Earth Systems Science & Policy Minor ~ Degree Requirements

Semester Credits Required

Total credits in the minor: 15-20

Credits at CSUMB: at least 8 upper-division

Prerequisites

Complete MATH ULR before beginning the Earth Systems Science & Policy Minor

Outcomes, Courses and Assessment

You must complete the lower-division Science Foundations outcome by earning a C or better in two of the listed courses, or by taking equivalent courses at a community college. In addition, you must complete a minimum of three courses from at least two of the remaining five outcomes. (NOTE: /L following a course number denotes that you must complete both a three-credit course and an associated one-credit lab). Many of the upper-division courses have prerequisites; consult the course descriptions on the CSUMB.EDU/schedule or CSUMB.EDU/catalog websites, or contact the Science and Environmental Policy office for more information.

LO 1 Science Foundations

  • Choose a minimum of 6 to 8 credits from the following courses:
    ENVS 202 Human Interactn W/Environ
    BIO 204 Introduction to Life Sciences
    ENVS 282 Mtry Bay:Case Sty Env Sci &Pol
    ENVS 201/L The Nature of Science
    PHYS 121/L Integrated Physical Science
    CHEM 109 Chemistry & the Environment
    GEOL 210 Introduction to Earth Science

You may use SCI ULR courses for your foundations courses, but many upper division courses have additional prerequisites.

  • Courses designed for Environmental Science, Technology & Policy majors; may be prerequisites for courses in the 'area of competency' MLOs:
    CHEM 110/L Chemistry I
    PHYS 150/L Survey of Physics
    PHYS 220/L Physics I
    BIO 240/L Biology I:Ecology,Evol, Biodiv
    BIO 241/L Cellular and Molecular Biology
    GEOL 260/L Geology/Hydrology
    ENVS 271 The Oceans
    ENVS 272 The Atmosphere
    ENVS 283 Politics & the Environment
    ENVS 284 Envi Econ & Management

Area of Minor Competency
After completing the Science Foundations outcome, choose a minimum of three courses from at least two of the five outcomes listed below:

Outcome 2 - Applied Science

  • Courses for which prerequisites can be fulfilled by completion of specific SCI ULR courses:
    BIO 305/L Inquiry-Bsd Life Sci f/ Teach
    BIO 342/L California Ecosystems
    BIO 345/L Marine Biology
    BIO 347 Working with Marine Mammals (Prerequisite: BIO 240 or 204)
    BIO 348 Tech & Theor. of Animal Train (Prerequisite: BIO 240 or 204)
    GEOL 360/L Geomorphic Systems (Prerequisite: GEOL 260 or 304)


  • Courses with additional prerequisites (consult CSUMB course catalog for details):
    BIO 310/L Biochemical Systems
    BIO 340/L Ecological Systems
    BIO 341 Evolution Bio & Pop Genetics
    ENVS 442/L Vernal Pools of Ft Ord
    GEOL 460/L River Hydrology, Assmt&Monitor

Outcome 3 - Applied Policy

  • Courses with Part 1 of ENGCOM ULR as a prerequisite:
    ENVS 384S Envir Justice & Envir Poli SL
    ENVS 386 Sci, Enviro & Polit Process
    ENVS 387 Water Resource Assess/Law/Poli

Outcome 4 - Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Display

  • Course with Tech/Info ULR as a prerequisite:
    ENVS 332/L Intro to GIS/GPS

  • Courses with additional prerequisites (consult CSUMB course catalog for details):
    PHYS 330/L Elec Proj. for Envir. Measure
    ENVS 350/L Quantitative Field Methds
    ENVS 355/L Environmental Monitoring
    ENVS 433/L App Mar Sci Tech
    ENVS 436 Rmt Sns/Image Process
    ENVS 440 Environmental Modeling

Outcome 5 - Systems Approach to Applied Problem Solving

  • Courses that can be taken after SCI ULR is completed:
    ENVS 303/L California Transect Lab (earth science and biology prerequisites)
    ENVS 309 Sci & Policy of Global Change
    ENVS 387 Water Resource Assess/Law/Poli

  • Courses with additional prerequisites (consult CSUMB course catalog for details):
    ENVS 301 Ecosys Srvs: Sci&Econ Anl

Outcome 6 - Earth Systems Service Learning

  • These courses should be taken after the SCI, Community Participation, and ENGCOM ULRs have been completed:
    ENVS 349S Interp MB Natrl Hist F/Commun
    ENVS 369S Com-Based Watershed Restor SL
    ENVS 384S Envir Justice & Envir Poli SL
    ENVS 386 Sci, Enviro & Polit Process