Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, BS
Our Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences is designed to provide students comprehensive and transdisciplinary skills needed to tackle the pressing environmental problems we face. Our core curriculum is grounded in a solid foundation in Earth systems, ecology, sustainable development, and required skills courses in data management and geographic information systems. Students then diverge into one of four concentrations. For students interested in the interface of social and ecological systems and who want to view environmental problem solving through a social science lens, we have a concentration in environment and society. For students interested in the nexus of food, water, and energy, our concentration in sustainable development and planning might be most appropriate. Is the conservation of organisms and their ecosystems the area you are most interested in? Our concentration in conservation, restoration, and management may be the best choice. Lastly, for students interested in understanding environmental problem solving from an Earth systems perspective, courses in our Earth, oceans, and environmental change concentration will satisfy your curiosity. In the final semester, our students build teams that bring the skills developed across the varied concentrations back together to learn from each other and to work with our partners to solve specific environmental challenges presented by our stakeholders. Combined, this degree seeks to prepare students to work across a wide array of disciplines to help solve the environmental challenges of the future.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Environmental Science Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Introduction to College | ||
ENVR 1000 | Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern | 1 |
Core Curriculum | ||
ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | Foundations in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences and Lab for ENVR 1400 | 5 |
ENVR 1500 and ENVR 1501 | Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Biological Data and Lab for ENVR 1500 | 5 |
EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | 5 |
ENVR 1200 and ENVR 1201 | Dynamic Earth and Lab for ENVR 1200 | 4 |
or ENVR 2200 | Earth's Changing Cycles | |
ENVR 2515 | Sustainable Development | 4 |
ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301 | Geographic Information Systems and Lab for ENVR 3300 | 5 |
ENVR 4000 | Science Communication and Professional Development | 4 |
ENVR 4050 | Solving Emerging Environmental Challenges through Capstone | 4 |
or ENVR 4997 | Senior Thesis | |
or ENVR 4971 | Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | |
Mathematics Requirements | ||
MATH 1241 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
or MATH 1251 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 1 | |
or MATH 1341 | Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering | |
ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 | Biostatistics and Lab for ENVR 2500 | 4 |
or ECON 2350 | Statistics | |
or POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | |
or SOCL 2320 | Statistical Analysis in Sociology |
Environmental Science Concentrations
Complete one of the following concentrations:
Concentration in Environment and Society
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Environment and Society Courses | ||
SOCL 1246 | Environment and Society | 4 |
POLS 2395 | Environmental Politics and Policy | 4 |
SOCL 3485 | Environment, Technology, and Society | 4 |
ENVR 5450 | Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | 4 |
PPUA 5260 | Ecological Economics | 4 |
Environment and Society Electives | ||
Complete five of the following: | 20-24 | |
Natural Resources and Sustainable Development | ||
Fisheries Biology, Policy, and Conservation | ||
Food Security and Sustainability | ||
Conservation Biology | ||
Coastal Ecology and Sustainability | ||
Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
Environmental Planning | ||
Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
Energy Democracy and Climate Resilience: Technology, Policy, and Social Change | ||
Life Cycle Assessment of Materials, Products, and Infrastructure | ||
International Environmental Policy | ||
Climate and Development | ||
Coastal Sustainability: Ecology and Coupled Human-Natural Systems in Southeast Asia and Coastal Sustainability: The Blue Economy of the Gulf of Maine | ||
Applied Conservation Biology and Food Sustainability in the Mediterranean - Abroad |
Concentration in Sustainable Planning and Development
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Sustainable Planning and Development Courses | ||
ENVR 3200 | Water Resources | 4 |
ENVR 3150 | Food Security and Sustainability | 4 |
ENVR 5210 | Environmental Planning | 4 |
PPUA 5268 | International Environmental Policy | 4 |
ENVR 5350 | Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | 4 |
Sustainable Planning and Development Electives | ||
Complete five of the following: | 20-28 | |
Fisheries Biology, Policy, and Conservation | ||
Natural Resources and Sustainable Development | ||
Conservation Biology | ||
Coastal Ecology and Sustainability | ||
Landscape and Restoration Ecology | ||
Advanced Spatial Analysis | ||
Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
Applied Hydrogeology and Lab for ENVR 4500 | ||
Ecological Economics | ||
Soil Science | ||
Life Cycle Assessment of Materials, Products, and Infrastructure | ||
Coastal Sustainability: Ecology and Coupled Human-Natural Systems in Southeast Asia and Coastal Sustainability: The Blue Economy of the Gulf of Maine | ||
Applied Conservation Biology and Food Sustainability in the Mediterranean - Abroad |
Concentration in Conservation, Restoration, and Management
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Conservation, Restoration, and Management Courses | ||
EEMB 2400 | Introduction to Evolution | 4 |
EEMB 3460 | Conservation Biology | 4 |
EEMB 3455 | Ecosystems Ecology | 4 |
or CIVE 3430 | Engineering Microbiology and Ecology | |
