Co-requisites for the B.S. Degree in Environmental Sciences
major requirements worksheet >
The following courses or their equivalents (Advanced Placement or transfer credit) are required for the B.S. degree. Approval of substitute courses taken at other universities must be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the department offering the course. Please note that some of these courses are prerequisite to some upper-level courses in this major.
| Requirement | Course Options |
| General Biology | BIOLOGY 25L |
| General Chemistry | CHEM 21L and CHEM 22L; or CHEM 23L |
| Physics | PHYSICS 41L and 42L, or 51L and 52L or 53L and 54L (CHEM 151 may be substituted for the second semester of physics) |
| Introductory Earth Sciences | EOS 11 (formerly EOS 41) or EOS 12 (formerly EOS 53) , or ENV 25 |
| Differential and Integral Calculus | MATH 31L and MATH 32L, or MATH 41 |
Major Requirements for the B.S. Degree in Environmental Sciences
- Five Core Courses selected from the following six courses or course
lists: EOS 102, ENVIRON 160, EOS 107, EOS 123
One ecology course from this list: Bio 110/ ENVIRON 110, BIO 114L, BIO 116, Bio 123/ ENVIRON 123, Bio 129L.
One course on the interface between humans and the environment from this list: ENVIRON 101, ENVIRON 103, ENVIRON 149, ENVIRON 185, BIO 109, ECON 163, PHIL 115.
- Probability and Statistics: One course from the following
approved list of courses dealing with statistical inference and probability
theory: STA 101, 102, 103 or 112.
- Focused Study: Three upper-level natural science, engineering
or mathematics courses proposed by the student in consultation with
his or her advisor form a concentration area. Students will submit
to their advisor a written rationale for the courses selected, which
describes the general theme of the Focused Study, explains how the
three proposed upper-level courses weave together to create a unified
theme and shows how the Focused Study relates to career and/or graduate
school interests.
The final Focused Study essay must be approved by the advisor and filed in the Undergraduate Program Office by spring registration of the junior year. Students in the B.S. major are encouraged, but not required, to complete an independent study or field experience, which may or may not include course credit toward the Focus Study requirements. Many students choose to spend a semester abroad or at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, NC, taking courses toward their Focus Study requirement.
