Environmental Studies and Sustainability BA
Major: Environmental Studies and Sustainability
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 183.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 03.0103
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-2041
About the Program
The BA in Environmental Studies and Sustainability (ENSS) is administered in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science (BEES). It is a multidisciplinary degree that takes advantage of existing courses in both the Arts and Sciences to educate graduates who will be able to work in government agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations who develop, implement, or are affected by environmental policies.
Objective
The objective of this major is to educate students so that they will be successful in finding solutions to environmental challenges that all societies will face in the 21st century. Graduates will be educated with the goal of thinking in terms of cross-cultural ideas and dialogue. In that way they will be encouraged to help people of all cultures understand environmental problems and act in the area of environmental stewardship.
The BA in Environmental Studies and Sustainability will provide graduates with a broad understanding of environmental science, policy development, needs of decision makers, attorneys and engineers, urban and international concerns, and current environmental issues. Important to any future position in fields of environmental policy, planning, and sustainability, the program builds on communication skills, collaboration abilities and team building, a “customer” orientation, creativity and innovative thinking ability, analytical ability, critical thinking and problem solving ability, a work orientation with professionalism and a positive attitude, occupation-specific skill and knowledge through co-op, and leadership ability. Students may opt to specialize in different study tracks including Policy, Government, and Business; Social Awareness and Action, and Scientific Inquiry.
Drexel Advantage
There is a distinct advantage to a student in undertaking an Environmental Studies and Sustainability degree at Drexel. Drexel University was one of the first universities in the nation to establish an undergraduate environmental science degree in the late 1960s. Since that time, Drexel has expanded to areas of environmental policy and sustainability. Over the long history of the program, Drexel has established an extensive network of co-op employers who value Drexel students, including federal and state governments, consulting firms, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and industry, with work ranging from biological field sampling to developing policy with governmental decision makers, action plans for non-profit organizations, or model environmental strategies with industrial sustainability offices. Drexel students take advantage of the co-op program to both get more extensive experience and get paid while doing so. By graduation, students' resumes include real-world experiences.
Drexel Co-op for Environmental Studies & Sustainability Majors
Environmental studies and sustainability majors gain career-boosting skills and connections on up to three, six-month periods of employment. Recent co-op placements include the Philadelphia Zoo, Academy of Natural Sciences, EDF Renewable Energy, IKEA, and more.
For additional information about Environmental Studies and Sustainability (ENSS) contact Senior Academic Advisor Laurie Zinberg lgz23@drexel.edu.
Degree Requirements
General Requirements | ||
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
MATH 101 | Introduction to Analysis I | 4.0 |
MATH 107 | Probability and Statistics for Liberal Arts | 3.0 |
UNIV S101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
UNIV H201 | Looking Forward: Academics and Careers | 1.0 |
Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3.0 |
