2024-2025 Catalog

Environmental Studies, BA, BS

Degree Requirements - 126 credits

Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree with this major

Environmental Studies Major Requirements: 14 courses and corresponding laboratories where applicable, 53 credits

Core Requirements

EC-131Environmental Economics

4

ENVS-101Environmental Studies

4

ENVS-111Environmental Science

3

ENVS-L111Environmental Science Laboratory

1

ENVS-211Environmental and Human Health

3

ENVS-L211Environmental and Human Health Laboratory

1

ENVS-225Geographical Information Science

3

ENVS-L225Geographic Information Science Laboratory

1

ENVS-301Issues in Environmental Justice

4

ENVS-311Professional Development

1

ENVS-325Environmental History of the U.S.

4

ENVS-330Research Methods

4

PHIL-362Environmental Ethics

4

POLS-438Environmental Policy and Politics

4

SOC-221Environment and Society

4

Choose one of the following
ENVS-401Senior Research Project

4

ENVS-H401Honors Senior Research Project

4

Choose one of the following courses:

BIO-273Biostatistics

4

STATS-250Applied Statistics

4

STATS-H250Honors Applied Statistics

4

Internship Option

Internships may be approved for credit by the CUES director. An approved internship for 3- or 4-credits may be used as a concentration course option at the discretion of the CUES director.

ENVS-503Internships

4

Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

About the Environmental Studies Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Environmental Studies Major Learning Goals and Requirements

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Students will know/understand... Students will be able to...
Science as a process for understanding environmental phenomena and issues - Assess the ethics of a proposed study
- Conduct an experiment following standard protocols
- Recognize the importance of safety protocols
- Collect data via quantitative and qualitative observations and measurements
- Interpret the results of an experiment
- Apply basic statistics and interpret data for significance
How science is communicated - Evaluate primary literature
- Interpret visual representations of data
- Summarize the discoveries of scientific research
How to communicate scientific findings - Orally present findings to others in formal and informal settings
- Construct a written document in a scientific style including proper citation of sources
- Prepare visual representations of data
- Access and utilize scientific databases
How to work collaboratively - Conduct an experiment or gather data as part of a group
- Participate in group discussions
- Record protocols and observations
- Provide constructive feedback to group members Accept feedback from group members
How decisions about the environment are made - Describe the historical context of environmental decisions
- Describe the societal and cultural context of environmental decisions
- Describe the political context of environmental decisions
- Describe the ethical context of decisions about the environment
- Demonstrate an understanding of the process of establishing environmental regulations in the US and globally
- Analyze how poverty, social injustice, and inequity impact environmental decision making
The physical and chemical characteristics of the natural environment - Identify the chemical structures and physical characteristics of the molecules of biotic and abiotic components of the environment
- Write and use material balances
- Apply a systems approach to the analysis of urban, suburban, and rural areas
- Identify the major environmental impacts of human activity
- Understand and describe technical solutions to environmental problems
That energy can be changed from one form to another, and the need for, and impacts of, human energy use - Write and use energy balances
- Identify solar and non-solar energy sources and their environmental impacts
- Identify social justice issues in provision of energy to global population
How to apply systems thinking to environmental problems - Use GIS mapping software to analyze an environmental issue or problem. Evaluate an environmental problem from multiple disciplines
- Identify the global environmental systems, including the sources and sinks for environmentally important elements and compounds
- Distinguish between natural and human-generated environmental phenomenon and understand their interactions
- Provide the societal, cultural, and regulatory context for an environmental issue or problem
- Identify multiple stakeholders in an environmental issue and how they impact policy and reform
How to pursue a career in environmentally-related fields - Effectively search for and locate pertinent internships and jobs
- Assess personal qualifications in relation to an internship and/or job description
- Prepare job application materials including a resume and cover letter

About the Environmental Studies Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Honors

Honors in the Major is a highly selective opportunity to complete a signature original project or thesis with the close personalized mentorship of a departmental faculty member beginning in the junior year.  Students have the opportunity to complete a junior level interdisciplinary course addressing real-world problems. In the senior year, students present research or creative works completed in their discipline at the Honors in the Major Symposium. There is special recognition at Commencement and on the Suffolk transcript.

About the Environmental Studies Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page