Environmental Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
On this page: Major Description | Requirements | Learning Objectives | Faculty & Staff | Courses
Apply your leadership abilities to better understand how teams and organizations operate and thrive!
The Environmental Studies major at the University of Washington Bothell offers students the opportunity to examine how organizations and societies interact with natural environments. Academic and other learning experiences enhance students’ ability for project management and increases their skills in critical thinking, data analysis, research, communication, and decision-making.
Do courses like Environmental Justice or Art & Climate Change sound exciting to you?
Do you want to explore a career in Environmental Education, City Planning, or Parks & Recreation?
Purpose
Students in the Environmental Studies major are passionate about understanding how humans interact with the natural world. Instead of spending more time on lab science work, students take classes in policy, law, philosophy, cultural studies, and economics.
Practice
Courses in the Environmental Studies major allow students to collect data, perform research, and use geospatial technology to analyze how individuals, organizations, and societies add to the complex challenges facing the sustainability of Earth’s resources.
Profession
Using their background in Environmental Studies, graduates in this major communicate about urgent environmental issues facing our communities and help solve complex global problems in career roles such as education, advocacy, and consulting.
Major requirements
Recommended preparation
Interested in exploring this major, but not ready to commit? Consider taking one of the below courses! Any of these selections will help familiarize you with the academic program and prepare you for advanced coursework in the major.
- BEARTH 153 Introduction to Geology
- BEARTH 154 Introduction to Oceanography
- BEARTH 155 Introduction to Climate Science
- BIS 141 Natural History and Environmental Science
- BIS 243 Introduction to Environmental Issues
- BIS 246 Introduction to Sustainability
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for the Environmental Studies major. Current UW Bothell students can submit a declaration form if they are in good academic standing (2.0 cumulative GPA), follow this link to the IAS Major Declaration Form. Incoming students can apply directly into the major when applying to UW Bothell.
Useful preparation for this major includes formal and informal training in environmental courses and field work.
Degree Requirements
The following degree requirements are required as of Autumn 2024 quarter. Student who enter the Environmental Studies (ENST) major prior to Autumn 2024 have different requirements. Please see your Academic Advisor for questions and academic planning.
- 10 credits of Composition Coursework
- B WRIT 133 or B WRIT 134 or ENGL 131 or equivalent (5 credits)
- B WRIT 135 or ENGL 141 or equivalent (5 credits)
- 30 credits of Environmental Studies Core Requirements (ENST:CORE)
- BIS 242 Environmental Geography (5 credits) (AUT/WIN quarter)
- BIS 245 Environment & Humanities (5 credits) (WIN quarter)
- BIS 307 Environmental Justice (5 credits) (AUT quarter)
- BIS 342 Geographic Information Systems (5 credits)
- BIS 356 Ethics and the Environment (5 credits) (AUT or SPR quarter) OR BIS 386 Climate Change Adaptation (5 credits) (WIN or SPR quarter)
- BES 301 Science Methods & Practice OR BST 301 Scientific Writing (5 Credits)
- 20 credits of Environmental Studies Electives (ENST)
- See full approved course list below for course options
- 10 credits of Additional IAS Coursework
TOTAL = 70 Credits
Note: Courses in this major are offered primarily during daytime hours.
School of IAS Requirements & Policies
- Upper Division Credit Policy: Of the credits applying to the major requirements, a minimum of 35 credits must be completed at the Upper Division (300-400) level.
- Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be completed in residency at UW Bothell
- Cumulative GPA Requirement: Major GPA must be at a cumulative of 2.00 or higher
- Interdisciplinary Practices & Reflection (IPR): The IPR requirement can overlap with 70 credit major coursework or it can be completed through elective credits. Please see the IPR page for course options.
