Environmental studies, University of Colorado at Boulder

Program Design & Assessment

Overview

Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the science, values, and policy components of environmental problems. Students take core courses including science and economics and specialize into several upper level tracks.

Impetus

Undergraduate demand for a interdisciplinary environmental program at CU Boulder.

Program Goals

We have detailed competency goals that have recently been developed. These goals are split into several sections including those related to natural science, social science, values, and policy. There are also associated skills-based learning objectives (e.g. writing). I will bring these goals with me to the workshop.

Alumni Careers

Our program is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of careers including continued graduate study in the sciences or social sciences, policy positions, consulting, and law school.

Program Assessment

We have not done much assessment in the past but are currently redesigning the undergraduate curriculum with learning objectives and outcomes in mind. We have also redesigned our introductory course with specific objectives and outcomes assessments (for spring 2012).

Courses and Sequencing

Entry into the program

• ENVS 1000-4 Introduction to Environmental Studies

Core courses

We have a very complicated program because it is filled out from so many different departments. Our core courses are drawn from menus of multiple options under different subheadings.

Introduction-Science/Policy/Values

• ENVS 1000-4 Introduction to Environmental Studies

Introductory and Intermediate Sciences

Biology Sequence

• EBIO 1030/EBIO 1040 and EBIO 1050-7 Biology: A Human Approach and lab or
• EBIO 1210 /EBIO 1220 and 1230/1240-8 General Biology and labs

Chemistry or Physics Course

• CHEM 1011-3 Environmental Chemistry or
• CHEM 1113/1114-5 General Chemistry 1 and lab or
• PHYS 2010-5 General Physics with lab or
• PHYS 1110 General Physics

Earth Science Sequence

• GEOG 1001/GEOG 1011-8 Environmental Systems with labs or
• GEOL 1010 / GEOL 1060 (or /GEOL 1020 or /GEOL 1040) and GEOL 1030-7 Introduction to Geology/ Global Change-An Earth Science Perspective (or /Introduction to Earth History or/Geology of Colorado) and lab or
• ATOC 1050/ATOC 1060 and ATOC 1070-7 Weather and the Atmosphere/ Our Changing Environment: El Nino, Ozone, and Climate and lab

Intermediate Natural Science

• EBIO 2040-4 Principles of Ecology with lab or
• CVEN/ENVS 3434-3 Applied Ecology or
• ATOC 3600/ENVS 3600/GEOG 3601-3 Principles of Climate or
• GEOG 3511-4 Hydrology with lab

Intermediate Social Science

• BAKR 1600-3 Creating a Sustainable Future or
• SOCY 2077-3 Environment and Society or
• SOCY 4007-3 Global Human Ecology or
• ENVS/SOCY 4027-3 Inequality, Democracy, and the Environment

Introductory and Intermediate Values

• ECON 2010-4 Principles of Microeconomics
• ECON 3535-3 Natural Resource Economics or ECON 3545-3 Environmental Economics
• ENVS/PHIL 3140-3 Environmental Ethics or GEOG 3422-3 Conservation Thought or PSCI 3064-3 Environmental Political Theory

Intermediate Policy

• PSCI 2106-3 Introduction to Public Policy Analysis or
• PSCI 2116-3 Introduction to Environmental Policy or
• PSCI 3206-3 The Environment and Public Policy

Skills

Statistics or Calculus 1

Statistics:

• EBIO 4410-4 Biometry or
• ECON 3818-3 Introduction to Statistics with Computer Applications or
• GEOG/GEOL 3023-4 Statistics for Earth Sciences or
• MATH 2510-3 Introduction to Statistics or
• MATH 2520-3 Introduction to Biometry or
• PSCI 2075-3 Quantitative Research Methods or
• PSCI 3105 Designing Social Inquiry: An Introduction to Analyzing Political Phenomena
• PSYC 3101-4 Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology or
• SOCY 2061-3 Introduction to Social Statistics or

Calculus 1:

• MATH 1300-5 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 or
• MATH 1310-5 Calculus, Stochastics and Modeling
• APPM 1350-4 Calculus 1 for Engineers

Advanced Writing

• EBIO 3940-3 Argument in Scientific Writing or
• ENVS 3020-3 Advanced Writing in ENVS

Application (3 credits minimum)

• EBIO 4090-2 Coral Reef Ecology or
• EBIO 4100-3 Mountain Research Station field course or
• EBIO/ENVS/MUSM 4795-3 Museum Field Methods/Zoology and Botany or
• ENVS 2100-3 Colorado Ecosystem Studies or
• ENVS 3001-3 Sustainable Solutions Consulting or
• ENVS/CVEN 3434-3 Applied Ecology or
• ENVS/GEOL 3520-3 Mining 4 Corners or
• ENVS 3930-3 Internship or
• ENVS 3930-3 Teach for Sustainability or
• EVEN 4100-3 Environmental Sampling and Analysis or
• GEOL 2700-2 and GEOL 4715-2 or GEOL 4716-2 Field Geology

Advanced and Intermediate Science/Policy/Values
Specialization (chose one and complete 15 credits within it):

• Climate and Energy
• Natural Resources and the Environment
• Sustainable Development

Total Credits 64-75

Electives

Students are required to take 15 credits (5 courses) of electives, chosen from within the specializations listed below.