EEMB 4001 | Landscape and Restoration Ecology | 4 |
ENVR 5220 | Ecosystem-Based Management | 4 |
Conservation, Restoration, and Management Electives | ||
Complete five of the following: | 20-25 | |
Fisheries Biology, Policy, and Conservation | ||
Disease Ecology | ||
Food Security and Sustainability | ||
Water Resources | ||
Ecological and Conservation Genomics | ||
Wildlife Ecology | ||
Applied Hydrogeology and Lab for ENVR 4500 | ||
Soil Science | ||
Applied Conservation Biology and Food Sustainability in the Mediterranean - Abroad | ||
Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
Advanced Spatial Analysis |
Concentration in Earth, Oceans, and Environmental Change
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Earth Systems | ||
Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
Dynamic Earth and Lab for ENVR 1200 | ||
Earth's Changing Cycles | ||
Earth Materials and Landforms | ||
Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
Earth Landforms and Processes and Lab for ENVR 2340 | ||
Earth Materials and Lab for ENVR 2310 | ||
Freshwater | ||
Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
Water Resources | ||
Applied Hydrogeology and Lab for ENVR 4500 | ||
Oceans | ||
Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
Oceanography | ||
Global Oceanic Change | ||
Environmental Change | ||
Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
Global Oceanic Change | ||
Climate and Atmospheric Change | ||
Chemistry | ||
Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
General Chemistry for Science Majors and Lab for CHEM 1161 and Recitation for CHEM 1161 | ||
General Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 1211 and Recitation for CHEM 1211 | ||
General Chemistry for Engineers and Lab for CHEM 1151 and Recitation for CHEM 1151 | ||
Physics | ||
Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
Physics for Life Sciences 1 and Lab for PHYS 1145 | ||
Physics for Engineering 1 and Lab for PHYS 1151 and Interactive Learning Seminar for PHYS 1151 | ||
Physics 1 and Lab for PHYS 1161 and Recitation for PHYS 1161 | ||
Earth, Oceans, and Environmental Change Electives | ||
Complete three of the following: | 12-15 | |
Earth Materials and Lab for ENVR 2310 | ||
Earth Landforms and Processes and Lab for ENVR 2340 | ||
Global Oceanic Change | ||
Water Resources | ||
Geophysics | ||
Environmental Geochemistry | ||
Applied Hydrogeology and Lab for ENVR 4500 | ||
Oceanography | ||
Soil Science | ||
Sedimentary Basin Analysis and Lab for ENVR 5240 | ||
Ancient Marine Life and Lab for ENVR 5242 | ||
Glacial and Quaternary History and Lab for ENVR 5270 | ||
Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
Environmental Pollution Fate and Transport | ||
Geologic Field Seminar and Environmental Science Field Seminar Abroad |
Science Major Credit Requirement
Complete 81 semester hours in the major.
Program Requirement
136 total semester hours required
Four Years, One Co-op in Spring/Summer 1
Year 1 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours | ||
ENVR 1000 | 1 | MATH 1241 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | 5 | ENVR 1200 and ENVR 1201 | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||
ENVR 1500 and ENVR 1501 | 5 | EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | 5 | ||||
ENGW 1111 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 1 | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | ||||||
19 | 18 | 8 | |||||
Year 2 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
EESC 2000 | 1 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Elective | 4 |
ENVR 2515 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 | 5 | ||||||
ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301 | 5 | ||||||
ESS concentration core or elective 2 | 4 | ||||||
19 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
Year 3 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
ENGW 3307 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 6 | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 3 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 7 | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 4 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 8 | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 5 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
16 | 16 | ||||||
Year 4 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 9 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 10 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | ENVR 4000 | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | ENVR 4050 | 4 | ||||
16 | 16 | ||||||
Total Hours: 136 |
Four Years, One Co-op in Summer 2/Fall
Year 1 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours | ||
ENVR 1000 | 1 | MATH 1241 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | 5 | ENVR 1200 and ENVR 1201 | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||
ENVR 1500 and ENVR 1501 | 5 | EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | 5 | ||||
ENGW 1111 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 1 | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | ||||||
19 | 18 | 8 | |||||
Year 2 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
EESC 2000 | 1 | ESS concentration core or elective 3 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
ENVR 2515 | 4 | ESS concentration core or elective 4 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 | 5 | ESS concentration core or elective 5 | 4 | ||||
ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301 | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 2 | 4 | ||||||
19 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
Year 3 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
Co-op | 0 | ESS concentration core or elective 6 | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 7 | 4 | ||||||
ESS concentration core or elective 8 | 4 | ||||||
ENGW 3307 | 4 | ||||||
0 | 16 | ||||||
Year 4 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 9 | 4 | ENVR 4000 | 4 | ||||
ESS concentration core or elective 10 | 4 | ENVR 4050 | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
16 | 16 | ||||||
Total Hours: 136 |