Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies is an interdisciplinary, liberal-arts degree designed to provide an introduction to the complex system-scale challenges of sustainability as well as the tools needed to address problems that transcend solely social or environmental domains. Students pursuing this degree can expect to integrate experience in the humanities with the natural and social sciences. The major offers the opportunity to develop skills in communication and creative expression, data collection and analysis, environmental science, and economics. Although this is designed as a stand-alone major, students are encouraged to pursue this degree program as a second major opportunity. Pursuing two majors enables students a combination of depth in a core discipline and breadth across the range of topics that are inherent in environmental and sustainability studies. Potential career areas include environmental planning and coordination, environmental education and communications, sustainability coordination or consulting in the private or public sector, green design, environmental law or public affairs, or further academic pursuits with graduate study.
The degree is co-awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. College of Arts and Sciences policies are enforced.
Requirements
- Introduction to Sustainability Studies. One (1) course:
- ANTH-E 101 Sustainability and Society
- EAS-E 116 Our Planet and Its Future
- GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
- GEOG-G 208 Environment and Society
- SPEA-E 183 Environment and People
- Human-Environment Systems. One (1) course:
- ANTH-B 343 Evolution of Human Ecological Footprint
- ANTH-E 318 Nature/Culture: Global Perspectives in Environmental Anthropology
- ANTH-E 418 Globalization and Consumer Culture
- ANTH-E 444 People and Protected Areas: Theories of Conservation
- COLL-C 104 Critical Approaches to the Social and Historical Studies (Approved topics: "LANGUAGE HOTSPOTS AND BIODIVERSITY" (TPC 29))
- GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
- GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
- GEOG-G 343 Perspectives on Environmental Decisions
- GEOG-G 368 Water in the Midwest
- GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
- GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
- GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
- GEOG-G 453 Water and Society
- GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
- HIST-J 400 Research in History (Approved topics: "ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY" (TPC 151))
- HIST-W 215 Natural Disasters in World Environmental History
- HIST-W 215 Natural Disasters in World Environmental History
- INTL-I 302 Advanced Topics in Global Health and Environment (Approved topics: "ARCTIC ENCOUNTERS: ANIMALS, PEOPLE AND SHIPS" (TPC 7))
- POLS-Y 313 Environmental Policy
- SOAD-D 303 Green Building Concepts and Technologies
- SPEA-E 332 Introduction to Applied Ecology
- SPEA-E 457 Introduction to Conservation Biology
- SPEA-V 413 Food Systems and Community Resilience
- SPEA-V 424 Environmental Law, Justice, and Politics
- SPH-O 305 Integrated Resource Management
- SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
- SPH-V 422 Issues in Global Environmental Health: Investigations and Interventions
- Communication and Creative Expression. One (1) course:
- ENG-R 348 Environmental Communication
- ENG-W 311 Writing Creative Nonfiction
- ENG-W 321 Advanced Technical Writing
- ENG-W 350 Advanced Expository Writing
- FOLK-F 253 Folklore and the Social Sciences (Approved topics: "MUSIC & DISASTER" (TPC 22); "MUSIC, COMMUNITY, SUSTAINBLTY" (TPC 23))
- FOLK-F 330 Folk Culture and Related Fields (Approved topics: "FOLKLORE & THE ENVIRONMENT" (TPC 11))
- MSCH-C 250 Story Lab I
- MSCH-J 363 Web and Mobile Design
- MSCH-P 351 Advanced Video Field and Post Production
- MSCH-P 435 Advanced Documentary Workshop
- MSCH-S 452 Communicating Climate Change
- CSCI-A 348 Mastering the World Wide Web
- SPEA-E 311 Introduction to Risk Assessment and Risk Communication
