Environmental Science, B.S.

(36-39 hours)

Environmental science students study the interactions between natural and human processes and the environment. Sweet Briar’s program focuses on social, economic, environmental, and cultural components of sustainability, drawing on the resources of the campus’s natural and agricultural landscapes.

What Can You Do With a Degree in Environmental Science?

~ Sustainable agriculture

~ Environmental Education

~ GIS Specialist

~ Natural resource management

~ Environmental law/policymaking

~ Environmental consulting/work with government agencies

Required

The following requirements are needed to complete the major in Environmental Science (36-39 hours):

Program Core

Complete all of the following courses (23 hours):

CORE 140 - Sustainable Systems CR: 3 OR equivalent transfer credit
BIOL 324 - Ecology CR: 4
CHEM 131 - General Chemistry CR: 3
CHEM 141 - General Chemistry Laboratory CR: 1
ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics CR: 3
ENVR 215 - Environmental Policy CR: 3
ENVR 216 - Mapping and GIS CR: 3
MATH 205 - Applied Statistics CR: 3

Environmental Science Electives

Choose three additional 300-level ENVR courses, one of which must contain a lab.

Note: one of the following may be used to fulfill one of these requirements:

ENVR 451 - Senior Research in Environmental Science CR: 3
ENVR 377 - Internship CR: 1-3 (3 credits required)
HNRS 399 - Summer Honors Research CR: 3 (environmental science focus)

Major Electives

Complete one of the following courses (3 hours):

Senior Exercise

Generally taken the last semester of senior year (3 hours)

ENVR 446 - Evaluation of Environmental Issues CR: 3

Interested in Graduate/Professional Programs?

If you are interested in pursuing graduate or professional programs for environmental science, while there is a great deal of variation in environmental fields, the following courses may be recommended as part of or in addition to the requirements listed above:

BIOL 111 - Introduction to Organisms CR: 4
BIOL 214 - The Plant Kingdom CR: 4
BIOL 217 - Entomology CR: 3
CHEM 252 - Introduction to Quantitative and Analytical Chemistry CR: 3
CHEM 253 - Quantitative and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory CR: 1
ENVR 377 - Internship CR: 1-3
Courses in business, data science, economics, engineering, and/or political science