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The Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Sustainability prepares students to understand, analyze, and solve environmental and sustainability challenges. Interdisciplinary foundations in environmental sciences, including natural and social sciences, combine with training in communications, writing, law, critical perspectives, and emerging sustainability science. Students also choose one of four options for in-depth study: Environmental Policy and Law; Environmental Communication; Business/Nonprofit Environmental Sustainability; or Pre-Environmental Education. A capstone course or certificate links students to real-world projects, internships, and/or research. An organizing theme throughout the major is coupled human and natural systems.
Major Coordinator is Tom Koontz.
Note: Environmental Sustainability majors may not earn the Environmental Studies minor or Restoration Ecology minor. Environmental Sustainability majors may earn the Restoration Ecology certificate.
Environmental Sustainability degree requirements
To be eligible for graduation with the bachelor of arts degree, each student enrolled in the program must meet the UW Tacoma scholastic standards (2.0 UW GPA), credits required (minimum 180) and the final-year residency requirement and complete the following program requirements:
- Complete all general education requirements not met with transfer courses. See advisor for details.
- Complete a minimum of 45 credits of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences course work. Some majors or concentrations may require more.
- Complete a minimum of 45 credits of upper-division course work, including transfer courses and UW Tacoma courses.
- Complete 5 credits of English composition with a minimum 2.0 grade. This must be completed in a student’s first two quarters at UW Tacoma.
- Complete the requirements for a major or concentration (minors are optional).
- No more than 15 elective credits can be taken for a Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory grade. See advisor for details.
- Complete at least 45 of last 60 credits in residence at the University of Washington Tacoma.
- Meet with an advisor to complete a graduation application no later than the second week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate.
For Environmental Sustainability, you need to complete 40 preparatory credits and 58-60 credits to meet the degree requirements. You must earn a total of 180 quarter credits, or 225 quarter credits for a double degree, in order to earn a bachelor of arts degree in your chosen major.
View preparatory, core, and option requirements for Environmental Sustainability. You will need to choose one of the four options to complete this degree.
Preparatory courses must have been completed within the last 5 years. If they were completed before that time frame or for specific transfer courses that are accepted, please consult an academic advisor.
Additionally, students must be computer literate, which is defined as the ability to use word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and communication software.
NOTE: Online lab courses will not be accepted in the Environmental Sustainability major and cannot serve as pre-requisites for subsequent SAM courses. Exceptions will be made for online lab courses that were completed between Spring 2020 and Spring 2022.
- Preparatory courses
- TBIOL 110 General Biology (with lab); minimum 1.5 GPA (formerly TESC 110)
- TCHEM 131 Chemistry and Society (with lab); minimum 1.7 GPA (formerly TESC 131)
- TECON 200 Introduction to Microeconomics; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TGEOS 243 Geography of the Physical Environment; minimum 2.0 GPA (formerly TESC 243)
- TMATH 110 Introductory Statistics with Applications; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TPHIL 251 Data and Discourse; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TWRT 211 Argumentation and Research; minimum 2.0 GPA or TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace; minimum 2.0 GPA
Environmental Sustainability degree requirements
- Core Courses (35 credits):
- TBIOL 232 Issues in Biological Conservation (formerly TESC 232)
- TESC 201 The Science of Environmental Sustainability
- TESC 345 Pollution and Public Policy
- TEST 200 Fundamentals of Environmental Studies and Sustainability
- TGEOS 341 Climate Change
- TLAW 438 Federal Environmental Law
- TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences
- One of the following:
- Capstone experience: must select at least a 3-credit option from the following list.
- TBIOMD 490 Context for Global Health Experiential Learning and TBIOMD 491 Global Health Experiential Learning Program
- TESC 301 Sustainability in Action
- TESC 495 Environmental Research Experiences
- TESC 496 Internship
- TESC 497 Senior Thesis
- TESC 499 UG Research
- TEST 495 Environmental Studies Experience
- TMGMT 465 Board Governance I and
- TMGMT 466 Board Governance II
- Complete GIS or REN certificate program. Planned with faculty advisor; may span more than one quarter.
Options for in-depth Focus
Take 4 or more courses in one selected option.
Environmental Policy and Law
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TECON 210 Ethics and Economics
- TECON 410 Economics of Public Policy
- TECON 421 Environmental Policy
- TEST 337 Natural Resources Policy: America's Public Forests and Parks
- TEST 343 Water Quality Regulation
- TLAW 339 Washington Environmental Law
- TLAW 465 Law and Public Policy in the United States
- TPOLS 203 Introduction to International Relations
- TPOLS 270 Introduction to Political Economy
Environmental Communication
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TCOM 275 Writing, Reporting and Editing for the Mass Media
- TCOM 310 Contemporary Environmental Issues and the Media
- TCOM 312 Ecology, Inequality, and Pop Culture
- TCOM 482 Investigative Reporting
- TLIT 237 Introduction to Literature and Environment
- TWRT 211 Argument and Research in Writing or
- TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace (whichever not taken as preparatory course)
- TWRT 372 Writing Eco-Poetry
- TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change
- TWRT 389 Nature Writing
- TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication
Business/Nonprofit Environmental Sustainability
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TBGEN 212 Introduction to Corporate Responsibility
- TBUS 300 Managing Organizations
- TMGMT 420 Managing Corporate Responsibility
- TMGMT 452 The Dynamics of Leadership
- TMGMT 457 Negotiation and Conflict Management
- TMGMT 465 Board Governance I (If not taken as capstone experience)
- TMGMT 466 Board Governance II (If not taken as capstone experience)
Environmental Education
- Choose three courses from the following list:
- Choose one course from the following list:
Environmental Sustainability preparatory courses
Preparatory courses must have been completed within the last 5 years. If they were completed before that time frame or for specific transfer courses that are accepted, please consult an academic advisor.
