University Catalog 2016-2017

University of Colorado Boulder
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Environmental Studies

    The Environmental Studies program at CU-Boulder is a hub for facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration in environment and sustainability.  The program nurtures interdisciplinary academic training for undergraduate and graduate students, provides guidance for students with career aspirations in environment and sustainability venues, promotes diverse professional education experiences, fosters fundamental and applied research, forms meaningful connections with communities beyond the university, and integrates innovative, interdisciplinary programs unified by the themes of environment and sustainability. 

    To complete the ENVS major, students take foundational courses in sciences, policy, ethics, economics, writing, math, an internship or field course, a cornerstone course and a capstone course. Students take 12 credits of upper-division course work to specialize in an area of interest.

    See the program website at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/undergraduate-students/curriculum for details of the program requirements and current course offerings.

    Course code for this program is ENVS.

    Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

    Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies

    The interdisciplinary Environmental Studies major is administered through the Environmental Studies Program and draws courses from 16 departments and four colleges on the CU-Boulder campus. The major teaches the integration of science, policy, and values as applied to environmental issues. Students acquire an awareness of the complexity of factors relating to human interaction with the environment. They will become acutely aware that environmental problems have both human and biophysical components, and they gain knowledge of the general principles of human-environmental interaction, global habitability, environmental change, and sustainable human societies.

    To complete the ENVS major, students take foundational courses in sciences, policy, ethics, economics, writing, math, an internship or field course, a cornerstone course and a capstone course. Students take 12 credits of upper-division course work to specialize in an area of interest. See the program website at colorado.edu/envs/current-students/undergraduate-students/curriculum for details of the program requirements and current courses.

    Approved courses that fulfill the major requirements are listed on the Environmental Studies Program website at colorado.edu/envs/current-students/undergraduate-students/curriculum, and for current students see #1.

    1. Natural Sciences Requirements

    Purpose: Understand the scientific process in the natural sciences, understand how this process generates knowledge, and be able to apply the results of natural scientific research to problems and questions as they relate to what is broadly called the environment.

    • Introduction to Environmental Studies—4
    • Biology Sequence—complete one sequence and applicable labs(s)—7-8
    • Chemistry or Physics Course—complete one course and lab, if lab is corequisite—3-5
    • Earth Science Sequence—complete once sequence and associated lab(s)—7-8
    • Intermediate Natural Science—3-4

    2. Social Sciences Requirement

    Purpose: Develop a familiarity with the drivers of human actions regarding social-ecological systems.

    • Intermediate Social Science—3

    3. Values Requirements

    Purpose: Examine the economic drivers and the underlying moral beliefs, personal social ethics, principles, and theoretical commitments that might be informing environmental discourse and also driving human actions and decisions.

    • Introductory Economics—4
    • Intermediate Environmental or Natural Resource Economics—3
    • Environmental Ethics—3

    4. Policy Requirement

    Purpose: Learn to systematically analyze environmental problems and critically assess the ways in which public policies may help to address these problems. Students will learn a basic knowledge of existing environmental laws and policies and the processes through which environmental policies are made and implemented.

    • Intermediate Policy—3

    5. Math Requirement

    Purpose: Learn to use mathematical systems as a tool to quantify and understand complex issues and to use mathematical systems to help solve problems.

    • One approved course in Statistics or Calculus 1—3-5

    6. Writing Requirement

    Purpose: Develop an understanding of rhetorical situations in professional writing and be able to apply critical thinking skills when delivering or receiving information. Learn to frame a problem and develop an idea from knowledge based on research

    • Advanced Writing in Environmental Studies—3

    7. Application Requirement

    Purpose: Acquire practical and “hands-on” experience applying knowledge and skills outside the classroom. Improve the ability to integrate the knowledge and skills taught in the ENVS major and emphasize their real-world applications.

    • One approved course—2-5

    8. Cornerstone Requirement

    Purpose: A foundation course to synthesize lower-division environmental science, policy and values courses into a cohesive knowledge base to prepare students for specialization and capstone courses.

    • Complete Environmental Studies Cornerstone course—3

    9. Specialization Requirement

    Purpose: Allow upper-division students to focus on one aspect of environmental studies to develop a deeper understanding. To explore suggested focus areas and learn how to select courses that align with a student’s interests, see the ENVS Guidance Documents at: colorado.edu/envs/current-students/undergraduate-students/curriculum/guidance-documents.

