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2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Environmental Science Track (Germanna Community College)
Germanna Community College
Germanna Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Environmental Science Track

Program description

VCU’s undergraduate Environmental Studies program is interdisciplinary in nature and combines traditional lecture and hands-on experiential approaches to expose students to the key concepts in and critical links between environmental life sciences, earth sciences, technology. The program offers considerable flexibility and students are able to individually tailor their course of study by completing multiple electives focused on topics of interest. Areas of emphasis could include, for example, environmental technology, environmental policy, geospatial and quantitative analysis, outdoor leadership, and river studies. Students are strongly encouraged to gain internship experience, actively participate in undergraduate research, and participate in our domestic and/or international field courses as undergraduates in our program.

Upon completion of this program, you will have mastered and be able to demonstrate the following:

  • Comprehension of the foundational scientific concepts that underpin understanding of the environment.
  • Comprehension of basic environmental policies that govern society's interactions with the environment.
  • Comprehension of quantitative and technological skills required in environmental research, policy development and education.
  • The ability to communicate about environmental issues in a variety of contexts.
Career opportunities

Environmental professionals perform their duties within a regulatory, economic, and societal context and must be able to communicate the importance of their environmental activities to the larger public. Upon completion of the undergraduate Environmental Studies program, you should should have developed the quantitative, technological, and practical skills needed to excel in a variety of entry-level field and research positions in government service, environmental management, and private industry. Because the environmental field is so broad, the career path that you pursue will depend heavily upon your individual skills, interests, and experiences.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Conservation Scientists and Foresters
  • Energy Engineers
  • Environmental Compliance Inspectors
  • Environmental Engineering Technicians
  • Environmental Restoration Planners
  • Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
  • Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
  • Fish and Game Wardens
  • Forest and Conservation Workers
  • Foresters
  • Geographic Information Systems Technicians
  • Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Climate Change Analyst
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Environmental Project Manager
  • Environmental Research Manager
  • Hydrologist
  • Industrial Ecologist
  • Policy Advisor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • ENVS 343
  • MATH 151
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Environmental Studies

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Environmental Science Track)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Browse careers related to Environmental Studies through the career coach.
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.
Experience Year 2
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Center for Environmental Studies, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Center for Environmental Studies-related events.
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Browse careers related to Environmental Studies through the career coach.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Center for Environmental Studies, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Center for Environmental Studies-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Environmental Science Track)

Germanna Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
Lab Science (I) ENV 121 General Environmental Science I ENVS 1XX 4 Elective
Lab Science (II) BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major
HIS History elective (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 HIST 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 167 Precalculus with Trigonometry (or MTH 161-162) MATH 151 5 Major
Lab Science (III) ENV 122 General Environmental Science II (note: both ENV 121+122 must be completed to receive credit for VCU equivalent) ENVS 103 4 Major
Lab Science (IV) BIO 102 General Biology II BIOL/Z 152 4 Major
Humanities (PHI) Select any PHI (Philosophy) course VCU equivalent 3 General education
Social Science Social Science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
MTH 263 Calculus I MATH 200 4 Elective
Science elective GOL 105 Physical Geology I ENVS/Z 105 4 Major
Humanities Humanities/Fine Arts (select 1): ART 101, 102, 106, HUM 100, or REL VCU equivalent 3 General education
Social Science Social Science (select 1): ECO 201, ECO 202, PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Science Capstone Science Capstone presentation VCU equivalent 1 Elective
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major
Science elective PHY 201 General College Physics I PHYS 201 4 Major
Transfer elective Transfer elective VCU equivalent 1 to 3 Elective
Germanna credits transferred to VCU 60 to 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Foreign language through the 102 level. (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) 0 to 8 General education
BIOL 317 Ecology 3 Major
CHEM 101 + CHEZ 101 General Chemistry I and Laboratory 4 Major
CHEM 102 + CHEZ 102 General Chemistry II and Laboratory 4 Major
ENVS 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies I 3 Major
ENVS 102 Introduction to Environmental Studies II 3 Major
ENVS 222 Electronic Portfolios 1 Major
ENVS/POLI 311 Politics of the Environment 3 Major
ENVS 321 Cartography 3 Major
ECON 325 Environmental Economics 3 Major
ENVS 330 Environmental Pollution 3 Major
ENVS 343 Data Literacy 4 Major
ENVS 355 Water 3 Major
ENVS 401 Meteorology and Climatology 3 Major
ENVS 499 Environmental Studies Capstone Experience (Tier III Capstone) 0 Major
Select 8 credits of upper-level ENVS electives (see VCU advisor for course options) 8 Major
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU 12 Elective
Open electives 0 to 2 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58 to 60
Bachelor's degree total 120