Minor in Environmental Studies
This is an interdisciplinary program that integrates the natural and physical sciences with the social sciences and humanities to study current environmental problems resulting from human population growth, global climate change, overuse of natural resources, pollution and biodiversity loss. A minimum 18 hours are required, 9 of which must be in the natural and physical sciences, including the listed Honors College courses, and 9 must be from the social sciences and humanities. Both BIOL 1202 (Environmental Biology) and POL SCI 3480 Environmental Politics must be completed as part of the total 18 hours. A total of 12 hours must be taken at or above the 2000 level, with one additional course at or above the 3000 level besides POL SCI 3480. At least 9 hours must be taken while in residence at UMSL. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required.
| ANTHRO 1005 | Introduction to Biological Anthropology | 4 |
| ANTHRO 2126 | Archaeology Of Greater St Louis | 3 |
| ANTHRO 3228 | People and Plants | 3 |
| ANTHRO 3232 | Environmental Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 3270 | Human Ecology, Cultural Collapse, and Sustainable Developments | 3 |
| BIOL 1202 | Environmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1821 | Introductory Biology: Organisms and the Environment (MOTR BIOL 150L) | 5 |
| BIOL 2102 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 2103 | General Ecology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 2501 | Biology of Plants | 5 |
| BIOL 3202 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 3203 | Conservation Biology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 3302 | Introduction to Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 4102 | Behavioral Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 4192 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems | 5 |
| BIOL 4222 | Tropical Ecology and Conservation | 3 |
| BIOL 4245 | Field Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 4270 | Global Climate Change | 3 |
| BIOL 4402 | Ornithology | 3 |
| BIOL 4403 | Ornithology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 4422 | Entomology | 3 |
| BIOL 4423 | Entomology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 4501 | Flowering Plant Families: Phylogeny and Diversification | 5 |
| ECON 3500 | The Economics of Government Spending and Taxation | 3 |
| ECON 4160 | Geospatial Analysis in the Social Sciences | 3 |
| ECON 4170 | Fundamentals of Cost-Benefit Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 4550 | Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
| GEOL 1002 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| HONORS 2050 | Inquiries in the Natural Sciences | 1-3 |
| HONORS 2051 | Inquiries in the Sciences: Laboratory or Field Work | 1 |
| INTL BUS 4281 | Entrepreneurship in the Global Environment | 3 |
| PHIL 2255 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| POL SCI 3480 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POL SCI 3595 | Studies in Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POL SCI 3850 | International Organizations and Global Problem-Solving | 3 |
| POL SCI 3900 | Special Readings | 1-10 |
Learning Outcomes
Foundational Knowledge
Students obtaining a minor in environmental studies will be able to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines including natural sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and economics as they pertain to environmental issues and policies.
Practical skills and problem solving
Students earning a minor in environmental studies will be able to appreciate the biological methods and applications to solving environmental issues while recognizing the cultural and ethical context of environmental issues. Moreover, the minor will be able to reflect on his or her contribution as a citizen and consumer to global environmental issues.