrology | 4 |
| GEOG C139/EPS C181 | Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics | 3 |
| GEOG 140A | Physical Landscapes: Process and Form | 4 |
| GEOG 143 | Global Change Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| GEOG 144 | Principles of Meteorology | 3 |
| GEOG C145/EPS C146 | Geological Oceanography | 4 |
| GEOG 180 | Field Methods for Physical Geography | 5 |
| GEOG 183 | Cartographic Representation | 5 |
| GEOG/LD ARCH C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| INTEGBI/EPS C100/GEOG C146 | Communicating Ocean Science | 4 |
| INTEGBI 106A | Physical and Chemical Environment of the Ocean | 4 |
| LD ARCH 120 | Topographic Form and Design Technology | 3 |
| LD ARCH/GEOG C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| L & S/EPS 170AC | Course Not Available | 4 |
| MATH 121A | Mathematical Tools for the Physical Sciences | 4 |
| MATH 121B | Mathematical Tools for the Physical Sciences | 4 |
| MEC ENG 106 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
Social Sciences Concentration Electives
| CIV ENG 107 | Climate Change Mitigation | 3 |
| DEMOG/SOCIOL C126 | Sex, Death, and Data | 4 |
| DEMOG/ECON C175 | Economic Demography | 4 |
| ECON/ENVECON C102 | Natural Resource Economics | 4 |
| ECON C125/ENVECON C101 | Environmental Economics | 4 |
| ECON C171/ENVECON C151 | Economic Development | 4 |
| ECON/DEMOG C175 | Economic Demography | 4 |
| ENE,RES C100 | Energy and Society | 4 |
| ENE,RES 101 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENE,RES 102 | Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems | 4 |
| ENE,RES 170 | Course Not Available | 3 |
| ENE,RES 175 | Water and Development | 4 |
| ENE,RES/ENVECON C180 | Course Not Available | 3 |
| ENGIN 125 | Ethics, Engineering, and Society | 3 |
| ENGIN 157AC | Engineering, The Environment, and Society | 4 |
| ENVECON 100 | Microeconomic Theory with Application to Natural Resources | 4 |
| ENVECON C101/ECON C125 | Environmental Economics | 4 |
| ENVECON/ECON C102 | Natural Resource Economics | 4 |
| ENVECON C115/ESPM C104 | Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | 4 |
| ENVECON 131 | Globalization and the Natural Environment | 3 |
| ENVECON 147 | Regulation of Energy and the Environment | 4 |
| ENVECON C151/ECON C171 | Economic Development | 4 |
| ENVECON 153 | Population, Environment, and Development | 3 |
| ENVECON 161 | Advanced Topics in Environmental and Resource Economics | 4 |
| ENVECON 162 | Economics of Water Resources | 3 |
| ENVECON C180 | Course Not Available | 3 |
| ESPM 102C | Resource Management | 4 |
| ESPM 102D | Climate and Energy Policy | 4 |
| ESPM C104/ENVECON C115 | Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | 4 |
| ESPM 117 | Urban Garden Ecosystems | 4 |
| ESPM 151 | Society, Environment, and Culture | 4 |
| ESPM 155 | Course Not Available | |
| ESPM C159 | Human Diet | 4 |
| ESPM 160AC/HISTORY 120AC | American Environmental and Cultural History | 4 |
| ESPM 161 | Environmental Philosophy and Ethics | 4 |
| ESPM 162 | Bioethics and Society | 4 |
| ESPM 163AC | Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment | 4 |
| ESPM 165 | International Rural Development Policy | 4 |
| ESPM 166 | Natural Resource Policy and Indigenous Peoples | 4 |
| ESPM C167 | Environmental Health and Development | 4 |
| ESPM 168 | Political Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 169 | International Environmental Politics | 4 |
| ESPM 183/ENVECON C183 | Forest Ecosystem Management | 4 |
| GEOG 130 | Food and the Environment | 4 |
| GEOG C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| HISTORY 120AC | American Environmental and Cultural History | 4 |
| INTEGBI 117 | Medical Ethnobotany | 2 |
| LD ARCH 110 | Ecological Analysis | 3 |
| LD ARCH 130 | Sustainable Landscapes and Cities | 4 |
| LD ARCH C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| PB HLTH 140 | Introduction to Risk and Demographic Statistics | 4 |
| SOCIOL C126 | Sex, Death, and Data | 4 |
| SOCIOL 137AC | Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment | 4 |
Student Learning Goals
Learning Goals for the Major
- Develop a broad, interdisciplinary framework for approaching complex, interconnected environmental problems facing our world at multiple scales.