Environmental Studies Approved Elective List
| BEARTH 153 Intro to Geology |
| BEARTH 154 Intro to Oceanography |
| BEARTH 155 Intro to Climate Science |
| BEARTH 201 Mapping the Earth System |
| BEARTH 202 Modeling Global Systems |
| BEARTH 310 Fundamentals of Weather and Climate |
| BEARTH 317 Soils in the Environment |
| BEARTH 318 Hydrogeology |
| BEARTH 320 Impacts of Climate Change |
| BEARTH 321 Geomorphology |
| BEARTH 341 Natural Hazards and Human Disasters (change to 200 level) |
| BES 303 Environmental Monitoring Practicum |
| BES 311 Environmental Chemistry |
| BES 312 Ecology |
| BES 316 Ecological Methods |
| BES 330 Limnology |
| BES 397 Special Topics in Environmental Science |
| BES 415 Advanced Environmental Measurement Laboratory |
| BES 440 Remote Sensing of the Environment |
| BES 460 Water Quality |
| BES 486 Watershed Ecology and Management |
| BES 488 Wetland Ecology |
| BES 489 Pacific Northwest Ecosystems |
| BES 491 Undergraduate Research in ES |
| BES 492 Capstone Research in ES I |
| BES 493 Capstone Research in ES II |
| BES 497 Special Topics in ES |
| BIS 141 Natural History and Environmental Science |
| BIS 243 Intro to Environmental Issues |
| BIS 246 Intro to Sustainability |
| BIS 252 Politics of Science |
| BIS 304 Political Economy and the Environment |
| BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research |
| BIS 319 Public Arts and Ecological Restoration |
| BIS 338 Political Institutions and Processes |
| BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research |
| BIS 343 Geographic Visualization |
| BIS 344 Intermediate GIS |
| BIS 346 Topics in Environmental Policy |
| BIS 353 Human Rights Theory and Practice |
| BIS 359 Principles & Controversies of Sustainability |
| BIS 360 Pollinator Diversity and Conservation |
| BIS 372 Representation, Colonialism, and the Tropical World |
| BIS 390 Ecology and Environment |
| BIS 392 Water & Sustainability |
| BIS 405 Environmental Education |
| BIS 406 Urban Planning and Geography BIS 408 Critical Physical Geography |
| BIS 415 Public Policy and Law |
| BIS 442 Advanced Geographic Information Systems BIS 456 Climate Anxiety, Grief and Reliance |
| BIS 458 Energy, Environment and Society |
| BIS 459 Conservation & Sustainable Development |
| BIS 483 Community Organizing |
| BISGST 303 History and Globalization |
| BISGST 324 International Political Economy |
| BISGWS 303 Approaches to Feminist Studies |
| BISSTA 304 Institutions and Social Change |
| BISSTS 307 Science, Technology, & Society |
| BISSTS 355 History of Science and Technology |
| B BIO 330 Marine Biology |
| B BIO 335 Salmon and Society |
| B BIO 471 Plant Ecology |
| B CHEM 315 Quantitive Environmental Analysis |
| B CHEM 350 Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution |
| BST 445 Political Economy of Energy |
| BST 446 Sustainable Energy |
Learning Objectives
The Environmental Studies curriculum advances the five core IAS learning objectives. Students taking courses and/or majoring in Environmental Studies:
- Develop a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of Earth’s natural and cultural systems at both bioregional and global scales.
- Engage multiple ways of knowing to develop interdisciplinary skills and approaches to environmental practice, and strengthen collective and individual leadership toward an environmental career.
- Analyze and synthesize diverse forms of knowledge to bring a holistic understanding to bear on issues of environmental policy, management, and other social and cultural forms of human-environment interactions.
- Explore how dominant narratives have shaped how environmental efforts are approached today, and how integration of different ways of knowing and doing can reconstruct environmental goals to be responsive to environmental justice, environmental integrity, and the rights of all species.
- Learn to collaborate in creatively addressing complex real-world environmental problems through cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary approaches.
People
Faculty
Please contact the Environmental Studies Faculty Coordinator if you have any questions, concerns or ideas about the Environmental Studies major. To declare the Environmental Studies major, please contact your Academic Advisor.
Lab Manager
- Jennifer Cabarrus
Research Librarian
Petitions
IAS students may submit an online Major Petition form to request that alternate coursework satisfy a School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS) major requirement. Students must be admitted or declared in an IAS major in order for the online petition to be reviewed.