Environmental Science (BS)

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Offered by the Department of Environmental Science , College of Arts and Sciences , the Environmental Science (BS) draws upon the natural sciences, which form the foundation of environmental science. Students are strongly encouraged to seek research experience either with faculty or with one of the many research institutions in the Washington, DC area.

Admission to the Program

Admission to the program is through formal declaration of the major through the Department of Environmental Science .

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

62 credit hours with grades of C or better, including 21 credit hours at or above 300-level

Course Requirements

Environmental Science (20 credit hours)

Required

Electives

Complete 12 credit hours from the following:

Note: Substitutions may be made with departmental approval.

Natural Sciences and Mathematics (24 credit hours)

Chemistry

Calculus

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Statistics

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Electives

Complete 8 credit hours from the following:

Social Sciences (9 credit hours)

Skills (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

CSC-310 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3)
ENVS-455 Environmental Geographic Information Systems (3) (if not taken to fulfill requirement above)
ENVS-485 Remote Sensing: Environmental Measurement from Satellites and Drones (3) (if not taken to fulfill requirement above)

Experiential Learning (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

ENVS-492 Senior Capstone in Environmental Studies (3)

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.