Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The BS in Environmental Management and Protection (ENVM) is an interdisciplinary course of study integrating the biophysical and social/economic/political sciences in sustainable natural resource management, protection, and conservation. The curriculum emphasizes an understanding of ecosystem structures and functions, sustainable management of natural systems, and the human and policy dimensions of global change. The major provides students with an integrated science and management background that enables systems-thinking, complex problem solving, and discovery of innovative solutions in a time of rapid environmental change.
Since environmental problems arise from human demands and stresses on the environment, solutions must focus on the human dimension of ecosystems. Thus, environmental management is the management of both people and resources to attain human goals while protecting environmental values in order to sustain natural systems. Knowledge of the social and political dimensions are balanced with study of economic and ecological theories applied to solving conflicts over environmental uses and impacts.
Graduates are prepared for a broad range of professional careers in land conservation and protection, environmental policy, environmental consulting, sustainability science and management, life cycle analysis, environmental planning, environmental assessment and impact analysis, water resources, climate change analyst, environmental health and safety, and natural resource management and stewardship.
The Environmental Management and Protection major is endorsed and supported by the California Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP), a professional association representing the full range of environmental professions in both private and public sectors.
In addition to the required major courses, students select courses from one of the following concentrations.
Concentrations
Conservation Science and Management
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop a foundation in conservation science and management. By addressing topics such as biodiversity, conservation policies, habitat management, threats to ecosystems, community engagement, and conservation planning, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to the effective conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. Potential career fields related to this concentration include conservation scientist, park ranger, wildlife biologist and environmental consultant.
Corporate Environmental Management
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop knowledge and skills necessary for effective corporate environmental management. By addressing topics such as legal compliance, risk assessment, sustainability integration, stakeholder engagement, and resource management, students will be equipped to navigate the complex challenges and opportunities associated with environmental management in corporate settings. Potential career fields related to this concentration include environmental consultant, sustainability analyst, green marketing, environmental risk assessment, corporate sustainability reporting, and environmental policy analysis.
Environmental Data Science
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to develop an understanding of environmental data science. By addressing topics such as data collection, analysis, visualization, ethics, and interdisciplinary applications, students will gain the necessary expertise to leverage data science techniques and tools for understanding and addressing environmental challenges. Potential career fields related to this concentration include geospatial analyst, environmental technician, risk analyst, and environmental consulting.
Environmental Law, Justice and Policy
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop an understanding of environmental law, justice, and policy. By exploring the foundations of environmental law, analyzing its impact on justice and society, and examining emerging challenges, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate environmental policies and advocate for sustainable and equitable solutions. Potential career fields related to this concentration include lawyer, policy analyst, consultant, non-governmental organization advocate and sustainability manager.
Sustainable Agriculture
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and practice sustainable agriculture. By addressing topics such as agroecology, regenerative farming, crop production, livestock management, food systems, soil and nutrient management, pest and disease management, policy and governance, and economic and social aspects, students will gain a holistic understanding of sustainable agriculture and be equipped to contribute to the transformation of our food systems towards greater sustainability. Potential career fields related to this concentration include food system educators, organic farm managers, urban farmers, and agricultural researchers.
Sustainable Urban Development and Planning
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and contribute to sustainable urban development. By addressing topics such as urban planning, transportation, energy, water, waste management, social equity, governance, resilience, and economic aspects, students will gain a holistic understanding of sustainable urban development and be equipped to contribute to the creation of more sustainable and livable cities. Potential career fields related to this concentration include urban planner, environmental consultant, policy analyst and green building consultant.
Water Science and Management
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration provides a framework for students to develop an understanding of water science and management. By addressing topics such as hydrological processes, water quality, governance frameworks, climate change impacts, watershed management, and social considerations, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to effective water resource management and sustainable water practices. Potential career fields related to this concentration include water resources scientist, hydrologists, water quality specialist, water policy analyst, and environmental planner.
Program Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate critical-thinking problem-solving skills.
- Communicate environmental management principles and research findings effectively and professionally to diverse audiences.
- Integrate and apply technical knowledge in the following areas: ecology and biology; measurement of natural resource parameters; management and protection of natural resources; social, economic, and political aspects of natural resources management.
- Demonstrate proficiency in quantitative skills and information management specific to environmental management and protection.
- Demonstrate an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities as sustainability managers, environmental managers, natural resources managers, forest managers, including respect for diversity.
