The Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies degree is designed to provide students with a critical foundation in both the scientific and human foundation of environmental systems. It also prioritizes mastery of skills that will position students for future success as environmental professionals. In their first two years, all environmental studies majors complete introductory courses in critical scientific disciplines—including focusing on food, water, and climate resources—and in essential human dimensions—including sustainable development, environmental health, and environmental justice. Lastly, all students take required skill-building courses that are designed to promote success with desired co-op and career opportunities. Students then opt for one of five concentrations that build their training in courses from across the university. These concentrations are specifically designed to cover the breadth of areas where people and the environment intersect, including courses that draw on Northeastern's expertise in public health, environmental justice, environmental law, visualization and storytelling of environmental issues, and the green economy. Students interested in viewing environmental problems specifically through quantitative social and natural science lenses should consider the BS Environmental and Sustainability Sciences program.
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.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA language requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Environmental Studies Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| ENVR 1000 | Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern | 1 |
| Core Courses | ||
| Introductory Courses | ||
| ENVR 1101 | Environmental Science | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Environment and Society | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Peoples and Cultures | ||
| Food Justice and Community Development | ||
| Scientific Foundations of Environmental Systems | ||
| ENVR 1110 | Global Climate Change | 4 |
| ENVR 3150 | Food Security and Sustainability | 4 |
| ENVR 3200 | Water Resources | 4 |
| Human Dimensions of Environmental Systems | ||
| ENVR 2515 | Sustainable Development | 4 |
| PHTH 2414 | Environmental Health | 4 |
| SOCL 4522 | Environmental Justice | 4 |
| Skills | 13-14 | |
Research Methods | ||
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Biostatistics and Lab for ENVR 2500 | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Quantitative Techniques | ||
| Research Methods in Sociology | ||
| Ethnographic Field Experience | ||
| ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301 | Geographic Information Systems and Lab for ENVR 3300 | 5 |
| ENVR 4000 | Science Communication and Professional Development | 4 |
| Capstone | 4 | |
Complete one of the following: | ||
| Solving Emerging Environmental Challenges through Capstone | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 | ||
or ENVR 4971 | Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | |
| Senior Thesis | ||
Concentrations
Complete one of the following concentrations:
- Environmental and Human Health
- Environmental Ethics and Social Justice
- Environmental Law, Governance, and Management
- Communication and Visualization: Environmental Problems and Solutions
- The Green Economy: Business, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Studies Major Credit Requirement
Complete 80 semester hours in the major.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Concentration in Environmental and Human Health
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | 5 |
| EEMB 3466 | Disease Ecology | 4 |
| PHTH 1270 | Introduction to Global Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4202 | Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health | 4 |
| Electives | 16 | |
| Complete four of the following: | ||
| Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Networks and Natural Systems | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
| Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health | ||
or PHTH 5120 | Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the United States | |
| Environmental Health | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Environment, Technology, and Society | ||
Concentration in Environmental Ethics and Social Justice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| COMM 3500 | Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | 4 |
| PHIL 1180 | Environmental Ethics | 4 |
| POLS 2395 | Environmental Politics and Policy | 4 |
| SOCL 2485 | Environment, Technology, and Society | 4 |
| Electives | 16 | |
| Complete four of the following if PHIL 1180 was not taken as part of the core curriculum or five if it was: | ||
| The Consulting Environment | ||
| Theories of Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Applied Conservation Biology | ||
| Food Sustainability in the Mediterranean - Abroad | ||
| Environmental Pollution | ||
| Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
| Nonprofit Leadership and Social Innovation | ||
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | ||
| International Environmental Policy | ||
| Food Systems and Public Policy | ||
| Special Topics in Public Policy and Urban Affairs | ||
Concentration in Environmental Law, Governance, and Management
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| LPSC 1101 | Introduction to Law | 4 |
| LPSC 2301 | Introduction to Law, Policy, and Society | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| International Environmental Policy | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Fisheries Biology, Policy, and Conservation | ||
| Applied Conservation Biology | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Electives | 16 | |
| Complete four of the following: | ||
| Food Sustainability in the Mediterranean - Abroad | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Wildlife Ecology | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
| Topics in Law and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| Public Policy and Administration | ||
| International Environmental Policy | ||
Concentration in Communication and Visualization: Environmental Problems and Solutions
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ARTG 5110 | Information Design History | 4 |
| COMM 3500 | Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Science Writing | ||
| Data Storytelling | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Information Design Mapping Strategies | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Geographical Information Systems | ||
| Electives | 16 | |
| Complete four of the following: | ||
| Marketing Communications and Cultures 2 | ||
| Visual Communication for Information Design | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Games for Change | ||
| Theories of Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Coastal Sustainability: Ecology and Coupled Human-Natural Systems in Southeast Asia | ||
| Coastal Sustainability: The Blue Economy of the Gulf of Maine | ||
| Networks and Natural Systems | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
| Advanced Spatial Analysis | ||
| Games and Social Justice | ||
| Science Writing | ||
| Data Storytelling | ||
Concentration in the Green Economy: Business, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Sustainability
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| BUSN 1110 | Fundamentals of Business | 4 |
| FINA 2720 | Sustainability in the Business Environment | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| The Consulting Environment | ||
| Global Social Enterprise | ||
| Impact Investing and Social Finance | ||
| Electives | 16 | |
| Complete four of the following: | ||
| The Consulting Environment | ||
| Life Cycle Assessment of Materials, Products, and Infrastructure | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Fisheries Biology, Policy, and Conservation | ||
| Innovation! | ||
| Impact Investing and Social Finance | ||
| Coastal Sustainability: Ecology and Coupled Human-Natural Systems in Southeast Asia | ||
| Coastal Sustainability: The Blue Economy of the Gulf of Maine | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
| Environmental Issues in Manufacturing and Product Use | ||
| Consulting Fundamentals and Frameworks | ||
| Project Management | ||
| Marketing and Society | ||
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENVR 1000 | 1 | ENVR 1110 | 4 | General elective 1 | 4 | General elective 3 | 4 |
| ENVR 1101 | 4 | ENVR 3150 | 4 | General elective 2 | 4 | General elective 4 | 4 |
| PHIL 1180 | 4 | PHTH 2414 | 4 | ||||
| Elementary language requirement | 4 | Intermediate language requirement | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 2515 | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENVR 3200 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | General elective 5 | 4 |
| Concentration required course 1 | 4 | General elective 6 | 4 | ||||
| Concentration required course 2 | 4 | ||||||
| ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301 | 5 | ||||||
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Concentration required course 3 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Concentration elective course 2 | 4 |
| SOCL 4522 | 4 | General elective 7 | 4 | ||||
| Required research methods course | 4 | ||||||
| Concentration elective course 1 | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Concentration required course 4 | 4 | General elective 9 | 4 | ||||
| Concentration elective course 3 | 4 | General elective 10 | 4 | ||||
| Concentration elective course 4 | 4 | ENVR 4050 | 4 | ||||
| General elective 8 | 4 | ENVR 4000 | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||