Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies
VCU
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.
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.
- 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
- Attorney
- Climate Change Analyst
- Environmental Engineer
- Environmental Project Manager
- Environmental Research Manager
- Hydrologist
- Industrial Ecologist
- Policy Advisor
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
- ENVS 343
- MATH 151
- 5+ additional science courses
- Yes
- Yes
- 2.0
Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies
Tidewater Community College (program specific pathway) (Associate of Science: Science)
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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Explore | Year 1 |
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Experience | Year 2 |
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MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Attend New Student Orientation.
- Register for SDV 100.
- Use Navigate to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Start your math sequence and pass ENG 111-112.
- Cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Review VCU's Environmental Studies Department website for course requirements and possible connections with faculty and peers.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
- Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Browse careers related to Environmental Studies through the Virginia Wizard.
- Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
- Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on the VCU website.
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Meet with your academic advisor.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Explore the VCU Environmental Studies website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi and professors.
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 Environmental Studies Department and 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.
- Join a professional organization related to environmental studies: Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, James River Association.
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.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Environmental Studies department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs at community college or VCU to explore your interests.
- Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
- Create a draft resume and bring it to career services advisor or workshop for review.
- Find out about VCU REAL.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- 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.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies
Tidewater Community College (program specific pathway) (Associate of Science: Science)
Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
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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 |
MTH 161 | PreCalculus I | MATH 141 | 3 | General education |
Humanities elective | Select 1: PHI 101, 111, 220; ART 101, 102; MUS 121; CST 151; REL 230 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Science with Lab | CHM 111 General Chemistry I | CHEM/Z 101 | 4 | Major |
ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
MTH 162 | PreCalculus II | MATH 151 | 3 | Major |
Health/PE elective | VCU equivalent | 2 | Elective | |
History elective | Select 1: HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 | HIST | 3 | Elective |
Science with Lab | CHM 112 General Chemistry II | CHEM/Z 102 | 4 | Major |
CST 100 | Principles of Public Speaking | SPCH 121 | 3 | Elective |
Science with Lab | BIO 101 General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major |
History elective | Select 1: HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 | HIST | 3 | General education |
Approved elective | MTH 245 Statistics I | STAT 210 | 3 | Major |
Approved elective | GOL 105 Physical Geology | ENVS 105 | 4 | Major |
Science with Lab | BIO 102 General Biology II | BIOL/Z 152 | 4 | Major |
Social Science | Select 1: PSY 200, SOC 200, 211, PLS 211, 241 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Humanities elective | Select 1: ENG 200-level literature; PHI 101, 111, 220; ART 101, 102; MUS 121; CST 151; REL 230 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Approved elective | PHY 201 General College Physics I | PHYS 201 | 4 | Major |
Tidewater credits transferred to VCU | 60 |
Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
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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 |
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 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 | 0 | Major |
Major electives (see VCU advisor for course options) | 12 | Major | |
Electives Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits (300- or 400-level courses) to graduate from VCU. | 16 | Elective | |
Credits completed at VCU | 60 | ||
Bachelor's degree total | 120 |