or ANTH 101 | Introduction to Cultural Diversity | |
PSY 101 | General Psychology I | 3.0 |
PSCI 110 | American Government | 4.0 |
Social Behavior elective | 3.0 | |
Physical and Natural Sciences | ||
BIO 109 | Biological Diversity, Ecology & Evolution | 3.0 |
BIO 110 | Biological Diversity, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory | 1.0 |
ENVS 101 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 5.0 |
ENVS 230 | General Ecology | 3.0 |
ENSS 275 | Global Climate Change | 3.0 |
or ENVS 289 | Global Warming, Biodiversity and Your Future | |
GEO 201 [WI] | Earth Systems Processes | 3.0 |
Humanities and Fine Arts | ||
Humanities & Fine Arts Electives | 6.0 | |
COM 317 [WI] | Environmental Communication | 3.0 |
or COM 320 | Science Writing | |
PHIL 340 | Environmental Ethics | 3.0 |
or PHIL 341 | Environmental Philosophy | |
Diversity Electives | 6.0 | |
International Studies | 6.0 | |
Foreign Language | 8.0 | |
Students must complete at least 8 credits of a foreign language and, at minimum, must complete the 103 level of the target language (or beyond if they place higher). | ||
ENSS Core Requirements | ||
ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
ENSS 120 | Introduction to Environmental Studies | 3.0 |
ENSS 244 | Sociology of the Environment | 4.0 |
ENSS 283 | Introduction to Environmental Policy | 3.0 |
ENSS 285 | Introduction to Urban Planning | 3.0 |
ENSS 326 | Cities and Sustainability | 3.0 |
ENSS 346 | Environmental Justice | 4.0 |
ENVS 260 | Environmental Science and Society | 3.0 |
PBHL 101 | Public Health 101 | 3.0 |
PSCI 284 | Environmental Politics | 4.0 |
Modeling and Research | ||
ENVS 308 | GIS and Environmental Modeling | 3.0 |
SOC 241 | Research Design: Qualitative Methods | 4.0 |
SOC 242 | Research Design: Quantitative Methods | 4.0 |
Major Electives - choose from the list below | 21.0 | |
Environmental Crime | ||
Campaigns for Health & Environment | ||
Environmental Communication | ||
Film, Celebrity and the Environmental Movement | ||
Science Writing | ||
Grant Writing | ||
Nonprofit Communication | ||
Microeconomics | ||
Public Finance | ||
Resource and Environmental Economics | ||
Delaware River Issues and Policy | ||
Community and Ecosystem Ecology | ||
Energy and the Environment: Iceland | ||
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry | ||
Tropical Field Studies | ||
Conservation Biology | ||
Aquatic Ecology | ||
Wetland Ecology | ||
Biogeography | ||
Urban Ecology | ||
Environmental Assessment | ||
Environmental and Ecological Remediation | ||
Ecology of the New Jersey Pine Barrens | ||
Restoration Ecology | ||
Marine Ecology | ||
Chemistry of the Environment | ||
Biodiversity | ||
Natural Disasters | ||
Introduction to Oceanography | ||
Environmental Geology | ||
The Study of Science, Technology, and Environment in History | ||
Themes in Global Environmental History | ||
Empire and Environment | ||
The History of Climate Change | ||
Epidemiology in Public Health | ||
Overview of Issues in Global Health | ||
Introduction to Health & Human Rights | ||
Introduction to Community Health | ||
Environmental and Occupational Health | ||
The World's Water | ||
Weather I: Climate and Global Change | ||
Social Development: A Global Approach | ||
Politics of Environment and Health | ||
The Politics of Food | ||
Psychology of Sustainability | ||
Sociology of Global Health | ||
Development and Underdevelopment in the Global South | ||
Globalization | ||
Sociology of Disasters | ||
Classical Social Theory | ||
Contemporary Social Theory | ||
Social Movements | ||
Senior Sequence | ||
ENVS 441 [WI] | Issues in Global Change I: Seminar | 2.0 |
ENVS 442 | Issues in Global Change II: Research | 2.0 |
ENVS 443 | Issues in Global Change III: Synthesis | 2.0 |
Free Electives | 24.0 | |
Total Credits | 183.0 |
- *
Students not participating in co-op will not take COOP 101; 1 credit of Free Elective will be added in place of COOP 101.
