Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies Associate Degree for Transfer Roadmap
This is a sample pathway for students who transfer to San Francisco State University in the current Bulletin year with an AS-T in Environmental Science. Eight units in the major (CHEM 115 and GEOG 101) and all lower-division GE requirements have been satisfied. Check with a major advisor about the most appropriate course sequence. Degree completion guaranteed in 60 units; see the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) section for more information.
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 380 | Chemistry Behind Environmental Pollution (Major Core, UD-B, ES) 1 | 3 |
or BIOL alternative |
||
| ENVS 130 | Environmental Studies (Major Core, ES) | 3 |
| ENVS 224 | Research Methods for Environmental Studies (Major Elective) | 4 |
| US History | 3 | |
or Complementary Studies or University Elective if US History met before transfer |
||
| Complementary Studies or University Elective | 2 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BIOL 313 | Principles of Ecology (Major Core) | 3 |
| ENVS 450GW | Environmental Law and Policy - GWAR (Major Core) | 3 |
| Guided Electives (11-12 units total) - Take One 2 | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-C: Upper-Division Arts and/or Humanities | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or University Elective | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| ENVS 680 | Environmental Studies Internship (Major Core) | 1-3 |
| Global/International - Select One (Major Elective) 3 | 3 | |
| Guided Electives (11-12 units total) - Take Two 2 | 6 | |
| U.S. and California Government | 3 | |
or Complementary Studies or University Elective if US/CA Government met before transfer |
||
| Units | 15 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| ENVS 690 | Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies (Major Core) | 3 |
| Guided Electives (11-12 units total) - Take One 2 | 3 | |
| Sustainability and Social Justice - Select One (Major Elective) 4 | 3-4 | |
| GE Area UD-D: Upper-Division Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or University Elective | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Total Units | 60 | |
| 1 | CHEM 380 offered in spring semesters only. Approved alternatives: BIOL 300, BIOL 310, BIOL 317, BIOL 318. |
| 2 | Guided Electives (11-12 units) Select 11-12 units not used to satisfy the other major requirements. Electives should be organized into a coherent area of study; three suggested pathways are shown below. Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice, The Urban Environment, and Humanities and the Environment. These pathways are not mandatory; students interested in alternative routes through the elective portion of the major should consult with an advisor. Guided Elective Pathway 1: Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice The Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice guided electives provide students with a theoretical and applied understanding of the issues of sustainability and the connections between social justice and environmental problems and solutions. Students study the roles that values and social, political, and economic structures play in contributing to the environmental crisis. With the help of an advisor, students obtain depth by selecting elective courses from political science, American Indian studies, sociology, philosophy and religion, economics, urban studies and planning, geography, women and gender studies, and other related fields. Take 11-12 units. Two courses must be from the shortlist. Courses used to meet other requirements of the major cannot also be used to meet the environmental sustainability and social justice emphasis requirements. Shortlist: ENVS 460 Energy, Justice, and Sustainability (3 units) ENVS 470 Climate Politics and Policy (3 units) (ES, GP) ENVS 480 Climate Change Adaptation and Justice (3 units) ENVS 530 Environmental Leadership and Organizing (3 units) ENVS 570 Applied Local Sustainability (3 units) (ES) GEOG 421 Future Environments (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP, SJ) PLSI 354 Politics, the Environment, and Social Change (4 units) (UD-D, ES, SJ) USP 514 Sustainable Development in Cities (4 units) (ES, SJ) USP 515/GEOG 667 