Everyone is welcome to major or minor in Environmental Studies. Before declaring, students should take one of the introductory courses (ENVS 117 Environmental Science or ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives), ideally during the first three semesters at the College.
- Major Requirements & Advice
- Minor Requirements & Advice
- Advanced Placement Credit
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Declaring Your Major / Minor
Environmental Studies Major
Drawing from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the Environmental Studies major is a multidisciplinary program of study. Fourteen courses are required, with two introductory courses and a capstone seminar from the Environmental Studies department, and the other eleven selected from a diverse array of departments across the College. Within this framework, you can tailor the major to fit your interests.
Fourteen courses may sound like a lot, but know that many Environmental Studies courses also fulfill common area requirements. In fact, the ENVS major can be combined with others for a double major.
Major requirements
(14 courses are required for the major)
These two courses are required.
- ENVS 117 Environmental Science
- ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives
Choose two of these courses.
- BIOL 163 Introduction to Biological Diversity & Ecology
- GEOS 150 Introduction to Geology
- PHYS 115 Introductory Physics I: Mechanics, Fluids & Waves
- CHEM 181 Atoms & Molecules, or CHEM 141 (with 陆 lab) Environmental Chemistry
Choose two environmental courses from these departments. One course must be at the 200-level or higher. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Art History
- Classics
- English
- History
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- World Languages Literatures and Cultures
- Studio Art
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies
ECON 224 Environmental Economics is required.
- Note: ECON 110 Principles of Economics is a prerequisite for ECON 224. You are advised to take ECON 110 by the end of your second year.
Choose one additional environmental course from these departments. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Accounting
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies.
Choose two environmental courses from these departments. One of these courses must have a lab. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Geosciences
- Physics
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies
Choose one course from these areas.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- A statistics course offered by any department
- MATH 303 Mathematical Modeling
Choose two more environmental courses from any area. At least one must be at the 200-level or higher. One of these courses can be fulfilled by undergraduate research for academic credit (e.g., BIOL 401 or college honors thesis) with prior permission of the ENVS Chair.
ENVS 404 Capstone Seminar is required and should be taken in the fall of senior year.
Advice for Potential Majors
During your first two years, consider taking:*
- Introductory Core courses (2 required)
- ECON 110 (prerequisite for ECON 224 Environmental Economics)
- Foundational Natural Science courses (2 required)
*Note: All these courses count toward common area requirements
Study abroad:
Classes taken while studying abroad can readily fulfill ENVS requirements, and ENVS majors are encouraged to study abroad for a full year, one semester, a summer, or a Maymester.
- Full-year: up to four courses can be applied
- Semester: up to three courses can be applied
- Maymester or summer course: equals one course
Academic research or internships:
Closer to home, you may incorporate an approved research experience or academic internship into the major for up to one course credit.
Meet with the Chair:
Managing prerequisites and the timing of course offerings can be challenging, so you are encouraged to meet with the Chair of Environmental Studies early (sluria@holycross.edu). The Chair is happy to help you devise a plan of study. Once you declare the major, you will be assigned an academic advisor from the Environmental Studies Department.
Environmental Studies Minor
The Environmental Studies minor is a powerful complement to any major. Seven courses are required, with two introductory courses from the Environmental Studies department, and the other five selected from a diverse array of departments. Like the major, the ENVS minor can be tailored to fit your interests.
Minor requirements
(7 courses are required for the minor)
These two courses are required.
- ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives
- ENVS 117 Environmental Science, or BIOL 280 Ecology
Choose one environmental course from these departments. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Art History
- Classics
- English
- History
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- World Languages Literatures and Cultures
- Studio Art
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies
Choose one environmental course from these departments. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Accounting
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies.
Choose two environmental courses from these departments. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Geosciences
- Physics
- Certain courses offered by Environmental Studies
Choose one more environmental course from any area. See ENVS course list each semester in STAR for current offerings.
Advice for Potential Minors
You can begin your exploration of Environmental Studies during your first year with any of these courses:
- an environmentally-themed Montserrat
- ENVS 117 Environmental Science
- ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives
- ENVS 199 (will become 119) Environmental Narratives.
