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Bachelor's

Environmental Studies Major

University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters & Science 243 courses 120 total credits

About This Program

The Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is one of the world's leading institutions for environmental studies and is the administrative home for the major. The Environmental Studies major offers a robust and interdisciplinary curriculum that spans all contemporary disciplines that touch upon the environment. The curriculum includes biological sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences, as well as humanities, history, health, and modern culture.

Degree Requirements

Total Credits 120 credits

Biodiversity

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 100 Forests of the World 3
ENVIR ST 201 Insects and Human Culture-A Survey Course in Entomology 3
ENVIR ST 251 Ecology and the Global Environment 3
ENVIR ST 260 Introductory Ecology 3
ENVIR ST 360 Extinction of Species 3
ENVIR ST 361 Wetlands Ecology 3
ENVIR ST 375 Field Ecology Workshop 3
ENVIR ST 413 Preserving Nature 3
ENVIR ST 434 People, Wildlife and Landscapes 3
ENVIR ST 516 Conservation Biology 3
ENVIR ST 613 Reproducibility Crises and Open Science in Environmental Studies 3
AGROECOL 370 Grassland Ecology 3
BIOCORE 181 Becoming a Scientist: Doing Biology Research 2
BOTANY 240 Plants and Humans 3
BOTANY 338 Environmental Biogeography 3
BOTANY 402 Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification and Ecology 3
BOTANY 422 Plant Geography 3
BOTANY 450 Midwestern Ecological Issues: a Case Study Approach 2
BOTANY 455 The Vegetation of Wisconsin 4
BOTANY 460 General Ecology 4
BOTANY 672 Historical Ecology 2
ENTOM 344 From Flowers to Food: Pollinator Ecology and Conservation 3
ENTOM 490 Biodiversity and Global Change 3
F&W ECOL 110 Living with Wildlife - Animals, Habitats, and Human Interactions 3
F&W ECOL 448 Disturbance Ecology 3
F&W ECOL 548 Diseases of Wildlife 3
F&W ECOL 550 Forest Ecology 3
F&W ECOL 551 Forest Ecology Lab 1
F&W ECOL 660 Climate Change Ecology 3
GEOG 538 The Humid Tropics: Ecology, Subsistence, and Development 4
GEOSCI 110 Evolution and Extinction 4
ZOOLOGY 333 Marine Ecology 2
ZOOLOGY 520 Ornithology 3
ZOOLOGY 521 Birds of Southern Wisconsin 3

Climate

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 102 Climate and Climate Change 3
ENVIR ST 131 Climate Change, Climate Action: the Social Dimensions of Climate Change 3-4
ENVIR ST 171 Global Change: Atmospheric Issues and Problems 3
ENVIR ST 322 Polar Regions and Their Importance in the Global Environment 3
ENVIR ST 332 Global Warming: Science and Impacts 3
ENVIR ST 335 Climatic Environments of the Past 3
ENVIR ST 349 Climate Change Governance 3
ENVIR ST 355 Introduction to Air Quality 3
ENVIR ST 520 Bioclimatology 3
A A E 246 Climate Change Economics and Policy 3
ATM OCN 100 Weather and Climate 3
ATM OCN 101 Weather and Climate 4
ATM OCN 425 Global Climate Processes 3
CIV ENGR 525 Case Studies Exploring Infrastructure Sustainability and Climate Change 3
ED POL 320 Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education 3
F&W ECOL 660 Climate Change Ecology 3
KINES 513 Climate Change and Health Disparities 3
SOIL SCI 211 Soils and Climate Change 2

Food and Agriculture

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 103 Agroecology: an Introduction to the Ecology of Food and Agriculture 3
ENVIR ST 309 People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems 3
A A E 340 Issues in Food Systems 3-4
A A E 350 World Hunger and Malnutrition 3
A A E 367 Introduction to Organic Agriculture: Production, Markets, and Policy 3
AGROECOL 303 Agroecological Systems: Working Towards Sustainability 3
AGROECOL 377 Global Food Production and Health 3
AN SCI 210 You and Your Food: Farm to Table 2
C&E SOC 222 Food, Culture, and Society 3
CNSR SCI 360 Sustainable and Socially Just Consumption 3
ENTOM 344 From Flowers to Food: Pollinator Ecology and Conservation 3
FOLKLORE 439 Foodways 3
GEN&WS 472 Food for Thought: an Intersectional Approach 3
INTER-AG 117 Greenhouse Roots Seminar 1
MED HIST 344 Food Ethics 3
PL PATH 311 Global Food Security 3
PLANTSCI 310 Plant Science and Technology in Cropping Systems 4
PLANTSCI 300 Cropping Systems 3
PLANTSCI 370 World Vegetable Crops 3
PLANTSCI 376 Tropical Horticultural Systems 2
PLANTSCI 380 Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty 2
SOIL SCI 211 Soils and Climate Change 2

