The climate crisis and other staggering environmental challenges render it essential that we train a new generation of journalists with a strong scientific foundation in environmental science. Clearheaded and scientifically grounded reporting on environmental issues will be essential for tackling these and other future challenges. This combined major is designed to provide training that merges the basic and applied science underlying environmental change with the best principles and journalistic practices to enable students to pursue careers across a wide range of science communication fields.
Due to curricular overlap, students enrolled in this program cannot declare a double major with or declare a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology, environmental studies, or geoscience.
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.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Restrictions
Due to curricular overlap, students enrolled in this program cannot declare a double major with or declare a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology, environmental studies, or geoscience.
Environmental and Sustainability Sciences Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | Foundations in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences and Lab for ENVR 1400 | 5 |
| ENVR 2200 | Earth's Changing Cycles | 4 |
| or ENVR 1200 | Dynamic Earth | |
| EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | 5 |
| ENVR 2515 | Sustainable Development | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
| Geographic Information Systems and Lab for ENVR 3300 | ||
| Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Biological Data and Lab for ENVR 1500 | ||
| Complete four courses from the following lists: | 16 | |
| Earth Oceans and Environmental Change | ||
| Earth Materials and Lab for ENVR 2310 | ||
| Global Oceanic Change | ||
| Oceanography | ||
| Climate and Atmospheric Change | ||
| Conservation, Restoration, and Management | ||
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Landscape and Restoration Ecology | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Sustainable Planning and Development | ||
| Food Security and Sustainability | ||
| Water Resources | ||
| Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Environment and Society | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Ecological Economics | ||
| Environment, Technology, and Society | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
Journalism Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | ||
| JRNL 1150 | Understanding Today’s News | 4 |
| JRNL 1101 and JRNL 1102 | Journalism 1: Fundamentals of Reporting and Journalist’s Toolbox | 5 |
| JRNL 2201 | Journalism 2: Intermediate Reporting | 4 |
| Visual Storytelling | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Visual Storytelling in Journalism | ||
| News Documentary Production | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Video News Reporting and Producing | ||
| Law and Ethics | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| The First Amendment and the Media | ||
| Ethics and Issues in Journalism | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete any four journalism electives with two at the 3000-level or above. | 16 | |
Integrative Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College | ||
| ENVR 1000 | Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern | 1 |
| or JRNL 1000 | Journalism at Northeastern | |
| Co-op | ||
| EESC 2000 | Professional Development for Co-op | 1 |
| or EEAM 2000 | Professional Development for Co-op | |
| Integrative Course | ||
| Courses used as electives may not overlap with the following: | ||
| ENVR 4050 | Solving Emerging Environmental Challenges through Capstone | 4 |
| or ENVR 4997 | Senior Thesis | |
| JRNL 3650 | Science Writing | 4 |
| or JRNL 3700 | Data Storytelling | |
English Requirements (First-Year Writing and Advanced Writing in the Disciplines)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| or ENGW 1102 | First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers | |
| ENGW 3307 | Advanced Writing in the Sciences | 4 |
| or ENGW 3315 | Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | |
| or JRNL 2301 | Visual Storytelling in Journalism | |
Major GPA/Credit Requirement
Grades in the following must average to a minimum of C (2.000):
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism 1: Fundamentals of Reporting | ||
| Journalism 2: Intermediate Reporting | ||
| Visual Storytelling in Journalism |
83 semester hours required in the major
Program Requirement
132 total semester hours required
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENVR 1000 or JRNL 1000 | 1 | ENVR 2200 or 1200 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
| ENGW 1111 or 1102 | 4 | JRNL 1101 and JRNL 1102 | 5 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
| ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | 5 | ENVR elective 1 | 4 | ||||
| JRNL 1150 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 18 | 17 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | 5 | ENVR 2515 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | |
| JRNL 2201 | 4 | ENVR 1500 and ENVR 1501 (or ENVR 3300 and ENVR 3301) | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||
| ENVR elective 2 | 4 | JRNL 2301, 5309, 5310, or 5314 | 4 | ||||
| JRNL elective 1 | 4 | EESC 2000 or EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||
| ENVR elective 3 | 4 | ||||||
| JRNL elective 2 | |||||||
| 17 | 18 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | ENVR 4050, 4997, JRNL 3650, or JRNL 3700 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | ||
| JRNL 3550 or 4650 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| ENVR elective 4 | 4 | ||||||
| JRNL elective 3 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | ENVR 4997, 4050, JRNL 3650, or JRNL 3700 | 4 | |||||
| JRNL elective 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 134 | |||||||