Environmental Science A.S. Degree Major
The goals of the Environmental Science program are to: 1) meet the needs of students who are majoring in one of the diverse fields encompassed by environmental science, and 2) provide options for students fulfilling general education science requirements.
Awareness of the issues of environmental quality is increasingly important in business, industry, and government. The growing human population and increasing consumption of resources are creating unprecedented pressures on our planetary life support systems. Environmental science majors need to complete an interdisciplinary set of core requirements that provide a basic understanding of the physical, biological, and social sciences and the relevance of these sciences to environmental processes and issues. In addition, the coursework will prepare students for related baccalaureate majors, including: biology, chemistry, engineering, geography (including emphasis in geographic information systems (GIS)), geology, mathematics, oceanography, and physics. For non-majors, the program’s goal is to educate students to make better-informed choices about key environmental and health issues.
Students planning to transfer to a four-year institution and major in environmental science should consult with a counselor regarding the transfer process and institution-specific lower-division requirements. In upper division and graduate studies, students majoring in environmental science usually specialize in areas such as environmental toxicology, public health, environmental law, education, environmental economics, soil and water science, restoration ecology, environmental landscaping, environmental management and urban planning, and related careers.
To graduate with a specialization in Environmental Science, students must complete the following required courses plus the general breadth requirements for the Associate Degree (total = 60 units)
| REQUIRED COURSES: |
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Units |
| BIOL201 |
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Cell and Molecular Biology |
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4 |
| BIOL202 |
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Organismal Biology and Ecology |
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4 |
| CHEM150 |
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General Chemistry I |
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5 |
| or |
| CHEM150H |
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General Chemistry I - Honors |
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5 |
| CHEM151 |
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General Chemistry II |
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5 |
| or |
| CHEM151H |
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General Chemistry II - Honors |
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5 |
| MATH250 |
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Single Variable Calculus I |
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4 |
CHOOSE TWO COURSES FROM THE FOLLOWING:
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Units |
| BIOL104 |
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Human Ecology |
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3 |
| BIOL123 |
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Ecology and Environment |
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3 |
| BIOL204 |
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General Botany |
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4 |
| BIOL270 |
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Microbiology |
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5 |
| CHEM205 |
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Quantitative Chemical Analysis |
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5 |
| CHEM212 |
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Organic Chemistry I |
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4 |
| or |
| CHEM212H |
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Organic Chemistry I - Honors |
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4 |
| CHEM213 |
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Organic Chemistry II |
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4 |
| or |
| CHEM213H |
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Organic Chemistry II - Honors |
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4 |
| GEOG110 |
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Physical Geography |
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3 |
| GEOG111 |
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Physical Geography Laboratory |
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1 |
| or |
| GEOG111H |
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Physical Geography Laboratory - Honors |
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1 |
| GEOL101 |
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Introduction to Physical Geology |
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3 |
| GEOL111 |
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Physical Geology Laboratory |
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1 |
| GIS130 |
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Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) |
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3 |
| GIS131 |
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GIS Applications |
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3 |
| GIS133 |
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GIS Cartography and Base Map Development |
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3 |
| MATH108 |
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Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
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4 |
| MATH251 |
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Single Variable Calculus II |
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4 |
| PHYSIC150A |
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General Physics for the Life Sciences I |
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5 |
| PHYSIC150B |
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General Physics for the Life Sciences II |
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5 |
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| Total Units |
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28 - 32 |