BA in Environmental Planning and Policy
Career Options
Landscape design
Regulatory compliance
environmental/land-use planning
Community planning
Urban renewal consultant
Environmental consulting
Environmental education
Environmental technician
Environmental advocate
Environmental policy analyst
The Department of Environmental Science offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Environmental Planning and Policy. The combination of these two disciplines recognizes the inherent interconnection in conjunction with the DES' s basic environmental science core courses. The degree is designed to prepare students for graduate school and as future leaders for careers in federal, state, and local government; the private sector; nonprofit organizations; and citizen advocacy groups. Many of our graduates have immediately entered professional professions in landscape design, regulatory compliance, land-use or community planning, urban renewal, environmental consulting, education, and as environmental technicians.
We seek to educate individuals who make a difference by contributing to solving environmental problems, making public and private institutions more responsive to social and economic needs of communities, and by moving toward a more sustainable society. Our curriculum emphasizes application as well as theory by focusing on real problems and projects affecting the region. The opportunity to gain practical planning and policy experience is also provided to our students through their participation in field-based courses and an internship.
The environmental planning aspect of the degree is intended to introduce students to the foundations of community and natural resource planning. Through a series of core courses, students examine the spatial and non-spatial aspects of environmental problems. The environmental policy aspect trains students on policy development, formulation and implementation, through an in-depth examination of policy science, assessment, environmental impact analysis, and environmental economics. Students can also explore a particular topic of interest such as pollution, natural resources management, and international policy, or water resources.
The minimum number of credits required for the major is 86 (depending on which of the degrees is selected) plus the 34 credits required of the University's Core curriculum. Note that these Departmental major requirements include 13 credits of Core curriculum. In order to graduate with a minimum of 120 credits, the student must not require any remedial work and all electives (taken here or transferred) must fit into the student's program of study, which is approved for each student by the Departmental faculty. A student must achieve at least a 2.0 grade point average and must earn at least a C- in each course applied toward completion of the major.
Required courses for all majors in the department
ESH 341 Environmental Regulations
ESP 101 Fundamentals of Environmental Science
ESP 102 Fundamentals of Environmental Science Lab
ESP 125 Introduction to Environmental Ecology
ESP 126 Introduction to Environmental Ecology Lab
ESP 150 Field Immersion
ESP 203 Environmental Communication
ESP 280 Research and Analytical Methods
ESP 401 Environmental Impact Assessment and Lab
ESP 400 Internship (between junior and senior year)
ESP 475 Senior Seminar
Choose one tools course
- Suggested tools courses include: MAT 120, MAT 220, ESP/GEO 108, GEO 205, GEO 308
Required courses specific to students in the BA in Environmental Planning and Policy
ESP 220 Introduction to Environmental Policy
ESP 305 Community Planning Workshop
ESP 375 Environmental Risk Assessment and Management
ESP 417 Site Planning and Assessment
ESP 421 Natural Resource Policy
CHY 1XX Chemistry Lecture
CHY 1XX Chemistry Lab
ECO 102 Introduction to Microeconomics
GEO 209 Land Use Planning
or ESP 200 Environmental Planning
Electives:
Choose four environmental science classes 200-level or higher in accordance with approved program of study (one must be ECO/ESP 326 or ECO/ESP 327)
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