    • Complete a minimum of 12 credits from the approved list Environmental Studies specialization courses—12

    10. Capstone Requirement

    The capstone requirement provides an opportunity for students to pursue intellectual integration of the multiple scientific disciplines and allows students to demonstrate competence in integrative analysis and problem solving.

    • Complete one Environmental Studies capstone course—3

    Graduate Degree Program(s)

    Graduate Study in Environmental Studies

    Opportunities for interdisciplinary graduate studies and original research, leading to the MS and PhD degrees, are available with a variety of emphases, including sciences, policy and values and theory. Particular programs of study are limited only by course offerings and faculty expertise. A Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy and Society is also available (see below).

    For updated information, consult the website at www.colorado.edu/envs/prospective-students/graduate-students.

    Master’s Degree

    Candidates for the master’s degree in environmental studies must complete at least 36 credit hours of graduate course work. Beginning in 2016, only the thesis (Plan I) option is available. Plan I requires that the student write and successfully defend a thesis for 6 research credits. Additional information can be found at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/graduate-students/degree-programs/masters-degree.

    Doctoral Degree

    The PhD degree is a research degree, involving the production of a major piece of original research (the dissertation). Candidates for the doctoral degree must complete at least 32 degree-hours from a list of approved ENVS core and elective courses. In addition, 30 semester hours of dissertation credit must be taken. Students are expected to form an advisory committee of five faculty members (including one from outside ENVS) soon after beginning their studies. This committee helps the student in designing a research program and in making choices concerning course work. The PhD comprehensive exam is administered by the student dissertation committee and must be taken within the first five semesters of degree work. It consists of a written research proposal on the dissertation topic, a formal presentation summarizing the student research progress, and an oral examination centered on the student research. Upon the student completion of the dissertation, a final examination is administered by the dissertation committee.

    Additional information may be found at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/graduate-students/degree-programs/phd-programs.

    Masters of the Environment

    The Master of the Environment (MENV) is a professional master’s degree program that is administered by the Environmental Studies Program, but partners with units and disciplines across the Boulder campus including the Environmental Design Program, Colorado Law, the Leeds School of Business, and the Department of Economics, and in the community. It is a 17-month, cohort-based, in-residence professional degree program designed for new or early career professionals. MENV is grounded in a core curriculum that emphasizes systems thinking and collaborative leadership in coupled human and natural systems. The program focuses on applications and problem-solving and has five parts: (1) the core curriculum, (2) a choice of topical specializations that are supported by (3) skills and techniques courses, (4) electives, and (5) a capstone project. Throughout the program, students will develop and hone their skills and leadership capacities through workshops, peer-to-peer mentoring, professional skills courses, the capstone project, and other “real-world” opportunities through partnerships with outside firms, agencies and organizations. Students will become conversant in the language, knowledge, techniques and methodologies of various disciplines while developing general analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and the adaptability that is indispensable to professional success. MENV will provide a foundation of multidisciplinary knowledge and communication and analytical skills that will enable students to address increasingly complex environmental and related social problems.

    Degree and application information may be found at colorado.edu/menv.

    Dual Degree Programs

    MS/MBA

    This is a dual degree program offered in conjunction with the Leeds School of Business. It requires 36 hours of graduate work in environmental studies and 43 hours of MBA course work (with 12 hours of environmental studies course work applying toward the required 55 credits for the MBA). The MBA program will be considered the student’s primary program. Additional information is available at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/graduate-students/degree-programs/dual-degrees/envsbusiness.

    MS/JD or PhD/JD

    This is a dual degree program offered in conjunction with the Law School. The Law School will grant credit for acceptable performance in graduate-level environmental studies courses toward the JD degree for up to 9 (for MS students) or 12 (for PhD students) credit hours of the required 89 credits for the JD degree. Environmental studies will grant up to 9 (for MS students) or 12 (for PhD students) credit hours of acceptable performance in law courses. The JD program will be considered the student’s primary program. Additional information is available at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/graduate-students/degree-programs/dual-degrees/envslaw. 

