Concentration Requirements for the A.B. and Sc.B. degrees in Environmental Studies
Updated March 2013
Concentration advising is an important part of the process of designing a concentration and selecting courses. Students should develop their concentration in consultation with the faculty and with the approval of a concentration advisor. If you intend to concentrate in ENVS please complete the form at this link - http://tinyurl.com/envs-quest
Info on Writing Requirement (WRIT)
Standard program for the A.B. degree in Environmental Studies:
| BASIC PREREQUISITES | |
| Competence in mathematics sufficient to take courses approved for the concentration.1 | |
| CORE REQUIREMENTS | |
| ENVS0110 | Humans, Nature, and the Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21st Century2 |
| ENVS0490 | Environmental Science in a Changing World2 |
| Select three intermediate level social science or humanities courses appropriate to the student's focus, for example:3 | |
| ENVS0410 | Environmental Stewardship |
| ENVS1350 | Environmental Economics and Policy |
| ENVS1410 | Environmental Law and Policy |
| ENVS1555 | Urban Agriculture: The Importance of Localized Food Systems |
| ENVS1720 | Environmental Justice: The Science and Political Economy of Environmental Health and Social Justice |
| PHP1070 | The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries |
| RELS0260 | Religion Gone Wild: Spirituality and the Environment |
| Select two intermediate level environmental science courses appropriate to the student's focus, for example:3 | |
| BIOL0420 | Principles of Ecology |
| BIOL0440 | Plant Organism |
| BIOL1470 | Conservation Biology |
| ENVS0455 | Coastal Ecology and Conservation |
| GEOL0030 | Climate and Climate Change |
| GEOL0240 | Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet |
| GEOL1350 | Weather and Climate |
| A course in statistics and/or qualitative methods based on your focus | |
| FOCUS | |
| Select (5) focal courses | |
| CAPSTONE OPTIONS4, 5 | |
| One (1) or two (2) semester thesis research, register for ENVS1970 (fall semester) and/or ENVS1971 (spring semester) Independent Study | |
| One (1) or two (2) semester environmental practicum. Register for ENVS1970 (fall semester) and/or ENVS1971 (spring semester) | |
| Environmentally related senior seminar or course | |
| See footnotes 4 & 5 below for details | |
| ENVS 1970/1971 | Independent Study |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF COURSES | |
| 8 Core + 5 Focus + 1 or 2 Capstone = 14-15 courses | |
1 |
AP credits can be used to meet competency requirements in MATH and can be used to reduce the number of required courses. |
2 |
Substitution for ENVS0110 or ENVS0490 requires approval of the concentration advisor. A score of 5 on the AP exam can be used to satisfy ENVS0110 or ENVS0490 with permission of the concentration advisor. |
3 |
Other intermediate level science and non-science courses may be substituted with the approval of the concentration advisor. |
4 |
Thesis Research:This may be a one or two semester project, done under the supervision of a faculty member. All students choosing this option must register for ENVS1970 (fall) and/or ENVS1971 (spring). The research may be done individually, or, with prior approval, in teams. Students who undertake a one-year project may be eligible to graduate with honors. Students who apply for honors in ENVS, in addition to handing in a written thesis, must also present an oral defense. Environmental Practicum:the practicum is a supervised, unpaid project undertaken (at least 150 hours) during the academic year in pursuit of practical experience. The project necessitates pre-approval and supervision by a faculty member and a sponsoring environmental agency, organization or firm. The practicum must include substantial research and writing components. It must be related to the student's focus and result in a final project that is accepted by the supervising organization, the faculty advisor, and concentration advisor. The practicum may be done individually, or, with prior approval, in teams. A final report must be produced. All students choosing this option must register for ENVS1970 (fall) and/or ENVS1971 (spring). Capstone Course: A list of approved capstone courses will be provided on the CES website. Click on The Undergraduate Capstone Requirement under CAPSTONES/THESIS. Students choosing this option must take the capstone course during their senior year. This provides the opportunity to assimilate knowledge from previous coursework. Instructors may assign special assignments for students taking a course for capstone credit. |
5 |
See the CES website for guidelines and deadlines for honors and non-honors independent thesis research - http://envstudies.brown.edu/theses/undergrad.html |
