Environmental Studies (AA) Earth & Space Sciences Total Units: 21.0

Term Effective: Summer 2025

The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.

Associate Degree Requirements:

The major is one of several requirements students need to fulfill in order to be awarded the Associate Degree, the highest level of academic achievement recognized by Santa Rosa Junior College. Please note that all of the following requirements must be met in order for the degree to be conferred:

For all students admitted for the Fall 2009 term or any term thereafter, a grade of "C" or better, or "P" if the course is taken on a pass/no pass basis, is required for each course applied toward the major.

Previous Versions:

Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2024
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2023
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2021
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2020
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2018
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2017
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2016
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2015
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2012
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2011
Environmental Studies - effective Spring 2010
Environmental Studies - effective Fall 2007

Description:

The Environmental Studies major will provide students with an understanding of the manner in which various disciplines study the environment and approach our most pressing environmental issues. The degree in Environmental Studies will also help prepare students for transfer to a broad-based Environmental Studies program at a University of California or California State University campus.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  1. Summarize, analyze and critically evaluate environmental information from a variety of sources;
  2. Apply critical thinking skills to identify environmental issues, recognize their causes, and to evaluate potential solutions;
  3. Integrate the perspectives of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences as they pertain to environmental issues;
  4. Explain the societal (social, political, economic, cultural and/or ethical) variables that contribute to environmental degradation; and
  5. Reflect critically about their roles and identities as citizens, consumers, and environmental actors, in a complex interconnected world.

Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Environmental Studies program are:

  • Complete 21.0 units from
    • Environmental Studies Core Requirements
    • Science Requirements
    • Behavioral/Social Sciences/Humanities Elective Reqs
    • Information Learning Resources Requirement

Environmental Studies Core Requirements - complete 14.00 units
ENST 40Environmental Forum1.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 12.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
BIO 12Basic Concepts of Ecology3.00
ECON 12Introduction to Economics and the Environment3.00
ENGL 10Introduction to Environmental Literature3.00
ENVS 8Introduction to Global Climate Change3.00
ENVS 12Introduction to Environmental Science3.00
NRM 12Introduction to Environmental Conservation3.00
PHIL 12Environmental Philosophy3.00
POLS 12Environmental Policy and Politics3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 1.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
NRM 99INatural Resources Management Internship1.00
WEE 99IInternship Work Experience Education1.00
 
Science Requirements - complete 3.00 units
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
BIO 2.1Fundamentals of Biology (Cell and Molecular)5.00
BIO 10Introduction to Principles of Biology4.00
BIO 12Basic Concepts of Ecology3.00
BIO 16Introduction to Biology For Non-Majors4.00
BIO 25Marine Biology4.00
BIO 27Biology of Marine Mammals3.00
BIO 31Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation2.00
BTNY 60Field Botany4.00
CHEM 3AGeneral Chemistry Part 1: Lecture3.00
CHEM 42Introductory General Chemistry4.00
ENVS 8Introduction to Global Climate Change3.00
ENVS 12Introduction to Environmental Science3.00
GEOG 4Physical Geography3.00
GEOL 20Natural Disasters3.00
MATH 15Elementary Statistics4.00
NRM 12Introduction to Environmental Conservation3.00
NRM 51Wildland Trees and Shrubs3.00
NRM 84Introduction to Fish and Wildlife Conservation3.00
NRM 88Watershed Ecology and Restoration3.00
NRM 104Ecological Restoration3.00
SUAG 50Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture3.00
 
Behavioral/Social Sciences/Humanities Elective Reqs - complete 3.00 units
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
ANTH 2Cultural Anthropology3.00
ARCH 12Introduction to Environmental Design3.00
ECON 1Principles of Macroeconomics3.00
ECON 2Principles of Microeconomics3.00
ECON 12Introduction to Economics and the Environment3.00
ENGL 10Introduction to Environmental Literature3.00
GEOG 7Introduction to Human Geography3.00
HIST 22History of California3.00
NRM 80Environmental Policy for Resource Managers3.00
PHIL 12Environmental Philosophy3.00
POLS 12Environmental Policy and Politics3.00
POLS 25Introduction to International Relations3.00
SOC 2Modern Social Problems3.00
 
Information Learning Resources Requirement - complete 1.00 units
LIR 10Introduction to Information Literacy1.00

Course Prerequisites and Advisories:

Courses in a program of study may have prerequisites or advisories; that is, courses that must or should be completed before taking that course. Please check for prerequisites or advisories by clicking on the course numbers in the Program Requirements section.

It is important that students who are completing an Associate Degree and desire to transfer to a four-year institution meet with a counselor to plan their lower division coursework. While many majors at SRJC are intended to align with lower division major preparation required by California public universities, specific lower-division major requirements vary among individual campuses. See a counselor, visit the Transfer Center, and check Guides For Transfer in Specific Majors, and ASSIST to review transfer preparation guides for specific schools and majors.

Notes:

Completing four of six core courses is required to fulfill the core requirement for the major.
(BIO 12, ECON 12, ENGL 10, ENVS 8, ENVS 12, NRM 12, PHIL 12, and POLS 12).

Students are encouraged to use remaining core courses to fulfill elective requirements for the major.

No course may be used more than once to fulfill a requirement in the major.

Some courses are only offered during the spring semester, or only periodically at SRJC (ECON 12 and ENGL 10).

SSU Requirement: SSU requires GEOG 4 as part of their Environmental Studies and Environmental Science programs.

The Work Experience/Internship/Community Engagement Requirement:

The work experience/internship/community engagement requirement is an integral part of the Environmental Studies major. This requirement is intended to give students the chance to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to real-world situations. Additionally, it may provide networking opportunities and build awareness regarding potential career options. To develop an appropriate work experience/internship or community engagement experience, students will work with their instructors and the SRJC Work Experience and Internships department. Most students will complete this requirement in their second year of study.

Contact
Information
Phone Email Website
(707) 527-4638
kgerber@santarosa.edu