    Certificate Program(s)

    Certificate in Renewable and Sustainable Energy (RSE)

    This undergraduate certificate program is intended to supplement, not replace, undergraduate students' degree programs. Graduates from this certificate program—regardless of their undergraduate major—will have a strong understanding of energy science and technologies, energy alternatives, energy markets and business and energy policy. They will be well-prepared to apply their disciplinary knowledge to the energy challenge. This certificate provides a broad exposure to energy issues, with an emphasis on renewable and sustainable energy. Required course work on energy science and technology, policy and economics; coupled with electives on energy and environment, journalism, ethics and other topics, give students the skills and knowledge to tackle society's pressing energy problems. Solving society's energy-related problems is not just a technical challenge. It will require contributions from law, business, humanities, journalism and other disciplines as well.  

    In order to earn the certificate, students must apply to and be accepted into the program. The certificate program requires 18 hours of coursework: 9 for core courses, and 9 for electives.

    Required:

    • ENVS/PHYS 3070 Energy and the Environment provides an understanding of energy science and technology: resources, units of measurement, physical principles and limits, conversion technologies and environmental impacts.
    • ENVS 3621 Energy Policy and Society provides an understanding of energy politics, policy and economics: how society makes decisions about energy, what are the policy tools that can influence energy use and how do they work, how stakeholders interact to yield energy policy decisions.
    • ENST 4150 Energy Policy is a projects course, in which students’ energy knowledge is applied to a specific energy challenge or problem.

    These core courses are followed by electives, which allow students to focus on specific areas that are of interest. These electives are varied, however they all share a focus on energy.

    Students must take an additional 9 credits of qualifying electives.

    For more information, visit colorado.edu/ses/prospective-students/degrees/certificates/renewable-and-sustainable-energy/undergraduate-rse-program.

    Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy and Society

    In order to understand contemporary environmental issues, today’s scholars must transcend historical academic disciplinary boundaries. Indeed, complex issues related to energy, climate change, species preservation and air and water quality are best addressed by valuing insights from multiple perspectives. The Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy, and Society allows students the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary exploration of these contemporary environmental problems by drawing from courses across a wide range of social science disciplines.

    The certificate curriculum incorporates courses from many departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, including anthropology, biology, economics, geography, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology. In addition, pertinent courses are available in the Program in Environmental Design, the Leeds School of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, CMCI and the School of Law.

    Tracks are available in:

    • Environment and Society
    • Environmental Policy
    • Energy and Society
    • Water and Society

    Students will be expected to complete the interdisciplinary cornerstone course, an integrative capstone course and 9–12 hours from the menu of courses available for each track.

    Admission to the certificate program is open to students in any regular graduate degree program at the University of Colorado. A limited number of individuals already holding master’s or doctoral degrees from other institutions may be admitted, provided they meet the normal admission requirements of a participating department.

    To receive the certificate, students must complete 18 hours of approved course work, including 6 hours of cornerstone/capstone seminars. At least 12 of the 18 hours must be in courses outside the department in which the student is currently enrolled. The certificate is awarded to recognize the additional coursework beyond that required for the student’s regular degree program. Hence, transfer credit for courses taken elsewhere may not be counted toward certificate requirements.

    For more information, please consult the Environmental Studies Program website at www.colorado.edu/envs/current-students/graduate-students/environment-policy-and-society-certificate.

    Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Policy 

    The graduate certificate in science and technology policy is a rigorous educational program to prepare students pursuing graduate degrees for careers at the interface of science, technology and decision making. Past recipients of the certificate have gone on to positions in the U.S. Congress, academia, NOAA and other policy relevant positions. Students come from such graduate programs as aerospace engineering, atmospheric and oceanic sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, civil engineering, environmental studies, geography, journalism and mechanical engineering. Students enrolled receive either a master’s or doctoral degree in their department and a certificate in science and technology policy. Each year, the certificate program will begin with a capped enrollment of 18 students per cohort. These 18 students will take three required courses:

    • ENVS 5100 Science and Technology Policy 
    • ENVS 5110 Science, Technology and Society Studies 
    • ENVS 5120 Quantitative Methods of Policy Analysis 

    In addition to the above three required courses students are also required to take three additional courses from a list of approved electives. For a list of all required courses and electives see sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/stcert/curriculum/courses.html. Successful completion of the certificate program requires the completion of 18 hours of course work (or course work plus internship credit). 

    For more information, visit sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/stcert.