Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of General Studies in Environmental Studies
Why study environmental studies?
The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas, established in 1971, is one of the oldest environmental studies programs in the country. The KU Environmental Studies Program provides a rigorous interdisciplinary degree that balances learning in the physical and social sciences along with the arts and humanities. Learning Pathways, thematic areas of study that match student interest to the environmental expertise of our faculty, are a key aspect of our unique program.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Studies Introduction to Science and Culture | ||
| Majors must complete the following: | ||
| EVRN 140 | Global Environment I: The Discovery of Environmental Change | 3 |
| or EVRN 144 | Global Environment I: Discovery of Environmental Change, Honors | |
| EVRN 142 | Global Environment II: The Ecology of Human Civilization | 3 |
| or EVRN 145 | Global Environment II: The Ecology of Human Civilization, Honors | |
| EVRN 160 | Environmental Solutions | 1 |
| EVRN 336 | Ethics, Ideas and Nature (Environmental Social Science and Policy) | 3 |
| Statistics. Satisfied by one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Methods of Analyzing Geographical Data | ||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | ||
| Environmental Studies Core Knowledge and Skills | ||
| Majors must complete a course in each of the following areas: | ||
| Environmental Social Science and Policy Satisfied by: | 3 | |
| Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Environmental Geopolitics | ||
| Environment, Power, and Justice | ||
| Environmental Social Problems | ||
| Sociology of Global Food | ||
| Environmental Justice and Public Policy | ||
| Water Resource Sustainability | ||
| Ethnobotany | ||
| Natural Hazards and Environmental Risks | ||
| Environmental Humanities and Arts Satisfied by: | 3 | |
| Global Environmental Literature | ||
| Sculpture Intercepting the Waste Stream | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Environmental History of North America | ||
| Art and Ecology: Inhabiting the Ecosphere | ||
| Radical Environmentalism in the United States | ||
| Resilient and Resistant Futures: Global Perspectives in Climate Change Literature | ||
| U.S. Environmental Thought in the 20th Century | ||
| Sculpture Intercepting the Waste Stream | ||
| Art and Ecology: Inhabiting the Ecosphere | ||
| Field Ecology. Satisfied by: | 3 | |
| Field Ecology | ||
or EVRN 660 | Summer Field Ecology | |
| Capstone Experience. Satisfied by one of the following: | 3-6 | |
| Capstone Internship | ||
| Capstone Project | ||
| Independent Study and Honors Research in Environmental Studies (Completion of EVRN 624 AND 625 required for Capstone experience. ) | ||
| Environmental Studies Required Electives/Options | ||
| Majors must select an option or design their own. Self-designed emphases must be approved in their entirety by an environmental studies advisor and the undergraduate studies director before implementation. Each option requires 5 courses at the 300+ level. Students completing the honors capstone sequence (EVRN 624 & EVRN 625) may count 3 hours of that sequence toward the elective requirement. | 15 | |
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 40-41 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 33 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
A sample 4-year plan for the BA degree in Environmental Studies can be found here: Environmental Studies Sample 4-year BA plan, or by using the left-side navigation.
Sample 4-year plans for the BGS degree in Environmental Studies can be found here: Environmental Studies Sample 4-year BGS plan, or by using the left-side navigation.
Departmental Honors
To graduate with honors in environmental studies, an undergraduate must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 in the major. The student must also complete an individual honors research project in cooperation with a faculty mentor. This project normally represents 2 semesters of original work, the completion of 3 credit hours of EVRN 624 Independent Study, and 3 credit hours of EVRN 625 Honors Research in Environmental Studies. All 6 hours may be applied to the 12 hours of environmental studies electives required for the major. Upon completion of the research project, honors candidates are required to present the results of their work at the department’s Undergraduate Research Colloquium.