- SPEA-E 412 Risk Communication
- SPEA-V 450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs (Approved topics: "GRANT WRITING" (TPC 528))
- SPH-O 340 Interpretation and Tour Guiding
- SPH-O 341 Field Techniques in Envir Educ
- Data Collection and Analysis. One (1) course:
- Qualitative Methods
- ANTH-E 302
- INTL-I 315 Research Design in International Studies
- GEOG-G 388 Qualitative Methods in Geography
- Geospatial Data Analysis
- GEOG-G 237 Mapping our World: From Mercator to Mashups
- GEOG-G 336 Environmental Remote Sensing
- GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG-G 439 GIS and Environmental Analysis
- SPEA-E 418 Vector-Based Gis
- Statistical and Computational Techniques
- CJUS-K 300 Techniques of Data Analysis
- EAS-E 314 Data Analysis for Earth Science
- ECON-E 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics
- ECON-S 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics: Honors
- GEOG-G 250 Computing in the Geospatial Sciences
- GEOG-G 488 Applied Spatial Statistics
- POLS-Y 395 Quantitative Political Analysis
- PSY-K 300 Statistical Techniques
- SOC-S 371 Statistics in Sociology
- SPEA-K 300 Statistical Techniques
- SPEA-V 475 Database Management Systems
- SPH-Q 381 Introduction to Biostatistics
- SPH-R 314 Data-Based Decision-Making Methods
- SPH-V 341 Environmental Health Management and Policy
- STAT-S 301 Applied Statistical Methods for Business
- STAT-S 303 Applied Statistical Methods for the Life Sciences
- Field Methods
- ANTH-X 480 Fieldwork in Archaeology
- BIOL-L 307
- BIOL-L 474 Field and Laboratory Ecology
- EAS-X 377 Field Geology and Paleoanthropology at Olduvai Gorge
- EAS-X 479 Geology, Hydrology and Geochemistry in the Rocky Mountains
- GEOG-G 350
- SPEA-E 443 Habitat Analysis-Aquatic
- SPEA-E 482 Overseas Topics in Environmental Science
- SPEA-E 375 Techniques of Environmental Science
- SPEA-E 400 Topics in Environmental Studies (Approved topics: "PLANTS AND PLANT COMMUNITIES" (TPC 138))
- SPEA-E 442 Habitat Analysis-Terrestrial
- SPH-O 244 Natural History and Field Ecology
- Environmental Science. One (1) course:
- BIOL-L 350 Environmental Biology
- COLL-C 105 Critical Approaches to the Natural and Mathematical Sciences (Approved topics: "RECORDS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE" (TPC 16))
- EAS-E 105 Earth: Our Habitable Planet
- EAS-E 118 Sustainability in Water Resources
- EAS-E 122 Earth's Dynamic Atmosphere
- EAS-E 131 Oceans and Our Global Environment
- EAS-E 171 Environmental Geology in the Twenty-first Century
- EAS-E 226 Earth Processes
- EAS-E 227 Earth Climate and History
- GEOG-G 107 Physical Systems of the Environment
- GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
- GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
- SPEA-E 272 Introduction to Environmental Sciences
- SPEA-E 332 Introduction to Applied Ecology
- SPH-O 244 Natural History and Field Ecology
- Economics. One (1) course:
- ANTH-E 366 Commodities and Culture
- BUS-G 316 Sustainable Enterprise
- BUS-G 456 Strategy Beyond Markets
- BUS-L 302
- BUS-L 318 Business & Poverty Alleviation
- BUS-P 316 Sustainable Operations
- ECON-B 251 Fundamentals of Economics for Business I
- ECON-E 251
- ECON-E 321 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
- ECON-E 364 Environment and Resource Economics
- GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
- SPEA-E 340 Environmental Economics and Finance
- SPEA-V 202 Contemporary Economic Issues in Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 401 Financial and Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Concentration. One (1) of the following:
- One (1) of the concentrations listed below.
- 12 credit hours selected in consultation with the ESS Academic Advisor and approved by the Director of the program. This option is a way for students to study new and innovative sustainability dimensions that do not fit the existing concentration areas.
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required for all courses taken at Indiana University.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.