Undergraduate Degree

The Department of Community Sustainability offers a Bachelor of Science degree program with a major in Environmental Studies and Sustainability. This program of study is concerned with who uses natural resources, how they use them, and how positive outcomes of use can be enhanced and negative impacts can be mitigated. It examines resource use and allocation through the lenses of community engagement, sustainability and environmental justice. Students benefit from a broad range of interdisciplinary courses, as well as disciplinary and methods courses carefully selected to enhance students’ technical knowledge. Professional internship, and education abroad experiences are encouraged to provide students with experiences beyond the classroom and the university campus. Graduates of this program will be prepared to enter professions in environmental, natural resource, agricultural and community development fields through careers in education, government, private industry, non-profit organizations, and public relations and communications or enter a professional or graduate school program.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability

1. The University requirements for bachelor’s degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog: 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability.
   
   The University’s Tier II writing requirement for the Environmental Studies and Sustainability major is met by completing Community Sustainability 300 or 310. Those courses are referenced in item 3. below.
   
   Students who are enrolled in the Environmental Studies and Sustainability major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Community Sustainability may complete an alternative track to Integrative Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences that consists of the following courses: Biological Science 162 and 172, and Chemistry 141. The completion of Biological Science 172 satisfies the laboratory requirement. Biological Science 162 and 172, and Chemistry 141 may be counted toward both the alternative track and the requirements for the major referenced in item 3. below.
   
   The completion of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources mathematics requirement may also satisfy the University mathematics requirement.
2. The requirements for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Bachelor of Science degree.
   
   Certain courses referenced in requirement 3. below may be counted toward College requirements as appropriate.
   1. The following requirements for the major (61 to 63 credits):
      1. a. All of the following Science Foundations courses (15 credits):
         1. BS 161 Cell and Molecular Biology (3)
         2. BS  162 Organismal and Population Biology (3)
         3. BS  172 Organismal and Population Biology Laboratory (2)
         4. CEM  141 General Chemistry (4)
         5. IBIO 355 Ecology (3)
      2. b. One of the following Applied Earth Sciences courses (3 or 4 credits):
         1. GEO 206 Physical Geography (3)
         2. GLG 201 Introduction to Earth and Planetary Sciences (4)
         3. SOIL 210 Fundamentals of Soil Science (3)
      3. c.  All of the following Community Sustainability Core courses (16 credits):
         1. CSUS  200 Introduction to Sustainability (3)
         2. CSUS  221 Seminar in Environmental and Sustainability Careers (1)
         3. CSUS  300 Theoretical Foundations of Sustainability (3)
         4. CSUS  310 History of Environmental Thought and Sustainability (3)
         5. CSUS  400 Topics in Environmental Justice (3)
         6. CSUS 492 Capstone in Community Sustainability (1)
      4. d.  One of the following Intermediate Energy, Water, Land courses (3 credits):
         1. CSUS  259 Sustainable Energy and Society (3)
         2. CSUS 320 Environmental Planning and Management (3)
         3. CSUS  354 Water Resources Management (3)
      5. e.  One of the following Advanced Energy, Water, Land courses (3 credits):
         1. CSUS  426 Conservation Planning and Adaptive Management (3)
         2. CSUS  453 Watershed Planning and Management (3)
         3. CSUS  459 Clean Energy System Policy (3)
      6. f.  Two of the following Community Sustainability Intermediate Electives (6 credits):
         1. CSUS  215 International Development and Sustainability (3)
         2. CSUS  265 Exploring Environmental and Sustainability Issues and Policy Using Film (3)
         3. CSUS  273 Introduction to Travel and Tourism (3)
         4. CSUS  276 Sustaining our National Parks and Recreation Lands (3)
         5. GEO  221 Introduction to Geographic Information (3)
      7. g.  Two of the following Community Sustainability Advanced Electives (6 or 7 credits):
         1. CSUS  343 Community Food and Agricultural Systems (3)
         2. CSUS  445 Community-Based Environmental and Sustainability Education (3)
         3. CSUS  473 Social Entrepreneurship for Community Sustainability (3)
         4. CSUS  476 Natural Resource Recreation Management (4)
      8. h.  Two of the following Administration and Leadership courses (6 credits):
         1. CSUS  322 Leadership for Community Sustainability (3)
         2. CSUS  429 Program Evaluation for Community Sustainability (3)
         3. CSUS  430 Non-Profit Organizational Management for Community Sustainability (3)
         4. CSUS  433 Grant Writing and Fund Development (3)
      9. i.  One of the following Policy and Law courses (3 credits):
         1. CSUS  464 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy in Michigan (3)
         2. CSUS  465 Environmental and Natural Resource Law (3)
      10. j. A minimum of 3 credits in one of the following courses:
          1. CSUS 418 Community Sustainability Study Abroad (3 to 6)
          2. CSUS 419 International Studies in Community Sustainability (3 to 12)
          3. CSUS 493 Professional Internship in Community Sustainability (3 to 6)
          4. Students may substitute another appropriate course with approval of the department.