COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies at the University at Albany is an interdisciplinary program designed to give students a strong scientific foundation while also helping them understand how environmental issues connect to society, policy, and human behavior. The program requires 68–69 credits and is structured to provide both breadth and flexibility, allowing students to tailor their studies to their academic interests and career goals. Students begin by building core knowledge through courses in environmental science, including Introduction to Environmental Science with lab, Sustainable Development: Energy and Resources, and other key topics such as environmental history, environmental planning, global environmental issues, and air quality or Adirondack environmental studies. A strong science foundation is developed through coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, atmospheric science, and ocean science, along with mathematics and statistics, ensuring students are equipped to understand complex environmental systems. The program also integrates social science perspectives, allowing students to choose courses in public policy, political science, economics, or human geography to better understand how environmental decisions are shaped by society and government. In addition, students complete 15 credits of electives that allow deeper exploration of specialized areas such as environmental ethics, climate change policy, remote sensing, ecology, sustainable engineering, internships, and fieldwork experiences. This interdisciplinary structure enables students to analyze environmental problems from scientific, social, and policy perspectives. Overall, the program prepares graduates for careers in environmental science, planning, policy, sustainability, and research, as well as for advanced study in environmental and related fields.