2024-2025 Binghamton University Academic Guide
Environmental Studies, BA
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The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Environmental Studies is designed to foster a transdisciplinary perspective on the interactions among humans and their environment in the face of present and future environmental challenges. Our approach to environmental studies embraces the complementary idea that effective environmental policy is based on a solid understanding of physical and social science. Graduates of our program will acquire the skills necessary to tackle critical environmental and societal concerns, including:
- Critical thinking skills for understanding and confronting problems that involve the intersection between the natural and human worlds at multiple scales
- Fundamental knowledge about the three E’s of sustainability: environment, economics, and equity
- Methodological training for generating and analyzing data needed to investigate, explain, and mitigate environmental issues and problems
- Communication abilities to share information with technical and non-technical audiences
Our students obtain the interdisciplinary background prerequisites for such professional fields as food systems, environmental planning, urban and regional planning, policy analysis, environmental law, ecosystem management, environmental education, and environmental analysis or further graduate study in these and related fields.
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University General Education Requirements
All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.
Harpur College Requirements
All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.
Major Requirements
There are three parts to the BA in Environmental Studies:
(1) a set of core courses,
(2) a unified capstone experience course and
(3) a set of specialization courses with an applied course in each track. Students choose one of four specializations (Earth Systems, Economic Systems, Ecosystems, and Sustainable Systems) when declaring the major.
A. Core Requirements for All Specializations
The following are the core requirements for all specializations in environmental studies BA:
B. Earth Systems Specialization Requirements
In addition to the core requirements, the following are requirements for the Earth systems specialization in environmental studies:
- One lower-level GEOL course
- One upper-level course in surface geology
- One upper-level course in environmental chemistry or hydrology
- Three upper-level science courses in Earth systems (CHEM, GEOL, ENVI, or other)
- One upper-level research, teaching and/or applied course in Earth systems
C. Economic Systems Specialization Requirements
In addition to the core requirements, the following are requirements for the economic systems specialization in environmental studies:
D. Ecosystems Specialization Requirements
In addition to the core requirements, the following are requirements for the ecosystems specialization in environmental studies:
- One lower-level course in ecosystems biology
- One upper-level course in ecology
- Four upper-level courses in ecosystems (BIOL, CHEM, ENVI, GEOG, GEOL, or other related fields)
- One upper-level research, teaching and/or applied course in ecosystems
E. Sustainable Systems Specialization Requirements
In addition to the core requirements, the following are requirements for the sustainable systems specialization in environmental studies:
- Five upper-level courses in sustainable systems
- One upper-level course in environmental public policy
- One upper-level research, teaching and/or applied course in sustainable systems
Additional Information About the Program
Because of the diverse background required of students majoring in environmental science and studies degrees, prospective majors must plan their academic program carefully. Majors should complete the core requirements for the environmental science and environmental studies majors as early as possible. Students choose their specialization when declaring their intention to major in environmental science or environmental studies. They should consult with their program advisor-decide on the courses making up their specialization and plan their academic program. Many of the upper-level courses require prerequisites and advanced planning.
The Environmental Studies program maintains a list of the courses that fulfill each of the specialization requirements. This list is available on the Environmental Studies website and in the Environmental Studies program office.
Grading Policy: Except for internships and teaching practica, courses taken as Pass/Fail may not be counted toward the major. A grade of C- or better is required for courses applied to the major.
For more information on the Environmental Studies BA program, please refer to the Environmental Studies website. To apply to the Environmental Studies BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.
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