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 301. That course is 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.
3. The following requirements for the major (64 to 66 credits):

   a.	All of the following Science Foundations courses (15 credits):
   	BS	161	Cell and Molecular Biology						3
   	BS	162	Organismal and Population Biology						3
   	BS	172	Organismal and Population Biology Laboratory						2
   	CEM	141	General Chemistry						4
   	IBIO	355	Ecology						3
   b.	One of the following Applied Earth Sciences courses (3 or 4 credits):
   	CSS	210	Fundamentals of Soil Science						3
   	GEO	206	Physical Geography						3
   	GLG	201	Introduction to Earth and Planetary Sciences						4
   c.	All of the following Community Sustainability Core courses (16 credits):
   	CSUS	200	Introduction to Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	221	Seminar in Environmental and Sustainability Careers						1
   	CSUS	300	Theoretical Foundations of Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	301	Community Engagement for Sustainability (W)						3
   	CSUS	310	History of Environmental Thought and Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	400	Topics in Environmental Justice						3
   	CSUS	492	Capstone in Community Sustainability						1
   d.	One of the following Intermediate Energy, Water, Land courses (3 credits):
   	CSUS	259	Sustainable Energy and Society						3
   	CSUS	320	Environmental Planning and Management						3
   	CSUS	354	Water Resources Management						3
   e.	One of the following Advanced Energy, Water, Land courses (3 credits):
   	CSUS	426	Conservation Planning and Adaptive Management						3
   	CSUS	453	Watershed Planning and Management						3
   	CSUS	459	Clean Energy System Policy						3
   f.	Two of the following Community Sustainability Intermediate Electives (6 credits):
   	CSUS	215	International Development and Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	265	Exploring Environmental and Sustainability Issues and Policy Using Film						3
   	CSUS	273	Introduction to Travel and Tourism						3
   	CSUS	276	Sustaining our National Parks and Recreation Lands						3
   	GEO	221	Introduction to Geographic Information						3
   g.	Two of the following Community Sustainability Advanced Electives (6 or 7 credits):
   	CSUS	343	Community Food and Agricultural Systems						3
   	CSUS	445	Community-Based Environmental and Sustainability Education						3
   	CSUS	473	Social Entrepreneurship for Community Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	476	Natural Resource Recreation Management						4
   h.	Two of the following Administration and Leadership courses (6 credits):
   	CSUS	322	Leadership for Community Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	429	Program Evaluation for Community Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	430	Non-Profit Organizational Management for Community Sustainability						3
   	CSUS	433	Grant Writing and Fund Development						3
   i.	One of the following Policy and Law courses: (3 credits)
   	CSUS	464	Environmental and Natural Resource Policy in Michigan						3
   	CSUS	465	Environmental and Natural Resource Law						3
   j.	A minimum of 3 credits in one of the following courses:
   	CSUS	418	Community Sustainability Study Abroad						3 to 6
   	CSUS	419	International Studies in Community Sustainability						3 to 12
   	CSUS	493	Professional Internship in Community Sustainability						3 to 6
   	Students may substitute another appropriate course with approval of the department.