Environmental Science and Sustainability
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Program Requirements
Students must fulfill the Oakland University General Education Requirements, the General College of Arts and Sciences Requirements, the College of Arts & Sciences Exploratory Requirement, and the Major Requirements. Additionally, students must complete a sufficient number of free elective courses to meet the overall credit requirement for their degree. A minimum of 120 credits is required, although some degree programs may require a higher total credit count.
General Education Requirements
In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.
Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.
Requirements for the Major in Environmental Science and Sustainability, B.S.
Designed to integrate applied scientific specialties within the broad field of environmental science, the environmental science curricula prepare students for a variety of professional opportunities in government as well as the private sector, and for graduate study in such fields as toxic substance management, public health, toxicology, pharmacology, industrial hygiene and environmental planning.
Graduates of the program should be able to identify and evaluate a broad range of environmental problems. In addition, they should be able to offer solutions, anticipate hazards and prevent future problems. Studies include such areas as health in the workplace, toxic substance regulations, applied ecology, pollution prevention, air resources, water resources and public environmental policy.
To earn a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Science and Sustainability, students must complete a minimum of 120 credits including:
Required Core Courses (minimum of 35 credits)
course Field Biology (4)
or course Field Botany (4)
or course Tropical Field Ecology (3)
or course Introduction to Apiculture and Sustainability (4)
or course Permaculture (4)course Introduction to Environmental Studies (4)
course Principles of Geology (3)
course Energy and the Environment (4)
course Principles of Soil Science (4)
course Water Resources (3)
course Geographic Information System Analysis for Sustainability (4)
course Environmental Law and Policies (3)
course Environmental Science Internship (3)
(satisfies the requirements for the capstone experience and writing intensive course in the major)
Required Biology Courses
Required Chemistry Courses
course General Chemistry I (4)
course General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)
course General Chemistry II (4)
course General Chemistry Laboratory II (1)
Required Physics Courses
Required Mathematics and Statistics Courses
2 courses of mathematics above course or statistics (course recommended)
Note: course and course together satisfy one course toward this requirement.
Required Electives: Choose 2 (Minimum of 6 credits)
Any ENV non-core course
course Botany (4)
course Conservation Biology (4)
course Ecology of Streams and Rivers (4)
course Lake Ecology (4)
course Organic Chemistry I (4)
course Analytical Chemistry (4)
course Environmental Chemistry (3)
course Environmental Aquatic Chemistry (3)
Major Standing
Major standing must be achieved 3 semesters before graduation, and before a student reaches senior status, otherwise graduation may be delayed.
Applicable Minors
All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Child Welfare, Environmental Science, International Orientation for EGR/CS, and Sustainability Engineering.