Environmental Analysis Major
Program Requirements
- Total units required: 49
The environmental analysis major is a flexible, 49-credit program that focuses on developing critical skills and competencies in interdisciplinary environmental problem-solving. It is ideal for students seeking interdisciplinary training focused on the environment and sustainability, and it is designed to stand alone or to complement another major.
Required Courses
Students must complete a total of 28 units of required courses as described below:
- Choose three of the following (9 units):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Biol 2950 | Introduction to Environmental Biology | 3 |
| EnSt 101 | Earth's Future: Causes and Consequences of Global Climate Change (I60 course) * | 3 |
| EnSt 102 | To Sustainability and Beyond: People, Planet, Prosperity * | 3 |
| EnSt 111 | Environmental Racism and the Health of Everyone * | 3 |
| EnSt 215 | Introduction to Environmental Humanities | 3 |
| EnSt 250 | One Health: Linking the Health of Humans, Animals, and the Environment | 3 |
| EnSt 251 | Metropolitan Environment | 3 |
| EnSt 252 | Sustainability in Business | 3 |
| EEPS 202 | Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science | 3 |
| Pol Sci 2010 | Introduction to Environmental Policy | 3 |
- *
These Beyond Boundaries courses, open to first-year students only, may apply to this section; students may count up to two toward the major.
- Required core courses in analysis and communication; choose four of the following (12 units):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Drama 214 | Public Speaking: Embodied Communication | 3 |
| Drama 4081 | Theater for Social Change | 3 |
| EnSt 315 | Fallout: Analyzing Texts and Narratives of the Nuclear Era | 3 |
| EnSt 316 | Beyond the Evidence | 3 |
| EnSt 350W | Writing Skills for Environmental Professionals | 3 |
| EnSt 357 | Multiparty Environmental Decision Making | 3 |
| EnSt 364 | Field Methods for Environmental Science | 3 |
| EnSt 380 | Applications in GIS | 3 |
| EnSt 415W | Writing Home: Creating Cultural Guides for Environmental Site Workers | 3 |
| EnSt 481 | Advanced GIS | 3 |
| EnSt 4995 | Foundations of Research: Building a literature review | 3 |
| IPH 3123 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | 3 |
| SDS 2200 | Elementary Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| or SDS 3200 | Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis | |
| or SDS 3211 | Statistics for Data Science I | |
Note: Students may count a fifth analysis and communication course toward the depth electives.
- Required course in social identity and environment; choose one of the following (3 units):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 1130 | Introduction to Race | 3 |
| AAS 2010 | The Roots of Ferguson: Understanding Racial Inequality in the Contemporary U.S. | 3 |
| EnSt 111 | Environmental Racism and the Health of Everyone | 3 |
| GeSt 232 | Intergroup Dialogue: Race/Ethnicity | 3 |
| JIMES 2910 | Racism and Antiracism | 3 |
| SOC 2110 | Social Inequality in America | 3 |
| SOC 2520 | Inequality By Design: Understanding Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities | 3 |
| SOC 3212 | The Social Construction of Race | 3 |
| SOC 3910 | Economic Realities of the American Dream | 3 |
| SOC 4289 | Neighborhoods, Schools, and Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOC 4810 | Global Structures and Problems | 3 |
| SOC 4830 | Global Racial Systems | 3 |
- Required interdisciplinary environmental capstone course; choose one of the following (3 units):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EnSt 405 | Sustainability Exchange: Community and University Practicums | 3 |
| EnSt 407 | RESET - Renewable Energy Policy, Engineering and Business | 3 |
| EnSt 452 | International Climate Negotiation Seminar | var.; max. 6 |
| EnSt 498 | Senior Honors Research | 3 |
| EnSt 539 | Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic | var.; max. 6 |
Note: Due to the intensity of these project-based courses, students may only take one per semester. Students may count a second capstone course toward the depth electives.
- Fourth-year reflection seminar (1 unit):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EnSt 492 | Environmental Studies Fourth-Year Reflection Seminar | 1 |
Note: The purpose of this seminar is to create a written narrative portfolio that synthesizes, integrates, and reflects on the student's learning across the courses and experiences of the major. Reflection will occur through personal writing and discussion with peers in the course.
Elective Courses
Students will choose 21 units of depth and breadth elective courses from the three categories below: Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, and Natural Science. Students must choose seven elective courses, with at least four courses from one category and at least one course in each of the other two categories. This requirement means that students can choose a 5/1/1 combination or a 4/2/1 combination from the elective categories.