- Develop strong analytic and quantitative skills needed to identify problems, develop a program to address the problem, execute a rigorous analysis of the issue, and reach independent conclusions.
- Develop a rigorous scientific base across multiple disciplines (social, biological, and physical sciences) but with a strong concentration in one area so as to develop depth of expertise in that field.
- Learn how to communicate findings effectively to the scientific community, government agencies, non-government environmental organizations, and the public.
Skills
- Recognition of and knowledge about environmental problems and areas of research.
- Comprehensive training in basic mathematics and the biological and physical sciences (calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics).
- Introduction to the social science concepts and methods (environmental economics, course in human environment interactions).
- Training in sampling and experimental design, and quantitative methods of data analysis and interpretation (statistics, introduction to estimation and modeling techniques).
- Development of critical thinking and evaluation skills.
- Training in general research methods.
- Training in written communication, especially scientific writing.
- Training in oral and visual communication skills.
- Additional training in specialized research methods in the student’s area of concentration.
Courses
Environmental Sciences
ENV SCI 8X Climate Change: The Interface of Science and Public Policy 2 Units
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The possible impacts of climate changes enhanced by or following from human activities create challenges for planners, policy-makers, industrialists, and all citizens of the globe. This course seeks to examine the science of climate change and the policy issues that follow from that change.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Berry
ENV SCI 10 Introduction to Environmental Sciences 3 Units
Terms offered: Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012
A survey of biological and physical environmental problems, focusing on geologic hazards, water and air quality, water supply, solid waste, introduced and endangered species, preservation of wetland ecosystems. Interaction of technical, social, and political approaches to environmental management.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
ENV SCI 10L Field Study in Environmental Sciences 1 Unit
Terms offered: Fall 2010, Fall 2009, Fall 2008
Field and laboratory studies of Strawberry Creek throughout its course from the hills to the Bay are used to exemplify integration of the physical, biological, and social components of science-based approaches to environmental management.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 10 (must be taken concurrently)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Instructors: Berry, Kondolf
ENV SCI 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit
Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to fifteen freshmen.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
ENV SCI 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units
Terms offered: Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring:
5 weeks - 3-6 hours of seminar per week
10 weeks - 1.5-3 hours of seminar per week
15 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 2.5-5 hours of seminar per week
8 weeks - 1.5-3.5 hours of seminar and 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
ENV SCI 100 Introduction to the Methods of Environmental Science 4 Units
Terms offered: Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011
Introduction to basic methods used in environmental research by biological, physical, and social scientists. The course is designed to teach skills necessary for majors to conduct independent thesis research in the required senior seminar, 196A-196B/196L. Topics include development of research questions, sampling methods, experimental design, statistical analysis, scientific writing and graphics, and introductions to special techniques for characterizing environmental conditions and features. This course is the prerequisite to 196A, from which the senior thesis topic statement is determined.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Environmental science statistics requirement. Open only to declared environmental sciences majors
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture, 1 hour of discussion, and 1.5 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
ENV SCI 125 Environments of the San Francisco Bay Area 3 Units
Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2010, Spring 2009
The weather and climate, plants and animals, geology, landforms, and soils of the Bay Area, with an emphasis on the interaction of these physical elements, their modification by humans, and problems deriving from human use.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Environmental Sciences/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Instructor: Berry
Contact Information
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
130 Mulford Hall
Phone: 510-643-7430
Fax: 510-643-5438
Undergraduate Student Advising
CNR Office of Instruction & Student Affairs
260 Mulford Hall
Phone: 510-642-0542
Fax: 510-643-3132