Students can focus on a wide array of environmental policy issues such as pollution abatement, natural resource management, sustainability, and climate change. For students interested in non-profit organizations, research think tanks, consulting firms, government, and international organizations.
Catalog Year: 2020-2021
The BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies is a joint program between the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Science.
This degree provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of three aspects of environmental and sustainability studies: people, prosperity, and planet. In addition to required core courses, students develop more in-depth knowledge in their choice of concentration. This degree prepares students for employment and graduate study in fields related to social justice, business and public policy, and environmental protection as they relate to the environment and sustainability.
This is a Green Leaf program.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.
Total credits: minimum 120
This is a Green Leaf program.
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Of the credits required for this degree, 14 credits simultaneously fulfill core requirements for the major and Mason Core requirements, and, depending on the concentration and electives chosen, up to 9 credits may simultaneously fulfill Mason Core requirements and college BA requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Science and Society | ||
| EVPP 377 | Applied Ecology | 3 |
| And completion of one of the following sequences: | 11-12 | |
|
EVPP 108& EVPP 109& EVPP 112& EVPP 113& EVPP 336
|
Ecosphere - Introduction to Environmental Science I-Lecture (Mason Core) and Ecosphere- Introduction to Environmental Science I- Lab (Mason Core) and Ecosphere: Introduction to Environmental Science II-Lecture (Mason Core) and Ecosphere: Introduction to Environmental Science II–Lab (Mason Core) and Human Dimensions of the Environment |
|
| or | ||
|
EVPP 201& EVPP 301& EVPP 302
|
Environment and You: Issues for the Twenty-First Century (Mason Core) and Environmental Science: Biological Diversity and Ecosystems and Environmental Science: Biomes and Human Dimensions |
|
| Individual and Group Behavior | ||
| INTS 334 | Environmental Justice (Mason Core) | 4 |
| Business and Public Policy | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Economics for the Citizen (Mason Core) | ||
| Contemporary Microeconomic Principles (Mason Core) | ||
| Environmental Economics for the Citizen (Mason Core) | ||
| EVPP 322 | Business and Sustainability | 3 |
| EVPP 361 | Introduction to Environmental Policy 1 | 3 |
| or GOVT 361 | Introduction to Environmental Policy | |
| Statistics | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (Mason Core) | ||
|
BIOL 214
|
Biostatistics for Biology Majors | |
|
STAT 250
|
Introductory Statistics I (Mason Core) | |
| Integration, Analysis, Innovation | ||
| INTS 210 | Sustainable World (Mason Core) | 4 |
| EVPP 480 | Sustainability in Action (Mason Core) | 4 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| International Internship (minimum of 3 credits required) | ||
| Field-Based Work (minimum of 3 credits required) | ||
| Field-Based Work (minimum of 3 credits required) | ||
| Internship (minimum of 3 credits required) | ||
|
EVPP 395
|
Undergraduate Research in Environmental Science and Policy (minimum of 3 credits required) | |
|
EVPP 494
|
Internship (minimum of 3 credits required) | |
| Total Credits | 41-43 | |
| 1 |
Satisfies the college BA requirement for social and behavioral science. |
The requirements for this concentration satisfy the Mason Core requirement in social and behavioral science (ECON 104 Contemporary Macroeconomic Principles (Mason Core)) and, depending on the elective chosen, may fulfill the college BA requirement in non-Western culture (ECON 362 African Economic Development (Mason Core)).
Completion of these courses will satisfy the Mason Core social and behavioral science requirement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EVPP 338 | Economics of Environmental Policy | 3 |
| EVPP 362 | Intermediate Environmental Policy | 3 |
| or GOVT 362 | Intermediate Environmental Policy | |
| GOVT 351 | Administration in the Political System | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of nine credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Politics and the Mass Media | ||
|
CONF 340
|
Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution (Mason Core) | |
| Contemporary Microeconomic Principles (Mason Core) (if not used to meet the Business and Public Policy core requirement) | ||
| Contemporary Macroeconomic Principles (Mason Core) | ||
| Intermediate Microeconomics | ||
| Intermediate Macroeconomics | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Introduction to Econometrics | ||
| Economics of Developing Areas (Mason Core) | ||
| Game Theory and Economics of Institutions | ||
|
EVPP 337
|
Environmental Policy Making in Developing Countries | |
|
EVPP 396
|
Directed Topic in Environmental Science and Policy | |
|
EVPP 401
|
lntegrated Environmental Assessment | |
|
EVPP 432
|
Energy Policy | |
|
GEOL 420
|
Earth Science and Policy (Mason Core) | |
|
GGS 305
|
Economic Geography | |
|
GGS 307
|
Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development | |
|
GOVT 307
|
Legislative Behavior | |
|
GOVT 343
|
International Political Economy | |
|
GOVT 357
|
Urban Planning | |
|
GOVT 364
|
Public Policy Making | |
|
GOVT 452
|
Administrative Law and Procedures | |
|
GOVT 464
|
Issues in Public Policy and Administration | |
| The Nonprofit Sector (Mason Core) | ||
| Food Systems and Policy (Mason Core) | ||
|
USST 301
|
Urban Growth in a Shrinking World | |
|
EVPP 490
|
Special Topics in Environmental Science and Policy (when topic is relevant with approval) | |
|
EVPP 505
|
Selected Topics in Environmental Science (when topic is relevant with approval) | |
| Special Topics (when topic is relevant with approval) | ||
| Special Topics (when topic is relevant with approval) | ||
|
Other course work with advisor approval
|
||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated as "writing intensive" in their major at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in environmental and sustainability studies should consult an advisor to learn how to fulfill this requirement.
Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.
Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.