The following flexibility is allowed regarding substitutions:
- Students may count a fifth analysis and communication course toward the depth electives.
- Students may count a second capstone course toward the depth electives.
- Students may request one course substitution outside of the electives listed below to take advantage of unique one-time or rarely-offered courses.
Students must complete no fewer than 18 units of courses numbered 300 or above within the major with a grade of C- or better. There is no double counting of advanced (300- and 400-level) courses between two majors or between a major and a minor. This "no double-counting rule" also applies to students who are double majoring across schools.
- Social sciences electives:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AMCS 227 | Topics in Native American Culture | 3 |
| AMCS 299 | The Study of Cities and Metropolitan America | 3 |
| Anthro 3102 | Topics in Anthropology: Sustainability in Extractive Communities | 3 |
| Anthro 3215 | Food, Culture, and Power | 3 |
| Anthro 3472 | Global Energy and the American Dream | 3 |
| Anthro 3602 | Environmental Inequality: Toxicity, Health, and Justice | 3 |
| Anthro 361 | Culture and Environment | 3 |
| Anthro 374 | Social Landscapes in Global View | 3 |
| Anthro 379 | Meltdown: The Archaeology of Climate Change | 3 |
| Anthro 4281 | Ecological Anthropology | 3 |
| Econ 451 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| EnSt 255 | Systems Thinking | 3 |
| EnSt 3060 | Community Based Conservation: Madagascar Sustainability Initiative | 3 |
| EnSt 310 | Ecological Economics | 3 |
| EnSt 316 | Beyond the Evidence | 3 |
| EnSt 346 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| EnSt 347 | Sustainable Cities | 3 |
| EnSt 4527 | IPCC: Governance, Policy and Science | 3 |
| EnSt 461 | Intro to Environmental Law | 3 |
| EnSt 481 | Advanced GIS | 3 |
| EnSt 482 | Applications in Geospatial Intelligence | 3 |
| EnSt 4995 | Foundations of Research: Building a literature review | 3 |
| MGT 450R | Business & Government: Understanding and Influencing the Regulatory Environment | 3 |
| MGT 460L | Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| MPH 5002 | Epidemiology * | 3 |
| MPH 5323 | TPS: Climate Change and Public Health * | 3 |
| Pol Sci 332B | Energy Politics | 3 |
| Pol Sci 3760 | Globalization, Urbanization, and the Environment | 3 |
| Pol Sci 363 | Quantitative Political Methodology | 3 |
| Pol Sci 389A | Power, Justice, and the City | 3 |
| Pol Sci 4043 | Public Policy Analysis, Assessment and Practical Wisdom | 3 |
| Pol Sci 495 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| SOC 3350 | Poverty and the New American City | 3 |
| SOC 4810 | Global Structures and Problems | 3 |
- *
Students should request permission from the instructor to enroll in this course.
- Environmental humanities and arts electives:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 3075 | Recipes for Respect: Black Foodways in the United States | 3 |
| ARCH 209 | Design Process | 3 |
| ART 318P | Photography: Art Practice (Art, Environment, Culture & Image) * | 3 |
| Art-Arch 3961 | Art & Ecology | 3 |
| Comp Lit 4111 | Pastoral Literature | 3 |
| Drama 351 | Intro to Playwriting | 3 |
| Drama 4081 | Theater for Social Change | 3 |
| EnSt 315 | Fallout: Analyzing Texts and Narratives of the Nuclear Era | 3 |
| EnSt 3410 | Native American Storytelling - Healthy Land Practice | 3 |
| EnSt 415W | Writing Home: Creating Cultural Guides for Environmental Site Workers | 3 |
| History 2561 | Urban America | 3 |
| History 3194 | Environment and Empire | 3 |
| IPH 312 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | 3 |
| IPH 431 | Statistics for Humanities Scholars: Data Science for the Humanities | 3 |
| LAND 530F | Foodscapes: Art Food Space Activism | 3 |
| LAND 553A | Seeds | 3 |
| Phil 235F | Introduction to Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| Writing 309 | Writing the Natural World | 3 |
- *
This course has a prerequisite.
