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The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science is a broad, science-based curriculum designed to prepare students for a variety of environmentally-related technical careers, as well as for graduate programs in environmental and allied fields. The program requires 192 credit hours and draws upon the faculty and resources of several departments. Majors take core courses in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Mathematics, and Physics, advanced study in Environmental Science and five university-wide electives.

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Liberal Studies Requirements 76
Major Requirements 96
Open Electives 20
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Discuss how the four spheres of the natural world (biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere) are interconnected for a given environmental issue.
  • Demonstrate how humans impact the natural world and how the natural world impacts humans, including in the context of social and environmental justice.
  • Critically evaluate the science behind complex environmental problems that humans currently face both locally and globally.
  • Design and conduct a scientific investigation using appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data and communicate results in oral and written form.

College Core Requirements

Modern Language Requirements

Students who intend to graduate with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. Such competence may be demonstrated in one of several ways:

  • completing the last course in the fourth-year high school sequence of any language
  • completing the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language
  • completing a college course beyond the first-year level in any language
  • achieving a satisfactory score on any of the Modern Language placement examinations administered at DePaul
  • achieving a satisfactory rating in a proficiency examination accepted by DePaul
  • achieving a score of 3 or higher on the Advance Placement (AP) test for any language
  • achieving a score of 5 or higher in the Language B assessment from a Standard or Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) program
  • achieving a satisfactory score on the CLEP examination

Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement.

For further information regarding satisfactory scores and possible credit from the DePaul placement, AP, CLEP, or IB examinations, please contact Student Records.

Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College of Science and Health will abide by the College of Science and Health Modern Language Requirement in place on the effective date of the ICT.

BA students who meet College requirements and wish to pursue further work in the language may elect the “Modern Language Option” of the Liberal Studies Program. While Bachelor of Science (BS) students are not required to demonstrate competency in a modern language, the “Modern Language Option” is available to them for language study at any level. Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.

Major Declaration Requirements

All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year. After researching College programs, the student should declare a major field by visiting Campus Connection and using the Declarations and Inter-College Transfer tool. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor or staff advisor in the department or program and should make an appointment to see that advisor at his or her earliest convenience.

To change major fields, or to declare a minor or concentration, the student must use the Declarations and Inter-College Transfer tool described above. However, for the purpose of exploring the possibility of changing a major field, the student should consult an academic advisor in the College or an academic advisor in the Office for Academic Advising Support.

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
Not Required
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
ENV 350 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND STUDIES CAPSTONE 1,2 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Students with a primary major in Environmental Science are required to complete the Capstone offered by the Environmental Science department. Students double majoring or pursuing dual degrees with the primary major or primary degree in Environmental Science are required to complete the Capstone offered by the Environmental Science department. Environmental Science students in the University Honors Program shall take the University Honors Capstone. They are not expected to take both the Honors Capstone and the primary major or primary degree Capstone.​

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  •  3 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required 

Math and Computing (MC)

  • Not Required

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • Not Required

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 3 Courses Required

Notes

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. (Courses in the range 150-199 are exceptions to this rule.) If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Students are advised to talk with their advisor before double majoring, because some major combinations are prohibited. No more than 50% of the credits that apply to one major may be drawn from another major.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Course Title Quarter Hours
ENV 250APPLIED ECOLOGY4
or BIO 215 ECOLOGY
ENV 216EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE4
ENV 217HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT4
ENV 260ENVIRONMENTAL DATA ANALYSIS4
or BIO 206 BIOSTATISTICS
ENV 294SECOND YEAR SEMINAR2
ENV 360RESEARCH METHODS4
ENV 362SENIOR THESIS2
ENV 350ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND STUDIES CAPSTONE (Liberal Studies Program Capstone) 14
Select three of the following:12
PLANT IDENTIFICATION (WITH LAB)
ANIMAL DIVERSITY
ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE (WITH LAB)
PLANT ECOLOGY (WITH LAB)
CHEMISTRY OF EARTH SYSTEMS (WITH LAB)
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (WITH LAB)
ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY (WITH LAB)
URBAN ECOLOGY (WITH LAB)
URBAN FORESTS AS SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (WITH LAB)
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
ADVANCED ENVIRONMENTAL DATA ANALYSIS WITH R
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2
BIO 191GENERAL BIOLOGY I FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
BIO 192GENERAL BIOLOGY II FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
BIO 193GENERAL BIOLOGY III FOR SCIENCE MAJORS4
Select one of the following:4-6
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY
GENERAL CHEMISTRY IP
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY
Select one of the following:4-6
GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
GENERAL CHEMISTRY IIP
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
CHE 134
CHE 135
GENERAL CHEMISTRY III
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY III
4
Select one of the following:4-6
CALCULUS WITH INTEGRATED PRECALCULUS I
CALCULUS I
CALCULUS FOR LIFE SCIENCES I
Select one of the following:4-6
CALCULUS WITH INTEGRATED PRECALCULUS II
CALCULUS II
CALCULUS FOR LIFE SCIENCES II
Select one of the following:4-6
CALCULUS WITH INTEGRATED PRECALCULUS III
CALCULUS III
CALCULUS III WITH DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Alternatively, to complete the calculus sequence, select both of the following:
SUMMER CALCULUS I
SUMMER CALCULUS II
PHY 150GENERAL PHYSICS I4
PHY 151GENERAL PHYSICS II4
PHY 152GENERAL PHYSICS III4
Select three courses from within one discipline in consultation with your advisor:12
Biology
MICROBIOLOGY
EVOLUTION
GENETICS
TOPICS IN ECOLOGY
AQUATIC BIOLOGY
FIELD STUDIES IN MARINE AND ESTUARINE BIOLOGY
MOLECULAR METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Chemistry
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY III
and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY III
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
and ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
and ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
SOLID WASTE CHEMISTRY
and SOLID WASTE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
BIOCHEMISTRY I
and EXPERIMENTAL BIOCHEMISTRY I
Geography (GIS)
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS I: DIGITAL MAPPING
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS II: COMMUNITY GIS
EARTH OBSERVATION
EARTH OBSERVATION II
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS III: SPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
1

Students in the University Honors Program and students with a double major may be required to take a different Capstone. If this is the case, they may choose to substitute ENV 350 as one of their required 300-level ENV courses or as an open elective.

2

Each quarter one or more versions of ENV 390 are offered. Some might be applicable to your major requirements.  Please contact your advisor for details.

Environmental Science (BS) students are not eligible to earn a double major in Environmental Studies (BA)

Open Electives

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.