History, Culture, Society

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 112 Environmental Studies: Social Science Perspectives 3
ENVIR ST 113 Environmental Studies: Environmental Humanities 3
ENVIR ST 125 Green Screen: Environmental Perspectives Through Film 3
ENVIR ST 126 Principles of Environmental Science 4
ENVIR ST 139 Global Environmental Issues 3
ENVIR ST 153 Literature and the Environment 3
ENVIR ST 210 Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe 3
ENVIR ST 239 Making the American Landscape 3-4
ENVIR ST 270 The Environment: Religion & Ethics 3-4
ENVIR ST 305 Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement 3
ENVIR ST 306 Indigenous Peoples and the Environment 3
ENVIR ST 307 Literature of the Environment: Speaking for Nature 3
ENVIR ST 308 Outdoors for All: Inequities in Environmentalism 3
ENVIR ST 317 Community Environmental Scholars Program Seminar 1
ENVIR ST 328 Environmental History of Europe 3
ENVIR ST 337 Nature, Power and Society 3
ENVIR ST 339 Conservation and Climate Change - Local to International Strategies 3-4
ENVIR ST 341 Indigenous Environmental Communicators 3
ENVIR ST 369 Thinking Through History with Animals 3-4
ENVIR ST 430 Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives 3
ENVIR ST 441 Environmental Ethics 3-4
ENVIR ST 445 Culture and the Environment in the Luso-Hispanic World 3
ENVIR ST 460 American Environmental History 4
ENVIR ST 465 Global Environmental History 3-4
ENVIR ST 488 Greeks, Romans and the Natural Environment 3
ENVIR ST 533 Topic in Literature and the Environment 3
ENVIR ST 537 Culture and Environment 4
ENVIR ST 557 Development and Environment in Southeast Asia 3
AGROECOL 301 (Horti)cultural Roots: Human Histories of Plants and Science 4
AMER IND 190 Introduction to American Indian History 3-4
AMER IND 410 Critical Indigenous Ecological Knowledges 3
ANTHRO 477 Anthropology, Environment, and Development 3
BOTANY 672 Historical Ecology 2
C&E SOC 140 Introduction to Community and Environmental Sociology 4
C&E SOC 248 Environment, Natural Resources, and Society 3
CHICLA 151 The North American West to 1850 3-4
CHICLA 354 Race and Language in STEM and Environmental Education 3
CLASSICS 103 Nature, Race, and Human Difference 3
ED POL 197 Listening to the Land 3
ED POL 320 Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education 3
LAND ARC 360 Earth Partnership Restoration Education: Indigenous Arts & Sciences 1
PLANTSCI 380 Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty 2
POLI SCI 369 Environmental Political Thought 3-4
SCAND ST 321 Humans and Other Animals in Nordic Literature and Film 3
SPANISH 455 Contemporary Mayas: a Culture of Nature 3
ZOOLOGY 335 Human/Animal Relationships: Biological and Philosophical Issues 3

Justice

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 112 Environmental Studies: Social Science Perspectives 3
ENVIR ST 113 Environmental Studies: Environmental Humanities 3
ENVIR ST 270 The Environment: Religion & Ethics 3-4
ENVIR ST 306 Indigenous Peoples and the Environment 3
ENVIR ST 308 Outdoors for All: Inequities in Environmentalism 3
ENVIR ST 309 People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems 3
ENVIR ST 317 Community Environmental Scholars Program Seminar 1
ENVIR ST 331 Energy Justice 3-4
ENVIR ST 337 Nature, Power and Society 3
ENVIR ST 349 Climate Change Governance 3
ENVIR ST 413 Preserving Nature 3
ENVIR ST 430 Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives 3
ENVIR ST 441 Environmental Ethics 3-4
ENVIR ST 534 Environmental Governance: Markets, States and Nature 3
ENVIR ST 540 Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability 3
A A E 373 Globalization, Poverty and Development 3
A A E 474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas 3
AGROECOL 301 (Horti)cultural Roots: Human Histories of Plants and Science 4
AMER IND 190 Introduction to American Indian History 3-4
AMER IND 410 Critical Indigenous Ecological Knowledges 3
ANTHRO 477 Anthropology, Environment, and Development 3
C&E SOC 541 Environmental Stewardship and Social Justice 3
CHICLA 354 Race and Language in STEM and Environmental Education 3
CIV ENGR 631 Toxicants in the Environment: Sources, Distribution, Fate, & Effects 3
CNSR SCI 360 Sustainable and Socially Just Consumption 3
ECON 370 Economics of Poverty and Inequality 3
GEN&WS 472 Food for Thought: an Intersectional Approach 3
LAND ARC 360 Earth Partnership Restoration Education: Indigenous Arts & Sciences 1
ZOOLOGY 335 Human/Animal Relationships: Biological and Philosophical Issues 3