- Natural science electives:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Anthro 3053 | Nomadic Strategies and Extreme Ecologies | 3 |
| Anthro 3660 | Primate Ecology, Biology, and Behavior | 3 |
| Anthro 3662 | Writing for Primate Conservation Biology | 3 |
| Anthro 4285 | Environmental Archaeology | 3 |
| Anthro 4803 | Advanced GIS Modeling and Landscape Analysis | 3 |
| Biol 3171 | Biology for Climate Change Solutions | 3 |
| Biol 3220 | Woody Plants of Missouri | 3 |
| Biol 3221 | Research and Public Education in the Arboretum | 3 |
| Biol 343A | Plants, Environment and Civilization | 3 |
| Biol 3494 | Microbes and the Environment | 4 |
| Biol 370 | Animal Behavior | 3 |
| Biol 373W | Laboratory on the Evolution of Animal Behavior (Writing Intensive) | 3 |
| Biol 381 | Introduction to Ecology | 3 |
| Biol 3900 | Science for Agriculture and Environmental Policy | 3 |
| Biol 419 | Community Ecology | 3 |
| Biol 4193 | Experimental Ecology Laboratory | 4 |
| Biol 4195 | Disease Ecology | 4 |
| EEPS 317 | Soil Science | 3 |
| EEPS 323 | Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| EEPS 340 | Minerals, Rocks, Resources and the Environment | 4 |
| EEPS 342 | Environmental Systems | 3 |
| EEPS 385 | Earth History | 3 |
| EEPS 386 | The Earth's Climate System | 3 |
| EEPS 387 | Geospatial Science | 4 |
| EEPS 407 | Remote Sensing | 3 |
| EEPS 409 | Surface Processes | 3 |
| EEPS 428 | Hydrology | 3 |
| EEPS 442 | Aqueous Geochemistry | 3 |
| EEPS 454 | Exploration and Environmental Geophysics | 4 |
| EEPS 468 | Geospatial Field Methods | 3 |
| EEPS 486 | Paleoclimatology | 3 |
| EnSt 3630 | Arctic Climate System | 3 |
| EnSt 364 | Field Methods for Environmental Science | 3 |
| EnSt 365 | Applied Conservation Biology | 3 |
| EnSt 375 | Urban Ecology | 3 |
| EnSt 481 | Advanced GIS | 3 |
| EnSt 483 | Introduction to Spatial Epidemiology | 3 |
| LAND 551A | Landscape Ecology | 3 |
Additional Information
Grades and Credits
The program has set the following policy concerning the minimum acceptable grade performance. A grade of C- is the minimum acceptable performance for each unit of credit for all course work for the major. Courses with grades of D may fulfill the College’s requirement for 120 total units of credit, but they do not meet the program requirements. A grade of C- is also the minimum acceptable performance for each unit of credit for any course required as a prerequisite to enrolling in advanced or sequential courses. Please visit the Academic Regulations page of the College of Arts & Sciences Bulletin for more information. Note: Students must make sure that, while completing the major, they complete a minimum of 18 units of upper-level course work (300 level or above). At least half of the units (i.e., 25 units) for the major must be completed in residence.
Substitutions and Transfer Credit
Requests for substitutions for courses from other institutions (transfer credit) need approval by the College Office. Please visit the Policies and Procedures for more information.
For Majors requesting a course substitution, please complete the Course Petition Form.
Study Abroad
To study abroad, students must be in their junior or senior year and have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Students must understand the language of the country in which they plan to study. Grades do not transfer back to Washington University. Credits can be applied toward the 120 credits needed to graduate, and courses taken abroad can substitute for courses for the environmental major and minors. These substitutions should be worked out before leaving for Study Abroad. Final decisions for course credit will be made once the student has returned and the courses and grades are reported back to Washington University. The minimum grade for study abroad coursework to apply to major/minor credit is C-.
Environmental Studies will accept up to 4 courses (12-16 units) from a study abroad program toward the Environmental Analysis Major. This can include courses in the social identity and environment and breadth and depth elective sections of the major, as well as a research methods courses taken on a field-based program, but not other sections of the major. Requests for substitutions should be submitted to the director and study abroad coordinator for Environmental Studies, Dr. Jeff Catalano.
Considerations
- Participating in a Washington University program allows financial assistance, and students may earn full academic credit for study abroad if they participate in Washington University programs.
- Students wishing to participate in non-Washington University programs must petition for credit before participating in the program.
- Students must communicate regularly with their advisors while abroad and report to them upon return.
- Each student must contact the Overseas Office to arrange for the transfer of credit.
- For details, contact the Overseas Office.
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-7047 |
| Email: | bowinston@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://enst.wustl.edu |