- Implement life-long learning habits by exposing students to the discovery process of applied research and demonstration projects conducted by environmental science and management faculty.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section for this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major, Support or Concentration courses may be selected as credit/no credit. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| NR 1142 | Environmental Management | 4 |
| NR/LA 2218 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 |
| NR 3363 | Career Preparation and Practices in Natural Resources Fields | 2 |
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Dendrology | ||
| Biodiversity of California | ||
| Wildlife Conservation Biology | ||
| Select from the following: | 4 | |
| Agroecology | ||
| Forest and Fire Ecology | ||
| Natural Resource Ecology and Habitat Management | ||
| Select from the following: (Upper-Division 4) 1 | 3-4 | |
| Fire and Society | ||
| Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management | ||
| Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food Systems | ||
| Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement | ||
| Conflict Management in Natural Resources | ||
| Select from the following: (Upper-Division 2/5) 1 | 3-4 | |
| Global Climate Change | ||
| Plants, People and Civilization | ||
| Energy for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Introduction to Air Pollution | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Watershed Processes and Management and Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Forest Health and Disturbance Ecology | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Soil Morphology | ||
| Soil Erosion and Water Conservation | ||
| Select from the following: | 2-4 | |
| Natural Resources Economics and Valuation | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Select from the following: | 4 | |
| Environmental Law | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management | ||
| Leadership Seminar on Issues Affecting California Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Senior Project - Watershed Assessment and Protection | ||
| Senior Project - Applied Resource Analysis and Assessment | ||
| Senior Project - Ecological Restoration | ||
| Senior Project - Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Senior Project - Ecosystem Management | ||
| Concentration | ||
| (See list of Concentrations below) 2 | 15-19 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| Select from the following: (5B & 5C) 1 | 4 | |
| General Biology and Biology Laboratory for Non-Majors | ||
| Life: History and Diversity | ||
| Life: Molecules and Cells | ||
| BIO 1114 | Plant Diversity and Ecology | 4 |
| or BOT 1121 | General Botany | |
| Select from the following: (5A) 1 | 4 | |
| Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemical Reactivity | ||
| Select from the following: (2) 1 | 3-4 | |
| Calculus for Data Science I | ||
| Business Calculus | ||
| SS 1120 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 |
| STAT 1110 | Applied Statistical Concepts and Methods | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 27 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 3, 4 | 11-22 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in a concentration.
- 3
- If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- 4
Free Electives may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the required minimum of 40 units of upper-division courses.
Concentrations
Conservation Science and Management
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Principles of Rangeland Management | ||
| Rangeland Improvements | ||
| Principles of Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| General Entomology | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Wildlife Ecology | ||
| Principles of Conservation Biology | ||
| Principles of Genetics | ||
| Evolution | ||
| Behavioral Ecology | ||
| Population and Community Ecology | ||
| Wildlife Management | ||
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Field Botany: California Plant Diversity | ||
| Soil Erosion and Water Conservation | ||
| Introduction to Forest Ecosystem Management | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management and Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Forest Health and Disturbance Ecology | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Principles of Plant Sciences and Principles of Plant Sciences Lab | ||
| Plant Propagation | ||
| Introduction to Fruit Crop Production | ||
| California Row Crop Production | ||
| Basic Viticulture | ||
| Soil Morphology | ||
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Corporate Environmental Management
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Cal Poly Land: Nature, Technology, and Society | ||
| Introduction to Entrepreneurship | ||
| Leadership and Organizations | ||
| Solving Big World Challenges | ||
| Survey of Economics | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| The Economics of Equity and Social Welfare | ||
| Corporate Communication | ||
| Engineering for the Environment | ||
| Packaging Fundamentals | ||
| Packaging Polymers and Processing | ||
| Supply Chain Management in Manufacturing and Services | ||
| Packaging Sustainability | ||
| Supply Chain and Logistics | ||
| Principles of Materials Engineering for Non-Majors | ||
| Materials Ethics, Diversity, and Society | ||
| Natural Resources Economics and Valuation | ||
| Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Ethics, Science, and Technology | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Environmental Data Science
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Engineering Surveying | ||
| Introduction to Engineering Surveying | ||
| Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing with GIS Applications | ||
| Advanced Surveying with GIS Applications | ||
| Applications in Remote Sensing and GIS | ||
| Advanced Applications in Geospatial Technologies | ||
| Conflict Management in Natural Resources | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Statistics I | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Computing with R | ||
| Applied Regression Analysis | ||
| Statistics II | ||
| Applied Linear Models | ||
| Statistical Methods for Study Design and Analysis | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Environmental Law, Justice, and Policy
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Climate and Humanity | ||
| Global Geography | ||
| Geography of International Development | ||
| Natural Resources Economics and Valuation | ||
| Conflict Management in Natural Resources | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Introduction to International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Social Movements and Political Protest | ||
| International Organizations and Law | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Sustainable Agriculture
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| The Global Environment | ||
| Holistic Management | ||
| Leadership Seminar on Issues Affecting California Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources | ||
| Irrigation Water Management | ||
| Engaging in Sustainable Global Development | ||
| Collaboratively Developing Sustainable Technologies Globally | ||
| Agroecology | ||
| Global Climate Change | ||
| Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food Systems | ||
| Ethnicity, Culture, and the Environment in the United States | ||
| Principles of Organic Crop Production | ||
| Climate Smart Agriculture | ||
| Organic Crop Production Systems | ||
| World Food Systems | ||
| Soil Health and Plant Nutrition | ||
| Soil Morphology | ||
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Sustainable Urban Development and Planning
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Energy for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Sustainability and the Built Environment | ||
| Urban Planning History | ||
| Introduction to City Planning | ||
| Methods of Population and Housing Analysis | ||
| Methods in Land Use and Transportation | ||
| Cities in a Global World | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Planning | ||
| Advancing the Transportation Revolution | ||
| Green Infrastructure | ||
| Sustainable Environments | ||
| Implementing Sustainability Principles | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
Water Science and Management
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Irrigation Water Management | ||
| Water for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Soil Erosion and Water Conservation | ||
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Physical Geology | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management and Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Water Resources Technology and Society | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| College Physics I | ||
| SS 3321 | Soil Morphology | 4 |
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Total Units | 19 | |
- 1
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 2
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required, 16 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 27 Units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5B | Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) (1 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences (3 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) (3 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| Total Units | 27 | |
- 1
- Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.