Additionally, students must be computer literate, which is defined as the ability to use word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and communication software.
- Preparatory courses
- TBIOL 110 General Biology (with lab); minimum 1.5 GPA (formerly TESC 110)
- TCHEM 131 Chemistry and Society (with lab); minimum 1.7 GPA (formerly TESC 131)
- TECON 200 Introduction to Microeconomics; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TGEOS 243 Geography of the Physical Environment (with lab); minimum 2.0 GPA (formerly TESC 243)
- TMATH 110 Introductory Statistics with Applications; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TPHIL 251 Data and Discourse; minimum 2.0 GPA
- TPSYCH 340 Environmental Psychology; minimum 2.0 GPA Note: prerequisite - TPSYCH 101
- TWRT 211 Argumentation and Research; minimum 2.0 GPA or TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace; minimum 2.0 GPA
Environmental Sustainability degree requirements
- Core Courses (35 credits):
- TBIOL 232 Issues in Biological Conservation (formerly TESC 232)
- TESC 201 The Science of Environmental Sustainability
- TESC 345 Pollution and Public Policy
- TEST 200 Fundamentals of Environmental Studies and Sustainability
- TLAW 438 Environmental Law
- TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences
- One of the following:
- Capstone experience: must select at least a 3-credit option from the following list.
- TBIOMD 490 Context for Global Health Experiential Learning and TBIOMD 491 Global Health Experiential Learning Program
- TESC 301 Sustainability in Action
- TESC 495 Environmental Research Experiences
- TESC 496 Internship
- TESC 497 Senior Thesis
- TESC 499 UG Research
- TEST 495 Environmental Studies Experience
- TMGMT 465 Board Governance I and
- TMGMT 466 Board Governance II
- TPSYCH 443 Applied Community Projects in Environmental Psychology
- Complete GIS or REN certificate program. Planned with faculty advisor; may span more than one quarter.
Options for in-depth Focus
Take 4 or more courses in one selected option.
Environmental Policy and Law
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TECON 210 Ethics and Economics
- TECON 410 Economics of Public Policy
- TECON 421 Environmental Policy
- TEST 333 Environmental Policy Application and Compliance
- TEST 335 Environmental Impact Analysis
- TEST 337 Natural Resources Policy: America's Public Forests and Parks
- TEST 343 Water Quality Regulation
- TLAW 339 Washington Environmental Law
- TLAW 465 Law and Public Policy in the United States
Environmental Communication
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TCOM 275 Writing, Reporting and Editing for the Mass Media
- TCOM 310 Contemporary Environmental Issues and the Media
- TCOM 482 Investigative Reporting
- TCOM 484 Opinion Writing for Mass Media
- TLIT 237 Introduction to Literature and Environment
- TWRT 211 Argument and Research in Writing or
- TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace (whichever not taken as preparatory course)
- TWRT 372 Writing Eco-Poetry
- TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change
- TWRT 389 Nature Writing
- TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication
Business/Nonprofit Environmental Sustainability
- Choose four courses from the following list:
- TBGEN 212 Introduction to Corporate Responsibility
- TBUS 300 Managing Organizations
- TEST 345 Investing in the Environment
- TMGMT 452 The Dynamics of Leadership
- TMGMT 457 Negotiation and Conflict Management
- TMGMT 465 Board Governance I (If not taken as capstone experience)
- TMGMT 466 Board Governance II (If not taken as capstone experience)
- TNPRFT 231 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector
- TNPRFT 451 Essentials of Grant Writing
- TNPRFT 453 Nonprofit Financial Literacy
Environmental Education
- Choose three courses from the following list:
- Choose one course from the following list:
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING COURSE REPEATS:
The Division of Sciences and Mathematics requests that all students who plan to register for courses that they have previously taken fill out a petition to repeat the course (Link to petition). The Division hopes that this process will help students reflect on their performance in the class and make concrete plans for success in the coming quarter. Requests will be processed on a rolling basis.
Learning Outcomes
Students who complete this degree will:
- Demonstrate scientific literacy tied to core content in scientific disciplines vital to understanding human-environmental interactions and sustainability.
- Exhibit advanced capabilities for interpreting and communicating information related to environmental issues and sustainability, in written and oral forms, to both scientific and non-technical audiences.
- Demonstrate in-depth mastery of a focal area within environmental sustainability.
- Cultivate skills critical to interpreting scientific concepts for public understanding, including familiarity with the scientific method, information literacy, data analysis, conceptual modeling, and working collaboratively.
- Be conversant in the theoretical and applied concepts in environmental natural sciences, social sciences, and other ways of knowing, and the interdisciplinary connections among them, relating to environmental issues.
- Apply interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to environmental and sustainability challenges of local, regional, national or global significance.
- Participate in engaged inquiry as a means of connecting classroom learning to real-world environmental problem solving and establishing the skills needed for life-long learning.
Career Options
This major will prepare students to pursue careers in federal, state, and local governments; nonprofit organizations; and private sector organizations. Career areas related to this field are wide ranging, including environmental policy, law, communications, education and outreach, environmental consulting and corporate sustainability. In addition, graduates will be prepared to succeed in graduate programs such as environmental management, public policy, communications law, natural resources, community advocacy, and sustainability.
