Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Arts - ENVS

Major Requirements (40-75 Hours)

The following are required. In addition, at least one concentration must be chosen.

Required
ENVS 161Introduction to Environmental Studies3
ENVS 171Introduction to Environmental Science3
ENVS 217Environmental Policy3
COMM 418Seminar on Women, Leadership, and Communication3
or ENVS 321 Women, Leadership, and the Environment
ENVS 385Interdisciplinary Environmental Research3
ENVS 386Current Issues in Environmental Studies1
ENVS 495Comprehensive Project Seminar3
Concentration
Select at least one of the following Concentrations:21-56
Total Credits40-75

Concentrations

Environmental STEM Concentration

Please note that the Earth and Water Science Area Focus is only available to students pursuing the dual degree in Engineering at the University of Notre Dame.

Required
PHIL 256Environmental Ethics3
BIO 316Conservation Biology4
or BIO 323 Ecology
Environmentally-Related Science Elective
Select one of the following: 13-4
Vertebrate Natural History
Conservation Biology
Ecology
Ornithology
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Area Focus Courses
Select four courses from one of the following areas:12-13
Applied Mathematics:
Calculus III
Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
Differential Equations II
Numerical Analysis
Mathematical Modeling
Earth and Water Science (at Notre Dame):
CE 20110
Planet Earth
CE 20320
Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
CE 20520
Environmental Mineralogy
CE 30300
Intro to Environmental Engineering
CE 30320
Water Chemistry and Treatment
CE 30455
Environmental Hydrology
Required Supporting Courses
CHEM 121
CHEM 122
Principles of Chemistry I
and Principles of Chemistry II
8
PHYS 121
PHYS 122
General Physics I: Mechanics and Waves
and General Physics II: Temperature, Electricity, and Light
8
MATH 131
MATH 132
Calculus I
and Calculus II for STEM majors
4-8
or MATH 133 Theory and Application of Calculus
Select one of the following:3-6
Probability
and Statistics (Applied Mathematics focus)
ACMS 30440
Probabilty and Statistics (Earth & Water Science focus)
Total Credits45-54
1

With program permission, the following earth or water science courses offered at Notre Dame may be used to fulfill this requirement: CE 20110 – Planet Earth, CE 20520 – Environmental Mineralogy, CE 20320 – Environmental Aquatic Chemistry.

Global Environmental Policy Concentration

STEM Elective
Select one of the following:3-4
Survey II: Human Prehistory
Introduction to Marine Biology
Vertebrate Natural History
Evolution
Conservation Biology
Ecology
Ornithology
Chemistry in Everyday Life
Mathematics for Sustainability
Arts and Humanities Elective
Select one of the following:3
Sustainable Textiles
Introduction to Landscape Architecture
Picturing Biodiversity: The Art of Natural History
Environment in Contemporary Art
Design and the Environment Studio II
Communicating Climate Science
Animals in Literature and Society
Environmental Literature
African-American Literature
19th-Century American Literature
The Shape of the City
Give Me Shelter
Human Ecology and Spirituality
Nature and Environmental Writing
Rhetoric
Social Justice
Environmental Ethics
Religion and Science
Fashion Ethics
Microeconomics Course
ECON 252Principles of Microeconomics3
Society and Environment
Select one one of the following:3
People and Nature
Survey I: Culture and Language
Cultural Sust and Spirituality
Social Problems (approved sections)
Advanced Area Courses
Select three of the following:9
Water, Culture & Sustainability
Special Topics
Organizational Communication
Economic Development
Topics in Economics (Approved Sections)
The Global Politics of International Development
Global Environmental Politics
Consumer Society
Required Supporting Courses
MATH 114Introduction to Statistics 13
or MATH 346 Statistics
Total Credits24-25
1

With program permission and permission of the relevant department, PSYC 324 Statistics in Psychology or SOC 371 Sociological Statistics Lab may be substituted for MATH 114 Introduction to Statistics.

Nature, Culture, Arts Concentration

Stem Elective
Select one of the following:3-4
Survey II: Human Prehistory
Introduction to Marine Biology
Vertebrate Natural History
Evolution
Conservation Biology
Ecology
Ornithology
Chemistry in Everyday Life
Mathematics for Sustainability
Environment and Society Elective
Select one of the following:3
People and Nature
Survey I: Culture and Language
Organizational Communication
Economic Development
Topics in Economics (Approved Sections)
Cultural Sust and Spirituality
Introduction to Justice Studies
The Global Politics of International Development
Global Environmental Politics
Social Problems (approved sections)
Consumer Society
Explorations Courses
Select four of the following: 112
Survey I: Culture and Language
The Sustainable Cup
Sustainable Textiles
Introduction to Landscape Architecture
Picturing Biodiversity: The Art of Natural History
Environment in Contemporary Art
Design and the Environment Studio II
Communicating Climate Science
Animals in Literature and Society
Environmental Literature
African-American Literature
19th-Century American Literature
Cultural Sust and Spirituality
The Shape of the City
Give Me Shelter
Human Ecology and Spirituality
Nature and Environmental Writing
Rhetoric
Lives and Times (approved sections)
Social Justice
Environmental Ethics
Religion and Science
Fashion Ethics
Theoretical Applications Course
Select one of the following:3
Anthropology of Race and Racism
Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Water, Culture & Sustainability
Special Topics (approved topics)
Critical Theory
Feminist Theory
Total Credits21-22
1

No more than two courses may be taken in a single discipline (as indicated by course prefix).

Spirituality, Justice, Ethics Concentration

STEM Elective
Select one of the following:3-4
Survey II: Human Prehistory
Introduction to Marine Biology
Vertebrate Natural History
Evolution
Conservation Biology
Ecology
Ornithology
Chemistry in Everyday Life
Mathematics for Sustainability
Arts and Culture Elective
Select one of the following:3
People and Nature
Survey I: Culture and Language
Sustainable Textiles
Introduction to Landscape Architecture
Picturing Biodiversity: The Art of Natural History
Environment in Contemporary Art
Design and the Environment Studio II
Organizational Communication
Topics in Economics (Approved Sections)
Communicating Climate Science
Animals in Literature and Society
Environmental Literature
African-American Literature
19th-Century American Literature
Cultural Sust and Spirituality
The Shape of the City
Give Me Shelter
Nature and Environmental Writing
Rhetoric
Consumer Society
Fashion Ethics
Environment and Spirituality
RLST 240Catholic Social Thought3
or RLST 251 The Christian Tradition
Environment and Justice
Select one of the following:3
Introduction to Justice Studies
Social Justice
Environmental Ethics
PHIL 256Environmental Ethics3
Advanced Courses
Select two courses in any suitable SJE topic from the following: 16
Water, Culture & Sustainability
Human Ecology and Spirituality
Ethics
The Global Politics of International Development
Religion and Science
Total Credits21-22
1

A 3-credit internship may be substituted for one advanced course.

Advanced Writing Proficiency 

Students fulfill this proficiency requirement by receiving approval for a portfolio of three writing projects drawn from multiple disciplines contributing to environmental studies. The portfolio will include the paper completed in ENVS 495 Comprehensive Project Seminar; the other two projects included will vary with the student’s major concentration and selection of courses.

Senior Comprehensive

The Senior Comprehensive requirement in Environmental Studies is fulfilled by successful completion of ENVS 495 Comprehensive Project Seminar and department approval of the paper and oral presentation based on the student’s comprehensive project.