Climate and Energy:

• ATOC 3300/GEOG 3301 Analysis of Climate & Weather Observations
• ATOC 3500 Air Chemistry & Pollution
• ATOC 4500 Special Topics: Weather Analysis & Forecasting
• ATOC 4215 Descriptive Physical Oceanography
• ATOC 4720 Introduction to Atmospheric Physics & Dynamics
• ATOC 4750 Desert Meteorology & Climate.
• EBIO 4460 Global Warming/Video Production & Lab
• ENVS/PHYS 3070 Energy & the Environment
• ENVS /GEOL 3520 Environmental Issues in Geosciences
• ENVS 3621 Energy Policy & Society
• ENVS 4100 Topics in Environmental Policy: Energy Policy
• ENVS 4800 Policy & Climate
• ENVS/GEOG 4201 Biometeorology
• GEOG 4271 The Arctic Climate System
• GEOL 3040 Global Change: The Recent Geological Record
• GEOL 4060 Oceanography

Natural Resources & the Environment:

• ATOC 4500 Applied Biogeochemical Oceanography
• EBIO 3270 Ecosystem Ecology
• CVEN 4404 Water Chemistry
• CVEN 4414 Water Chemistry Laboratory
• EBIO/ENVS 3040 Conservation Biology
• EBIO 3190 Tropical Marine Ecology
• EBIO 4020 Stream Biology
• EBIO 4030 Limnology
• EBIO 4060 Landscape Ecology
• EBIO/ENVS/GEOL 4160 Introduction to Biogeochemistry
• EBIO 4460 Fish Ecology
• ENVD 4023 Environmental Impact Assessment*
• ENVS/PHYS 3070 Energy & the Environment
• ENVS 4120 Food & the Environment
• GEOG 3053 Cartography: Visualization & Information Design
• GEOG 3251 Mountain Geography
• GEOG 3351 Biogeography
• GEOG 4120 Glaciers & Permafrost
• GEOG 4321 Snow Hydrology
• GEOG 4501 Water Resources & Water Management of Western US
• GEOG/GEOL 4093 Remote Sensing of the Environment
• GEOG/GEOL 4241 Principles of Geomorphology
• GEOG 4371 Forest Geography: Principles & Dynamics
• GEOL 3030 Introduction to Hydrogeology
• GEOL 3320 Introduction to Geochemistry
• GEOL 4060 Oceanography

Sustainable Development:

• ECON 3403 International Economics & Policy
• ECON 3784 Economic Development & Policy
• ENVS 4100 Agriculture & the Environment
• ENVS 4800 Sustainable Development
• GEOG 3402 Natural Hazards
• GEOG 3682 Geography of International Development
• GEOG 3812 Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean
• GEOG 3822 Geography of China
• GEOG 3862 Geography of Africa
• GEOG 4632 Development Geography
• GEOG 4712 Political Geography
• GEOG 4732 Population Geography
• GEOG 4852 Health and Medical Geography
• HIST 4417 Environmental History of North America
• PHIL 2140 Environmental Justice
• PSCI 3206 The Environment & Public Policy
• PSCI 4012 Global Development
• SOCY 3002 Population & Society

Capstone

Students choose one:

• ATOC 4800 Policy Implications of Climate Controversies
• ENVS 3800 The Art of Research
• ENVS 4800 Biofuels
• Cultural Politics of Climate Change
• Environmental Property and Protest
• Rethinking Hurricane Katrina
• ENVS 4990 Senior Thesis
• EBIO 4460 Global Warming/Video Production & Lab
• EBIO 4800 Discovering Climate Change
• Ecosystem Management
• Land Use Sustainability
• Microbial Ecology
• Novel Ecosystems
• Soil Ecology
• GEOG 4742 Environment and Peoples
• GEOG 4430 Seminar: Conservation Trends
• JOUR 4871 Environment, Media and Culture

Other requirements or key features

Believe it or not, this is the recently 'simplified' version of the ENVS degree...

Supporting Materials

Actual CU Boulder ENVS Undergrad requriements (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 39kB Apr26 12)