Program Overview

Introduction to Environmental Studies Programs

The Environmental Studies Department offers several undergraduate programs, including the Combined Majors Environmental Studies/Biology Combined B.A. and the Environmental Studies/Economics Combined B.A. These programs are designed to prepare students for graduate school or a career in conservation biology, restoration ecology, environmental sustainability, and other allied interdisciplinary life science fields.

Program Descriptions

Combined Majors Environmental Studies/Biology Combined B.A.

The combined major in Environmental Studies and Biology prepares students for graduate school or a career in conservation biology, restoration ecology, environmental sustainability, and other allied interdisciplinary life science fields. Students have the flexibility to customize their curriculum to prepare them for graduate programs or career certifications following completion of the program.

Combined Majors Environmental Studies/Economics Combined B.A.

The combined major in Environmental Studies and Economics is intended to provide students with the basic tools of economic analysis and an understanding of the principles of resource production, conservation, and use in both ecological and economic terms.

Career Opportunities

Alumni of our programs go on to become leaders in solving our planet’s toughest environmental problems and building a more just and sustainable food system. Career opportunities include:

• Natural resource management
  • Public policy
  • Corporate sustainability
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Biodiversity research
  • Non-profit program leadership
  • Conservation organizations
  • Government
  • Environmental education
  • Sustainable agriculture and aquaculture
  • Environmental consulting
  • Habitat restoration
  • Environmental mediation

Admissions Requirements

First-Year Students

No specific courses are required for UC admission in environmental studies. High school students interested in our programs should obtain a background in English, biology, chemistry, social sciences, and quantitative and writing skills. Advanced Placement (AP) scores for calculus may apply to the prerequisites.

Transfer Students

Our majors are considered screening majors. Students transferring to UC Santa Cruz must fulfill the lower-division requirements for the major by completing equivalent courses at another recognized institution before transferring to UC Santa Cruz.

Completing Lower Division Requirements and Transferring Courses

UCSC summer session is a great time to take missing screening requirements. Most of the required courses for our majors are offered. Some General Education courses taken for admission to UCSC may cover some ENVS lower-division prerequisites as well. To get the complete list of major requirements that can be transferred, consult the catalog entries for the Environmental Studies B.A., Environmental Studies/Biology B.A., Environmental Studies/Economics B.A., and the Agroecology B.A.

Required Courses

Two courses that must be taken at UCSC are:

• STAT 7/L: Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences, which is required for all of our majors
• ENVS 80F: Introduction to Agroecology, which is only required for Agroecology majors

Transfer Coursework Review

If transfer coursework is completed at a 4-year institution or out-of-state institution, syllabi for each specific course must be submitted to the department or admissions office for review to see if it can be applied to the major.