In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
|
PHIL 1
|
||
| 1 |
Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:
|
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement) 1 | 3 | |
| ANTH | ||
| CRIM | ||
| ECON | ||
| GOVT | ||
| HIST 2 | ||
| LING | ||
| PSYC | ||
| SOCI | ||
| Or choose from the following GGS courses: | ||
|
GGS 101
|
Major World Regions | |
|
GGS 103
|
Human Geography (Mason Core) | |
|
GGS 110
|
Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies | |
|
GGS 301
|
Political Geography | |
|
GGS 303
|
Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core) | |
|
GGS 304
|
Population Geography (Mason Core) | |
|
GGS 305
|
Economic Geography | |
|
GGS 306
|
Urban Geography | |
|
GGS 315
|
Geography of the United States | |
|
GGS 316
|
Geography of Latin America | |
|
GGS 320
|
Geography of Europe | |
|
GGS 325
|
Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | |
|
GGS 330
|
Geography of the Soviet Succession States | |
|
GGS 357
|
Urban Planning | |
|
GGS 380
|
Geography of Virginia | |
| 1 |
The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. |
| 2 |
HIST 100 History of Western Civilization (Mason Core) and HIST 125 Introduction to World History (Mason Core) may not be used to fulfill this requirement. |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by: 1 | ||
|
Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test
|
||
|
Or completing the following ASL three course sequence:
|
||
|
EDSE 115
|
American Sign Language (ASL) I | |
|
EDSE 116
|
American Sign Language (ASL) II | |
|
EDSE 219
|
American Sign Language (ASL) III | |
| 1 |
Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. |
Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits (additional to Mason Core Global Understanding requirement) 1 | ||
| ANTH 114 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 300 | Civilizations | 3 |
| ANTH 302 | Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 307 | Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 308 | Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 309 | Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 313 | Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 314 | Zombies | 3 |
| ANTH 330 | Peoples and Cultures of Selected Regions: Non-Western | 3 |
| ANTH 332 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 381 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 396 | Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARAB 360 | Topics in Arabic Cultural Production | 3 |
| ARAB 420 | Survey of Arabic Literature | 3 |
| ARAB 440 | Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 203 | Survey of Asian Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 204 | Survey of Latin American Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 206 | Survey of African Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 318 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | 3 |
| ARTH 319 | Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 320 | Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 382 | Arts of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 383 | Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 384 | Arts of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 385 | Arts of Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 386 | The Silk Road (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 482 | RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art | 3 |
| CHIN 318 | Introduction to Classical Chinese (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 320 | Contemporary Chinese Film | 3 |
| CHIN 325 | Major Chinese Writers (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 470 | Special Topics in Chinese Studies | 3 |
| DANC 118 | World Dance (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 361 | Economic Development of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 362 | African Economic Development (Mason Core) | 3 |
| FREN 451 | Topics in Sub-Saharan Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
| FREN 454 | Topics in Caribbean Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
| GGS 316 | Geography of Latin America | 3 |
| GGS 325 | Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | 3 |
| GGS 330 | Geography of the Soviet Succession States | 3 |
| GGS 399 | Select Topics in GGS | 3 |
| GOVT 328 | Global Political Theory | 3 |
| GOVT 332 | Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3 |
| GOVT 333 | Government and Politics of Asia | 3 |
| GOVT 338 | Government and Politics of Russia | 3 |
| GOVT 340 | Central Asian Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 341 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 3 |
| GOVT 345 | Islam and Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 433 | Political Economy of East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 251 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 252 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 261 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 262 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 271 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 272 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 281 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 282 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 326 | Stalinism | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Soviet Union and Russia Since World War II | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Rise of Russia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Modern Russia and the Soviet Union (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Traditional China | 3 |
| HIST 354 | Modern China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 356 | Modern Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Postwar Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 358 | Post-1949 China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 360 | History of South Africa (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Revolution and Radical Politics in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 365 | Conquest and Colonization in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 366 | Comparative Slavery | 3 |
| HIST 367 | History, Fiction, and Film in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 387 | Topics in Global History (Mason Core) | 3-6 |
| HIST 426 | The Russian Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 460 | Modern Iran (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 461 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| HIST 462 | Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 465 | The Middle East in the 20th Century | 3 |
| JAPA 310 | Japanese Culture in a Global World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| JAPA 340 | Topics in Japanese Literature (Mason Core) | 3 |
| KORE 320 | Korean Popular Culture in a Global World | 3 |
| MUSI 103 | Musics of the World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 211 | Religions of the West (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 212 | Religions of Asia | 3 |
| RELI 240 | Death and the Afterlife in World Religions | 3 |
| RELI 272 | Islam | 3 |
| RELI 313 | Hinduism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 314 | Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 315 | Buddhism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 337 | Mysticism: East and West | 3 |
| RELI 365 | Muhammad: Life and Legacy | 3 |
| RELI 374 | Islamic Thought (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 375 | Qur'an and Hadith | 3 |
| RELI 379 | Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics | 3 |
| RELI 387 | Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights | 3 |
| RELI 490 | Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 353 | Russian Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 354 | Contemporary Post-Soviet Life (Mason Core) | 3 |
| 1 |
A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. |
Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Requirements | ||
| Written Communication (ENGH 101) | 3 | |
| Oral Communication | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Information Technology and Computing | 3 | |
| Exploration Requirements | ||
| Arts | 3 | |
| Global Understanding | 3 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| Natural Science | 7 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Western Civilization/World History | 3 | |
| Integration Requirements | ||
| Written Communications (ENGH 302) | 3 | |
| Writing-Intensive 1 | 3 | |
| Synthesis/Capstone 2 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
| 1 |
Most programs include the writing-intensive course designated for the major as part of the major requirements; this course is therefore not counted towards the total required for Mason Core. |
| 2 |
Minimum 3 credits required. |