Land Use and Geospatial Analysis

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 106 Environmental Geology 3
ENVIR ST 120 Introduction to the Earth System 3
ENVIR ST 127 Physical Systems of the Environment 4
ENVIR ST 230 Soil: Ecosystem and Resource 3
ENVIR ST 309 People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems 3
ENVIR ST 324 Soils and Environmental Quality 3
ENVIR ST 333 Green Urbanism 3
ENVIR ST 337 Nature, Power and Society 3
ENVIR ST 339 Conservation and Climate Change - Local to International Strategies 3-4
ENVIR ST 371 Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing 3
ENVIR ST 377 An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
ENVIR ST 431 Planning for Resilience to Natural Hazards 3
ENVIR ST 434 People, Wildlife and Landscapes 3
ENVIR ST 444 Practical Applications of Gps Surveying 2
ENVIR ST 449 Government and Natural Resources 3-4
ENVIR ST 460 American Environmental History 4
ENVIR ST 515 Natural Resources Policy 3
ENVIR ST 516 Conservation Biology 3
ENVIR ST 532 Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Planning 3
ENVIR ST 537 Culture and Environment 4
ENVIR ST 557 Development and Environment in Southeast Asia 3
ENVIR ST 575 Assessment of Environmental Impact 3
ENVIR ST 581 Prescribed Fire: Ecology and Implementation 3
ENVIR ST 695 Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources 3
A A E 306 The Real Estate Process 3
BOTANY 338 Environmental Biogeography 3
CNSR SCI 360 Sustainable and Socially Just Consumption 3
ECON 420 Urban and Regional Economics 3
F&W ECOL 395 Data and GIS Tools for Ecology 3
F&W ECOL 410 Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology 3-4
F&W ECOL 451 Environmental Biogeochemistry 3
GEOG 305 Introduction to the City 3-4
GEOG 344 Changing Landscapes of the American West 3
GEOG 379 Geospatial Technologies: Drones, Sensors, and Applications 3
GEOG 538 The Humid Tropics: Ecology, Subsistence, and Development 4
LAND ARC 106 Earth Partnership Indigenous Arts and Sciences 3
LAND ARC 211 Shaping the Built Environment 3
LAND ARC 311 Introduction to Design Frameworks and Spatial Technologies 2
LAND ARC 373 Mindfulness in Restorative Environments 3
LAND ARC 380 Plants for Ecological Design I 3
LAND ARC 381 Plants for Ecological Design II 1
LAND ARC 463 Evolution of American Planning 3
LAND ARC 511 Geodesign Methods and Applications 3
LAND ARC 668 Restoration Ecology 3
LAND ARC 677 Cultural Resource Preservation and Landscape History 3
SOIL SCI 301 General Soil Science 3
SOIL SCI 302 Meet Your Soil: Soil Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory 1
SOIL SCI 430 Soil Pollution and Human Health 3
URB R PL 601 Site Planning 3

Policy

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 244 The Environment and the Global Economy 4
ENVIR ST 305 Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement 3
ENVIR ST 309 People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems 3
ENVIR ST 336 International Environmental Governance 3
ENVIR ST 339 Conservation and Climate Change - Local to International Strategies 3-4
ENVIR ST 343 Environmental Economics 3-4
ENVIR ST 345 Caring for Nature in Native North America 3
ENVIR ST 349 Climate Change Governance 3
ENVIR ST 405 Education for Sustainable Communities 3
ENVIR ST 417 Sustainability Science, Technology and Policy 1
ENVIR ST 430 Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives 3
ENVIR ST 439 US Environmental Policy and Regulation 3-4
ENVIR ST 449 Government and Natural Resources 3-4
ENVIR ST 515 Natural Resources Policy 3
ENVIR ST 523 Philosophical Problems of the Biological Sciences 3
ENVIR ST 534 Environmental Governance: Markets, States and Nature 3
ENVIR ST 540 Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability 3
ENVIR ST 557 Development and Environment in Southeast Asia 3
ENVIR ST 613 Reproducibility Crises and Open Science in Environmental Studies 3
A A E 352 Global Health: Economics, Natural Systems, and Policy 4
A A E 373 Globalization, Poverty and Development 3
A A E 430 Decision Methods for Natural Resource Managers 3
A A E 474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas 3
A A E 531 Natural Resource Economics 3
C&E SOC 541 Environmental Stewardship and Social Justice 3
C&E SOC 573 Community Organization and Change 3
CIV ENGR 494 Civil and Environmental Engineering Decision Making 3
CIV ENGR 631 Toxicants in the Environment: Sources, Distribution, Fate, & Effects 3
ECON 370 Economics of Poverty and Inequality 3
M H R 310 Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability 3
OTM 370 Sustainable Approaches to System Improvement 3
POLI SCI 272 Introduction to Public Policy 3-4
PUB AFFR 340 Intermediate Evidence-Based Policymaking and Communication 3
PUB AFFR 366 U.S. Environmental Politics and Public Policy 3
R M I 650 Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management 2-3
REAL EST 651 Green - Sustainable Development 3
URB R PL 215 Welcome to Your Urban Future 3
URB R PL 551 Climate Action Planning: Sustainable Transportation 3

