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High School Preparation
High school students who plan to major in environmental studies need no special preparation other than the courses required for UC admission. AP scores for calculus and chemistry may apply to the prerequisites.
Transfer Preparation
Students transferring to UC Santa Cruz are expected to fulfill the prerequisites for the major (see Prerequisites for the Single Major section) by completing equivalent courses, with a grade of C or better, at another recognized institution before transferring to UC Santa Cruz. The prerequisite in the physical and chemical environment (Environmental Studies 23, The Physical and Chemical Environment) may be satisfied by completing a college-level introductory chemistry course. Two courses—one in politics, one in economics—are required to satisfy the political economy and the environment (Environmental Studies 25, Political Economy and the Environment) prerequisite. Environmental Studies 25 may be offered during Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz and transfer students are encouraged to take it. Those students attending an institution not offering an acceptable general ecology course are urged to enroll in Summer Session at UC Santa Cruz to complete this prerequisite (Environmental Studies 24, General Ecology); those not able to do so are allowed to take the course concurrently with Environmental Studies 100/L, Ecology and Society, in fall quarter.
While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz. However, the environmental studies major and combined majors require additional courses in preparation for the major (see Prerequisites for the Single Major section on the reverse.
Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be accessed on the ASSIST web site.
Recognition
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Weixin Cheng secured a major research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a continuous isotopic labeling facility for deciphering the complex processes occurring at the root-soil interface, or rhizosphere.
Professor of Environmental Studies Alan Richards recently presented his views and research on terrorism and U.S. policy on a number of occasions, including invited testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Erika Zavaleta received a prestigious grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to investigate the ecological impacts of the loss of plant species in California ecosystems.
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Brent Haddad directs a $2.6 million project to help communities assess the viability of desalinizing ocean water in California.
Careers
Environmental consulting
Environmental impact assessment
Sustainable development
Environmental law
Environmental policy/research
Government
Journalism
Environmental/science education
Natural resource ecology/conservation
Parks/natural reserve management
Land use research/ management
Science education
Restoration ecology
Conservation biology research
Agroecology
Integrated pest management
Environmental advocacy
Sustainable agriculture
These are only samples of the field’s many possibilities.
Student Scholarships and Awards
The Environmental Studies Department is proud to offer undergraduates the opportunity to earn awards and scholarships for their achievements. Each year several awards become available and are open to all undergraduate students or environmental studies majors.
During 2005–06, senior Colleen Sutter received the David Gaines Award in environmental studies, which she used to study educational offerings in grades K–12 on the Natural Reserve System. Sarah Abel, also a senior, was awarded the Terence Freitas Award, which she used for a research study in Costa Rica with Professor Karen Holl, to understand how seed-eating birds of the rainforest contribute to rainforest reforestation. Junior Adam Gottlieb used his Earthbound Farms Environmental Stewardship Award to travel to Costa Rica to learn about how villages there use sustainable agriculture.
For further information about scholarships and awards offered through Environmental Studies, contact Marissa Maciel, 401 Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, (831) 459-4136, mrmaciel@ucsc.edu.
Environmental Studies Internship Program
Open to all UC Santa Cruz students, the Environmental Studies Internship Program is an integral academic component of the environmental studies major, and it augments the research and professional development of undergraduate and graduate students. Further information is available from the Environmental Studies Internship Program Office, 491 Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, (831) 459-2104, envsintern@socsci-mail.ucsc.edu, envs.ucsc.edu/internships.
Prerequisites for the Single Major
Continuing UC Santa Cruz students are required to complete six prerequisite courses. Environmental Studies 23, The Physical and Chemical Environment; Environmental Studies 24, General Ecology; Environmental Studies 25, Political Economy and the Environment; Applied Mathematics and Statistics (AMS) 7/L (statistics); Cultural Anthropology/Sociology/Ethics; and Precalculus–AMS 3, are to be completed before taking Environmental Studies 100/L, Ecology and Society, which is the core course. The specific prerequisites are listed below. See course descriptions in the UC Santa Cruz General Catalog online for more specific information.
Environmental Studies 23: The Physical and Chemical Environment. Students completing a combined or double major with biology or Earth sciences may substitute general chemistry by completing Chemistry 1A (General Chemistry) or with a placement score of 15 or higher on the Chemistry Placement Exam, or with an AP score of 4 or higher from the AP Chemistry Exam. Offered in spring quarter.
Environmental Studies 24: General Ecology. Offered in fall quarter or Summer Session.
Environmental Studies 25: Political Economy and the Environment. Offered in winter quarter or Summer Session.
Statistics. Course in either Applied Math and Statistics (AMS) 7/L or Economics 113, Introduction to Econometrics.
Cultural Anthropology/Sociology/Ethics. One course from the following list:
• Anthropology 2, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
• Sociology 1, Introduction to Sociology
• Sociology 15, World Society
• Philosophy 21, Wilderness Studies
• Philosophy 22, Introduction to Ethical Theory
• Philosophy 24, Introduction to Ethics: Contemporary Moral Issues
• Philosophy 28, Environmental Ethics
• Philosophy 80G, Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society
Precalculus. Applied Math & Statistics 3 or a score of 31 or higher on the Math placement exam, or a score of 3 or higher on the College Board AP calculus exam.
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The environmental studies major prepares students for meaningful lifetime engagement with the major environmental challenges facing society. Students pursue an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines course work in ecology and the social sciences. The program emphasizes the integration of ecological knowledge with an understanding of social institutions and policies in ways that support the conservation of biodiversity, the practice of sustainable agriculture, and the careful management of other ecological and environmental systems.
EnviroStudies.pdf
