Environmental Studies Major (B.A.) [offered through Honors Tutorial College]

Major Code BA1965*

Honors Tutorial College
35 Park Place
Phone: 740.593.2723
honors.college@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/honors/tutorial-college

Steve Scanlan, director of studies/contact person
scanlans@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The Honors Tutorial College program in Environmental Studies provides students a unique opportunity to explore nature-society relations in a highly interdisciplinary environment, drawing on faculty perspectives from the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, public health, physical and natural sciences, engineering, and communications.

*This program was previously BA1942 which awarded the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies degree. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BA1965 and will award the Bachelor of Arts effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

Applicants will be selected by the director of studies in consultation with the dean of the Honors Tutorial College on the basis of superior academic ability and the potential for self-motivated study and research. Applicants typically are required to submit additional essays, and an interview with the director of studies is required for admission. More information, including materials and deadlines, is available at www.ohio.edu/honors/tutorial-college/apply. Two letters of recommendation are also strongly recommended.

Change of Program Policy

First-year students at Ohio University may apply to transfer into the tutorial programs offered by the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering HTC freshmen. Students in other HTC programs who wish to change to HTC Environmental Studies should contact the director of studies.

External Transfer Admission

First-year students at another institution may also apply to transfer into the tutorial programs offered by the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirement as entering HTC freshmen.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Students who earn this degree will be poised to enter the workplace as environmental professionals in a number of fields including consulting, education, nonprofit, and science. In addition, the degree will prepare students for graduate school.

Requirements

HTC Grade Requirements

Earn at least 120 semester hours and maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher overall.

University English Composition Requirement

Complete one Written Communication course (ENG 1510 ) and one Advanced Writing course (FAW).

Quantitative Skills Requirement

Complete the University’s Quantitative Reasoning Requirement. More information can be found by viewing the OHIO BRICKS page (see Quantitative Reasoning heading within “Foundations Requirements”).

HTC Seminar

First-year students must complete the following course:

HC 2500 - Honors Seminar Credit Hours: 3

Transfer students

Transfer students may substitute an HC special topics seminar for their HC 2500 requirement.

Environmental Studies Tutorials

Complete the following tutorials:

ES 2970T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 2980T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 2971T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 2981T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 3970T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 3980T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 4970T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
ES 4980T - Environmental Studies Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 12
After completing ES 2970T, students may enroll in tutorials from other departments in order to satisfy their tutorial requirement.

Environmental Studies Core

In consultation with the Director of Studies, complete a minimum of 6 upper-division environmental courses (for 18 credit hours), including a minimum of 1 course each (for 3 credit hours) from the program’s core areas: humanities; natural and physical sciences; and social sciences. This is not a complete list of course possibilities for this requirement. Students can discuss additional possibilities with the Director of Studies for possible inclusion as they arise.

Humanities

Complete a minimum of 3 hours from the following courses:

ENG 3100J - Writing About Environmental Sustainability Credit Hours: 3
HIST 3060 - American Environmental History Credit Hours: 3
HIST 3330 - Oil, the Persian Gulf, and World Power Credit Hours: 3
JOUR 4150 - Environmental and Science Journalism Credit Hours: 3
PHIL 3350 - Environmental Ethics Credit Hours: 3
REC 4800 - Wilderness Literature Credit Hours: 3

Natural and Physical Sciences

Complete a minimum of 3 hours from the following courses:

BIOS 3750 - Animal Ecology Credit Hours: 3
BIOS 4730 - Animal Behavior Credit Hours: 3
BIOS 4810 - Animal Conservation Biology Credit Hours: 3
CE 3530 - Basics of Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 3
CE 4500 - Water & Wastewater Engineering Credit Hours: 4
CE 4540 - Sustainable Construction Credit Hours: 3
CHE 4530 - Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy Credit Hours: 3
CHE 4610 - Atmospheric Chemistry Credit Hours: 3
EH 3100 - Air, Waters and Wastes Credit Hours: 3
ES 4250 - Watershed Management Credit Hours: 3
ES 4300 - Field Methods in Environmental Studies Credit Hours: 3
ES 4710 - Bioenergy: Science, Policy, and Business Credit Hours: 3
ES 5300 - Global Water Resources Credit Hours: 3
ES 6831 - Environmental Leadership Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3020 - Climatology Credit Hours: 4
GEOG 3160 - Biogeography Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3450 - Access to Water in a Changing World Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3580 - Environmental Hazards Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4170 - Landscape Ecology Credit Hours: 3
GEOL 3700 - Groundwater Fundamentals and Practices Credit Hours: 3
GEOL 4800 - Principles of Hydrogeology Credit Hours: 3
PBIO 3190 - Ohio Flora Credit Hours: 3
PBIO 3220 - Tropical Plant Ecology Credit Hours: 3
PBIO 4350 - Plant Population Biology and Community Ecology Credit Hours: 4

Social Sciences

Complete a minimum of three hours from the following courses:

ANTH 3780 - Human Ecology Credit Hours: 3
COMS 3300 - Environmental Communication Credit Hours: 3
ECON 3130 - Economics of the Environment Credit Hours: 3
ECON 3140 - Natural Resource Economics Credit Hours: 3
ECON 3350 - Economics of Energy Credit Hours: 3
EH 3040 - Environmental Health in Appalachia Credit Hours: 3
EH 3200 - Health and the Built Environment Credit Hours: 3
EH 4000 - Environmental Health and Safety Risk Communication Credit Hours: 3
ES 3620 - Environmental Science and Public Policy Credit Hours: 3
ES 4720 - Energy Systems and Policy Credit Hours: 3
ES 4831 - Environmental Sustainability Assessment Credit Hours: 3
ES 4832 - Sustainability Implementation Practicum Credit Hours: 3
ES 4920 - Practicum in Environmental Studies Credit Hours: 1 - 3
ES 5900 - Special Topics in Environmental Studies Credit Hours: 3
ES 6815 - Community-Based Sustainability Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3330 - Appalachia: Land and People Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3410 - Geography of Hunger and Food Security Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3430 - Global Issues in Environment Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3440 - Agricultural Ecosystems Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3460 - Environmental Law Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 3500 - Land Use Planning Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4450 - Gender, Environment, and Development Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4470 - Natural Resource Conservation Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4520 - Environmental and Sustainability Planning Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4560 - The Just and Sustainable City Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 6470 - Seminar in Resource Management Credit Hours: 4
GEOG 6500 - Seminar in Environmental Justice Credit Hours: 4
POLS 4250 - Environmental and Climate Change Politics and Policy Credit Hours: 3
POLS 4260 - Politics of the Contemporary Environmental Movement Credit Hours: 3
POLS 4840 - The Politics of Sustainability Credit Hours: 3
POLS 4880 - Environmental and Public Policy Dispute Resolution Credit Hours: 3
REC 3400 - Environmental Interpretation Credit Hours: 3
REC 3460 - Parks & Protected Areas Management Credit Hours: 3
REC 3550 - Principles of Ecotourism Credit Hours: 3
SOC 3561J - Writing in Food, Hunger, and Inequality Credit Hours: 3
SOC 4810 - Environmental Sociology Credit Hours: 3
T3 4080 - Environmentalism in America Credit Hours: 3
T3 4850 - Sustainability Citizenship Credit Hours: 3

Electives

Complete 48 semester credit hours of additional courses, to be selected by the student, in consultation with the director of studies.

HTC Thesis Requirement

Approval of a completed thesis or professional project by the advisor, director of studies, and Dean of the College.