Sustainability

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 126 Principles of Environmental Science 4
ENVIR ST 215 Sustainability 3
ENVIR ST 244 The Environment and the Global Economy 4
ENVIR ST 255 Introduction to Sustainability Science 4
ENVIR ST 306 Indigenous Peoples and the Environment 3
ENVIR ST 326 Sustainability Tools: Systems Thinking & Life Cycle Assessment 3
ENVIR ST 333 Green Urbanism 3
ENVIR ST 365 Systems Thinking 3
ENVIR ST 367 Renewable Energy Systems 3
ENVIR ST 405 Education for Sustainable Communities 3
ENVIR ST 417 Sustainability Science, Technology and Policy 1
ENVIR ST 540 Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability 3
A A E 373 Globalization, Poverty and Development 3
A A E 474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas 3
AGROECOL 377 Global Food Production and Health 3
AN SCI 472 Animal Agriculture and Global Sustainable Development 1
CIV ENGR 121 Sustainability Engineering for Non-Engineers 3
CIV ENGR 421 Environmental Sustainability Engineering 3
CIV ENGR 495 Sustainable Building and Materials 3
CIV ENGR 522 Hazardous Waste Management 3
CIV ENGR 525 Case Studies Exploring Infrastructure Sustainability and Climate Change 3
CNSR SCI 360 Sustainable and Socially Just Consumption 3
DS 555 Sustainable Fashion Practices - Unraveled & Redesigned 3
DY SCI 471 Food Production Systems and Sustainability 3
ED POL 120 Environmental and Sustainability Education in Wisconsin Policy and Practice 3
ED POL 320 Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education 3
LAND ARC 211 Shaping the Built Environment 3
LAND ARC 563 Designing Sustainable and Resilient Regions 4
M E 478 Engineering Sustainability: Linking Technology, Policy, Health, and Economics 3
M H R 310 Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability 3
OTM 370 Sustainable Approaches to System Improvement 3
PL PATH 261 Sustainable Turfgrass Use and Management 2
URB R PL 215 Welcome to Your Urban Future 3
URB R PL 551 Climate Action Planning: Sustainable Transportation 3

Beyond the Classroom Courses

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 126 Principles of Environmental Science 4
ENVIR ST 127 Physical Systems of the Environment 4
ENVIR ST 255 Introduction to Sustainability Science 4
ENVIR ST 361 Wetlands Ecology 3
ENVIR ST 375 Field Ecology Workshop 3
ENVIR ST 398 Independent Study: Sustainability Community Engagement 1
ENVIR ST 444 Practical Applications of Gps Surveying 2
ENVIR ST 511 Ecology of Fishes Lab 2
ENVIR ST 581 Prescribed Fire: Ecology and Implementation 3
BOTANY 402 Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification and Ecology 3
BOTANY 455 The Vegetation of Wisconsin 4
BOTANY 460 General Ecology 4
ED POL 120 Environmental and Sustainability Education in Wisconsin Policy and Practice 3
F&W ECOL 551 Forest Ecology Lab 1
LAND ARC 106 Earth Partnership Indigenous Arts and Sciences 3
LAND ARC 360 Earth Partnership Restoration Education: Indigenous Arts & Sciences 1
LAND ARC 363 Earth Partnership: Restoration Education for Equity and Resilience 3
LAND ARC 373 Mindfulness in Restorative Environments 3
LAND ARC 668 Restoration Ecology 3
SOIL SCI 302 Meet Your Soil: Soil Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory 1
ZOOLOGY 316 Laboratory for Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources 2-3

Capstone requirement (3 Credits)

Code Course Title Credits
ENVIR ST 600 Environmental Studies Capstone 3

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