Environmental Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Environment (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) Longlist: AIS 310 American Indian Religion and Philosophy (3 units) (UD-C, AERM, GP, SJ) BECA 502 Environmental Communication on Electronic Media (3 units) (UD-C, ES, SJ) BIOL 349 Bioethics (3 units) (UD-B, SJ) BUS 450 Greening of Business (3 units) CINE 344 Film Genre (3 units) CST 300/PLSI 386 Introduction to Critical Social Thought (3 units) (UD-D, SJ) ECON 550 Environmental Economics (3 units) ECON 620 Economic Development (3 units) ENG 490 Grant Writing (3 units) (SJ) ENVS 306/ECON 306 Economics and the Environment (3 units) ENVS 331/I R 331 Global Environmental Crisis (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) GEOG 422 Environmental Perception (3 units) GEOG 425 Economic Geography (3 units) GEOG 427 Agriculture and Food Supply (4 units) (ES, GP) GEOG 600/ENVS 600 Environmental Problems and Solutions (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) GEOG 647 Geography of Water Resources (4 units) GEOG 652/USP 652 Environmental Impact Analysis (4 units) GEOG 666 Geography of Garbage: Recycling and Waste Reduction (3 units) (ES) GPS 315/I R 315/PHIL 315 Introduction to Global Peace Studies (3 units) (UD-C, ES, GP, SJ) I R 334 International Organizations: New World Order (4 units) I R 520 Globalization and Development (4 units) LS 401 International Development and Resource Justice (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) LS 430 Future of the Forests (3 units) (UD-B, ES, GP) LS 460 Childhood, Nature, and Society (3 units) LS 681/HIST 681 Community Service Learning in the Schools (3 units) PH 655 Environmental Health (3 units) PHIL 365 Science and Civilization (3 units) PHIL 470 Environmental Ethics (3 units) (UD-C, ES, SJ) PLSI 355/PHIL 355 Politics and Ethics of the Consumer Society (3 units) (UD-D, ES, SJ) SOC 410/RRS 410 Grassroots Organizing for Change in Communities of Color (3 units) (UD-D, AERM, SJ) SOC 477 Environmental Sociology (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) SOC 483 Global Sociology (4 units) (UD-D, GP) USP 456/S W 456 Urban Community Organizing and Citizen Action (3 units) The Urban Environment Emphasis (11–12 units) The Urban Environment guided electives provide students with a strong interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical understanding for dealing with environmental issues in urban settings. With the help of an advisor, students obtain depth by selecting elective courses focusing on sustainable urban development, environmental justice, land-use planning, environmental policy, and the urban environment in a global perspective. Take 11-12 units. Two courses must be from the shortlist. Courses used to meet other requirements of the major cannot also be used to meet the Urban Environment emphasis requirements. Shortlist: ENVS 460 Energy, Justice, and Sustainability (3 units) ENVS 480 Climate Change Adaptation and Justice (3 units) GEOG 433/USP 433 Urban Transportation (4 units) GEOG 652/USP 652 Environmental Impact Analysis (4 units) GEOG 658/USP 658 Land-Use Planning (4 units) GEOG 667/USP 515 Environmental Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Environment (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) USP 514 Sustainable Development in Cities (4 units) (ES, SJ) Longlist: BUS 450 Greening of Business (3 units) ECON 535/USP 535 Urban Economics (3 units) ECON 550 Environmental Economics (3 units) ENVS 306/ECON 306 Economics and the Environment (3 units) ENVS 570 Applied Local Sustainability (3 units) (ES) ENVS 699 Independent Study (1-3 units) GEOG 425 Economic Geography (3 units) GEOG 432/USP 432 Urban Geography (4 units) (ES,GP) GEOG 433/USP 433 Urban Transportation (4 units) GEOG 600/ENVS 600 Environmental Problems and Solutions (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) GEOG 651/USP 651 San Francisco Bay Area Environmental Issues (4 units) (UD-B, ES) GEOG 652/USP 652 Environmental Impact Analysis (4 units) GEOG 666 Geography of Garbage: Recycling and Waste Reduction (3 units) (ES) I R 331/ENVS 331 Global Environmental Crisis (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) PHIL 355/PLSI 355 Politics and Ethics of the Consumer Society (3 units) (UD-D, ES, SJ) RPT 440 Urban Recreation and Parks (3 units) (UD-D, AERM, SJ) SOC 480/USP 470 City in a Global Society (4 units) USP 530 Alternative Urban Futures (3 units) Humanities and the Environment Emphasis (11–12 units) The Humanities and the Environment guided electives explore the varied and complex ways that different cultures—past and present—view and communicate about the environment. With an advisor, students choose coursework in disciplines dealing with verbal or visual communication, such as communication studies, creative writing, technical and professional writing, ethnic studies, journalism, photography, design, electronic media, and cinema. Take 11-12 units. Two courses must be from the shortlist. Courses used to meet other requirements of the major cannot also be used to meet the Humanities and the Environment emphasis requirements. Shortlist: BECA 502 Environmental Communication on Electronic Media (3 units) (ES, SJ) C W 508 Introduction to Environmental Literature (3 units) (UD-C, ES) ENG 535 Literature and Ecology (3 units) (UD-C, ES) JOUR 580 Environmental Journalism (3 units) PHIL 470 Environmental Ethics (3 units) (UD-C, ES, SJ) PLSI 354 Politics, the Environment, and Social Change (4 units) (UD-D, ES, SJ) WGS 593 Gender, Health, and the Environment (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) Longlist: ANTH 321 Endangered Cultures (3 units) CINE 344 Film Genre (3 units) CST 300/PLSI 386 Introduction to Critical Social Thought (3 units) (UD-D, SJ) COMM 348GW Writing About Environmental Rhetoric - GWAR (4 units) (ES) ENVS 460 Energy, Justice, and Sustainability (3 units) ENVS 480 Climate Change Adaptation and Justice (3 units) HUM 380 Nature and Human Values (3 units) (UD-C, ES) HUM 450/AMST 410 California Culture (3 units) (UD-C) I R 334 International Organizations: New World Order (4 units) I R 520 Globalization and Development (4 units) LTNS 450 Indigenismo: Indigenous Cultures of the Americas (3 units) (UD-C, AERM, ES, GP) LS 681/HIST 681 Community Service Learning in the Schools (3 units)* PHIL 150/PLSI 150 Contemporary Moral/Political Issues (3 units) (C2, SJ) PHIL 351 Philosophy of Risk (3 units) (UD-B, ES) PHIL 355/PLSI 355 Politics and Ethics of the Consumer Society (3 units) (UD-D, ES, SJ) PHIL 365 Science and Civilization (3 units) PHIL 383 Ethics in Medicine (3 units) (UD-C, SJ) SOC 477 Environmental Sociology (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP) |
| 3 | Global/International ENVS 470 Climate Politics and Policy (3 units) (ES, GP) ENVS 480 Climate Change Adaptation and Justice (3 units) I R 331/ENVS 331 Global Environmental Crisis (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) I R 428/GEOG 428 International Political Economy of Food and Hunger (4 units) |
| 4 | Sustainability and Social Justice - Select One ENVS 306/ECON 306 Economics and the Environment (3 units) ENVS 460 Energy, Justice, and Sustainability (3 units) ENVS 570 Applied Local Sustainability (3 units) (ES) PHIL 470 Environmental Ethics (3 units) (UD-C, ES, SJ) USP 514 Sustainable Development in Cities (4 units) (ES, SJ) USP 515/GEOG 667 Environmental Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Environment (4 units) (ES, GP, SJ) |
To Do at SF State:
Enough total units to reach 120 minimum for graduation; 30 units minimum at the upper-division level; to include the following:
University-Wide Requirements: 9-15 units
- American Institutions (0-6 units): US History, US Government, California State and Local Government if not taken before transfer.
- Upper-Division GE Areas B, C, and D (9 units) – Upper-division GE (9 units): Courses required for the major may double-count if approved for UD GE.
- Students entering the major with the AS-T in ENVS are not required to fulfill SF State Studies requirements.
- Complementary Studies: Students must take at least 12 units with a prefix other than ENVS (includes courses cross-listed with ENVS). Consult with a major advisor.
Environmental Studies major: 37-42 units
- Core (13-15 units) - CHEM 115 met in ADT.
- Core/Electives (13-15 units) – one course from each of four categories (Physical Environment met in ADT: GEOG 101).
- Guided Electives (11-12 units)
University Electives: 3 or more units
Units depending on course choices made at the community college, how transferred units are applied to the requirements above, and course choices at SF State - some courses may meet more than one requirement, e.g., in both UD GE and the major.