Environmental and Sustainability Studies B.A.
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Location: Candelaria Hall 2200
Email: HSS@unco.edu
Website: www.unco.edu/hss/geography-gis-sustainability
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Core (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program is built on the “three pillars” of sustainability: environment, economics, and equity. Environmental sustainability is the ability of the environment to support a defined level of environmental quality and natural resource extraction rates indefinitely. Economic sustainability is the ability of an economy to support a defined level of economic production indefinitely. Equity or social sustainability refers to the ability of a social system to provide equitable access for all groups to well-being and harmony indefinitely. Students in the program are interested in developing environmental solutions that incorporate environmental, economic, and equity concerns so that policies and practices are sustainable for the long-term.
Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
Students may take 3 of the credits outside the program with advisor approval.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Required Specified LAC — 13 credits
LAC area 1.b. - Intermediate Composition
LAC area 2 - Mathematics
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis | 3 |
LAC area 6 - Science
| BIO 111 | Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems | 4 |
| ENST 100 | Introduction to Environmental Studies | 3 |
Remaining LAC credits — 27 credits
See “Liberal Arts Core”
2. Required Major — 50 credits
Take all of the following courses (26 credits):
Take one of the following courses:
Choose 12 credits from the following courses:
Choose 12 credits from the following courses among the Social Dimensions, Natural Resource Sciences, and Economic & Policy Dimensions. A minimum of 9 credits must be chosen with prefix ENST or GEOG above the 199.
Social Dimensions:
Natural Resource Sciences:
Economic & Policy Dimensions:
| ENST 320 | American Environmental Worldviews | 3 |
| ENST 356 | Water Resource Economics | 3 |
| | or | |
| ECON 356 | Water Resource Economics | 3 |
| ENST 378 | Energy Policy and Economics | 3 |
| | or | |
| ECON 378 | Energy Policy and Economics | 3 |
| ENST 382 | Sustainability and Capitalism | 3 |
| ENST 389 | Human Perception of the Built Environment | 3 |
| ENST 390 | Building Materials for a Sustainable Environment | 3 |
| ENST 391 | The Built Environment and Sustainability | 3 |
| ENST 495 | Special Topics in Environmental Studies/Sustainability | 1- 3 |
| GEOG 310 | Urban and Regional Planning | 3 |
| GEOG 312 | Economic Geography of the Industrialized World | 3 |
Applied Studies & Methods (12 credits)
Take the following course:
Choose at least 9 credits from the following courses:
NOTE: ENST 492 - Only 3 credits may count towards this category.
4. University-Wide Credits — 30 credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 30 credits.
A student may consider pursuing a minor in another area pertinent to their career perspectives or may consider a second major, in conjunction with advisor input, to increase expertise in a selection of career choices.