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
4 year, No co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | BIO 109 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
ENSS 120 | 3.0 | BIO 110 | 1.0 | MATH 107 | 3.0 | ||
ENVS 101 | 5.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | SOC 101 or ANTH 101 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 101 | 4.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | Foreign Language | 4.0 | ||
UNIV S101 | 1.0 | PSY 101 | 3.0 | Free elective | 4.0 | ||
Foreign Language | 4.0 | ||||||
16 | 15 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENSS 283 | 3.0 | ENSS 244 | 4.0 | COM 317 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
ENVS 260 | 3.0 | ENSS 275 or ENVS 289 | 3.0 | ECON 201 | 4.0 | ||
PBHL 101 | 3.0 | ENVS 230 | 3.0 | ENSS 285 | 3.0 | ||
PSCI 110 | 4.0 | ENVS 308 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
13 | 16 | 14 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ECON 202 | 4.0 | PHIL 340 or 341 | 3.0 | ENSS 326 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
GEO 201 | 3.0 | SOC 241 | 4.0 | SOC 242 | 4.0 | ||
PSCI 284 | 4.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Electives | 6.0 | ||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | ||
Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | ||||
17 | 16 | 16 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
ENSS 346 | 4.0 | ENVS 442 | 2.0 | ENVS 443 | 2.0 | ||
ENVS 441 | 2.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | ||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | ||
SOC/Behavior Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Total Credits 183 |
4 year, 1 co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | BIO 109 | 3.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
ENSS 120 | 3.0 | BIO 110 | 1.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
ENVS 101 | 5.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | MATH 107 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 101 | 4.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | SOC 101 or ANTH 101 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV S101 | 1.0 | PSY 101 | 3.0 | Foreign Language | 4.0 | ||
Foreign Language | 4.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
16 | 15 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENSS 283 | 3.0 | ENSS 244 | 4.0 | COM 317 | 3.0 | ECON 202 | 4.0 |
ENVS 260 | 3.0 | ENVS 230 | 3.0 | ECON 201 | 4.0 | GEO 201 | 3.0 |
PBHL 101 | 3.0 | ENVS 275 or 289 | 3.0 | ENSS 285 | 3.0 | PSCI 284 | 4.0 |
PSCI 110 | 4.0 | ENVS 308 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 |
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | ||
13 | 16 | 14 | 17 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PHIL 340 or 341 | 3.0 | ENSS 326 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
SOC 241 | 4.0 | SOC 242 | 4.0 | ||||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Electives | 6.0 | ||||
Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
ENSS 346 | 4.0 | ENVS 442 | 2.0 | ENVS 443 | 2.0 | ||
ENVS 441 | 2.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | ||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | ||
SOC/Behavior Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Total Credits 183 |
5 year, 3 co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | BIO 109 | 3.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
ENSS 120 | 3.0 | BIO 110 | 1.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
ENVS 101 | 5.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | MATH 107 | 3.0 | ||
MATH 101 | 4.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | SOC 101 or ANTH 101 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV S101 | 1.0 | PSY 101 | 3.0 | Foreign Language | 4.0 | ||
Foreign Language | 4.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | ||||
16 | 15 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENSS 283 | 3.0 | ENSS 244 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
ENVS 260 | 3.0 | ENSS 275 or ENVS 289 | 3.0 | ||||
PBHL 101 | 3.0 | ENVS 230 | 3.0 | ||||
PSCI 110 | 4.0 | ENVS 308 | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
13 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COM 317 | 3.0 | ECON 202 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
ECON 201 | 4.0 | GEO 201 | 3.0 | ||||
ENSS 285 | 3.0 | PSCI 284 | 4.0 | ||||
UNIV H201 | 1.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | ||||
14 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PHIL 340 or 341 | 3.0 | ENSS 326 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
SOC 241 | 4.0 | SOC 242 | 4.0 | ||||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Electives | 6.0 | ||||
Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fifth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
ENSS 346 | 4.0 | ENVS 442 | 2.0 | ENVS 443 | 2.0 | ||
ENVS 441 | 2.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | Major Elective | 3.0 | ||
Major Elective | 3.0 | Diversity Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | ||
SOC/Behavior Elective | 3.0 | International Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Total Credits 183 |
Career Opportunities
The largest job opportunities exist in the areas of environmental communication, sustainability, environmental policy, community action, water quality, parks and outdoor recreation, ecotourism, natural resources and conservation, international environmental policy, renewable energy and climate change.
This major will educate individuals who seek careers and/or additional academic training in the following fields:
- Sustainability planning and implementation
- Urban, regional, and community planning
- Geographic information systems
- Environmental communications
- Environmental journalism
- Environmental law
- Park management and outdoor recreation
- Environmental consulting
- Environmental policy analysis
- Natural resource management