Bachelor of Science: Life Sciences (Environmental Science Concentration), Arizona State University at the West Campus

Information for this profile was provided by Becky Ball, Arizona State University at the West Campus. Information is also available on the program website. Students in this program are pursuing a bachelors degree.

Program Design & Assessment

Overview

Currently, Environmental Science is a concentration within the Life Sciences major. We have recently proposed it as an independent major.

Strengths of this program
Strong focus on science, particularly the life sciences and chemistry, in an interdisciplinary setting

Types of students served
Within our school (among the many different majors), approximately 40% of the majors within the School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences are made up of Hispanic, Asian-American, American Indian, and African American ethnicities, and half of all students are female. A large portion of our students are parents and/or married and hold full-time jobs.

Program Goals

The goals of this program are as follows:

The learning goals were informed by the following resources:
Employment in this field is projected to increase more rapidly than other occupations. Therefore, we expect that the increasing number of Life Sciences majors our school has experienced will increasingly comprise students with an interest in this topic. Local high school and community college advisers have indicated that students have a keen interest in this concentration.

How program goals are assessed
ASU utilizes an annual Program Assessment. Additionally, we monitor enrollment to gauge student interest.

Design features that allow goals to be met:
No.

Alumni Careers

Careers pursued by our alumni
The concentration is too new, and we do not yet have alumni.

Courses and Sequencing

Diagram of course sequencing and requirements

Entry into the degree
General Biology I
Introduction to Environmental Science
General Chemistry I

Core Courses
General Biology I and II (lecture and laboratory)
Fundamentals of Ecology (lecture and laboratory)
Fundamentals of Genetics (lecture and laboratory)
Cell Biology (lecture and laboratory)
General Chemistry I and II (lecture and laboratory)
Organic Chemistry I and II (Lecture and laboratory)
Introduction to Environmental Science
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Philosophy/Policy
Environmental Ethics

Elective courses and Requirements
Must complete one of these two: The Human Environment OR Disasters
Must complete 18 hours, choosing from:
Flora of Arizona
Plant Physiology
Animal Physiology
Animal Behavior
Vertebrate/Invertebrate Zoology
Comparative Plant Diversity
Individualized Instruction
Internship

Supporting Science and Math Courses
General Physics I and II (lecture and laboratory)
Brief Calculus
Biometry

Other key features of this program:

Supporting Materials