Environmental Science

The Associate in Science in Environmental Science for Transfer degree is an interdisciplinary degree that combines social science, policy and human behavior with physical and biological sciences. The degree consists of earth sciences and economics with a focus on the environment. Students will learn how natural processes work with human behavior and resource use and how productive activities degrade the environment. The program will also emphasize environmental policy and regulation as it relates to pollution. The degree emphasizes enhancement of quantitative skills to be applied to environmental applications and decision making. Courses in biology, chemistry, geography, geology, and physics explain the Earth's processes. Courses in social science examine human impacts on the environment, resource use, and regulation. The mathematical tools learned in calculus and statistics provide a foundation for measuring environmental impacts. Upon completion of the Associate in Science in Environmental Science for Transfer, the students will be prepared for transfer to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Environmental Science or Environmental Studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Develop an interdisciplinary perspective on the Earth's natural processes by applying the scientific method to environmental issues.
2. Describe the role of humans' interaction with the environment through the use of natural resources and production.
3. Compare and contrast global environmental policy in the aim of correcting market failures related to the environment.
4. Explain how biological processes, such as water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles, source and sink functions, and population biology, affect resource use and sustainability.
5. Analyze environmental patterns related to Earth's physical processes and geography, such as energy, heat, minerals, fossil fuels, landscape, and climate.

Requirements

Associate Degree for Transfer Graduation Requirements

Associate Degrees for Transfer require students to meet the following requirements:

• Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of degree-applicable courses,
• Minimum overall grade point average of 2.0,
• Minimum grade of “C” (or “P”) for each course in the major, and
• Completion of Cal-GETC.

Students should consult a GWC counselor to select the best pathway to meet their educational goals. For students who intend to transfer, the choice of general education will be specific to both their major and transfer institution.