Standard program for the Sc.B. degree in Environmental Science
| BASIC REQUIREMENTS | |
| Competence in mathematics and chemistry | |
| MATH0090 | Introductory Calculus, Part I1 |
| MATH0100 | Introductory Calculus, Part II1 |
| CHEM0330 | Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure |
| CORE REQUIREMENTS | |
| ENVS0110 | Humans, Nature, and the Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21st Century2 |
| ENVS0490 | Environmental Science in a Changing World2 |
| Select two intermediate level non-science courses appropriate to the student's focus, for example:3 | |
| ENVS0410 | Environmental Stewardship |
| ENVS1350 | Environmental Economics and Policy |
| ENVS1410 | Environmental Law and Policy |
| ENVS1555 | Urban Agriculture: The Importance of Localized Food Systems |
| ENVS1720 | Environmental Justice: The Science and Political Economy of Environmental Health and Social Justice |
| PHP1070 | The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries |
| RELS0260 | Religion Gone Wild: Spirituality and the Environment |
| Select three intermediate level environmental science courses appropriate to the student's focus, for example:4 | |
| BIOL0420 | Principles of Ecology |
| BIOL0440 | Plant Organism |
| BIOL0800 | Principles of Physiology |
| ENVS0455 | Coastal Ecology and Conservation |
| GEOL0220 | Physical Processes in Geology |
| GEOL0240 | Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet |
| A course in statistics, for example: | |
| FOCUS | |
| Six focus courses beyond the introductory level | |
| 5 of the 6 (or 7) must be science courses | |
| 3 of the 6 (or 7) must be at the 1000-level | |
| At least one (1) course must have laboratory or field-based component | |
| CAPSTONE OPTIONS5,6 | |
| One (1) or two (2) semester thesis research. Register for ENVS1970 and/or ENVS1971 Independent Study | |
| One (1) or two (2) semester environmental practicum. Register for ENVS1970 (fall semester) and/or ENVS1971 (spring semester) | |
| Environmentally related senior seminar or course | |
| See footnotes 5 & 6 below for details | |
| ENVS 1970/1971 | Independent Study |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF COURSES | |
| 3 Rqts + 8 Core + 7 Focus + 1 or 2 Capstone = 19-20 courses | |
1 |
Advanced placement credit for MATH0090 and MATH0100 can be used to meet the math competency requirement and reduce the number of required courses. |
2 |
Substitution of ENVS0110 or ENVS0490 requires approval of the concentration advisor. A score of 5 on AP exam may be used to satisfy ENVS0110 or ENVS0490 with permission of the concentration advisor. |
3 |
Students are strongly encouraged to take Environmental Economics and an environmental policy course. |
4 |
Other intermediate level science and non-science courses may be substituted with the approval of the concentration advisor. |
5 |
Thesis Research:This may be a one or two semester project, done under the supervision of a faculty member. All students choosing this options must register for ENVS1970 (fall) and/or ENVS1971 (spring). The research may be done individually, or in teams - prior approval needed. Students who undertake a one-year project may be eligible to graduate with honors. Those who apply for honors in ENVS, in addition to handing in a written thesis, must also present an oral defense. Environmental Practicum:The practicum is a supervised, unpaid project undertaken (at least 150 hours) during the academic year in pursuit of practical experience. The project necessitates pre-approval and supervision by a faculty member and a sponsoring environmental agency, organization or firm. The practicum must include substantial research and writing components. It must be related to the student's focus and result in a final project that is accepted by the supervising organization, the faculty advisor, and concentration advisor. The practicum may be done individually, or in teams - prior approval required. A final report must also be produced. All students choosing this option must register for ENVS1970 (fall) and/or ENVS1971 (spring). Capstone Course:A list of approved capstone courses will be provided on the CES website. Click on The Undergraduate Capstone Requirement under CAPSTONES/THESIS. Students choosing this option must take the capstone course during their senior year. This provides the opportunity to assimilate knowledge from previous coursework. Instructors may assign special assignments for students taking a course for capstone credit. |
6 |
See CES website for guidelines and deadlines for honors and non-honors capstone information - http://envstudies.brown.edu/thesis/undergrad.html |