You are encouraged to meet with the Chair of Environmental Studies who will be happy to help you plan your minor. One consideration when planning a minor is that College policy only allows two courses to count towards both a major and a minor. So, for example, a Biology major with an ENVS minor can use both BIOL 163 Introduction to Biological Diversity & Ecology and BIOL 280 Ecology for both the major and minor, but additional coursework in BIOL will count toward only one or the other.
Advanced Placement Credit
AP credits may be used for advanced placement in the major or minor, but they do not reduce the number of courses required. Details about specific AP courses are as follows:
- AP Environmental Science 鈥 If you scored a 4 or 5, you can (and we encourage you to) forego ENVS 117 Environmental Science. Majors may take a different environmental science course. For minors, this alternative course must be BIOL 280 Ecology.
- AP Chemistry 鈥 If you scored a 4 or 5, you can forego CHEM 181 Atoms & Molecules and, instead, take CHEM 231 Equilibrium & Reactivity.
- AP Statistics or AP Microeconomics 鈥 You should talk to the Chair of Environmental Studies directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students who are curious about Environmental Studies can take either ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives (Social Sciences) or ENVS 117 Environmental Science, the two required "gateway" courses to the major and minor. You are also welcome to take any course listed under Environmental Studies that interests you. That can be the best way to determine if you wish to pursue the major or minor. The Department Chair is always happy to talk to you about our program. Requirements are listed above.
Certainly! It is possible to fill many common requirements through the Environmental Studies major or minor. Be sure to check the description of each course listed in STAR to determine which requirements it fulfills. This makes it very possible to fulfill the fourteen courses needed for the ENVS major. It is even possible to double-major with ENVS.
For ENVS majors, we recommend that students take three of these four courses鈥揈NVS 117, 118, ECON 110, and one introductory science course鈥 before the end of sophomore year. Minors should also try to take ENVS 118 Environmental Perspectives and ENVS 117 Environmental Science before the end of sophomore year.
We draw from a full range of subjects, so we can be an excellent home for students interested in science or just about anything else. If you are interested in social problems such as equal access to clean air and water, or nature writing and photography, or sustainable architecture and urban design, etc., a course in Environmental Studies is worth exploring.
Social inequality results in people living in very different environments: low income populations and people of color are more likely to live in communities with polluted water, air, hotter temperatures (due to fewer trees), and flooding鈥 all of which impact health. 鈥淓nvironmental justice鈥 and 鈥渃limate justice鈥 are central topics in our courses, which study and seek ways to address these inequities.
鈥淢ultidisciplinary鈥 means we draw from many disciplines, or subjects. In our major and minor you will choose from a selection of courses in environmental sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, physics); environmental social sciences (accounting, anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology), and environmental humanities (classics, foreign languages, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion, visual arts).
By 鈥渋nterdisciplinary鈥 we mean the intersection of different disciplines, or subjects. In a course on Environmental Racism, you might study unequal access to clean water through the lens of a sociologist (to think about reasons for systemic social inequalities) and an ecologist (to measure and identify the effect of pollutants on urban ecosystems). ENVS is thus a multidisciplinary program where you learn to think and create in interdisciplinary ways.
No. The Environmental Studies major is for students who are interested in a truly multidisciplinary program that balances coursework in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Students interested in environmental science, including pollution cleanup, green energy development, environmental engineering, or marine conservation have several options within ENVS that can help prepare you for careers or graduate school in the field:
- Minor in Geoscience, which has an environmental focus and emphasis on climate and water.
- Major in Biology, Chemistry, and minor in Environmental Studies.
- Propose a self-designed Earth and Environmental Science major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) [link to example curriculum].
Students interested in this option should discuss it with their advisor and the Geosciences coordinator (currently Prof. Sara Mitchell) before the end of their sophomore year. The major is declared by following the application process of CIS.
Certain Montserrat courses do count as one course toward your ENVS major or minor. The list of approved Montserrat courses and what requirements they fulfill change every year, so check with your Montserrat instructor or the ENVS Department Chair if you have a question about your seminar.
Your capstone experience will be a seminar in which you will work together with other ENVS students under the guidance of a specific instructor. In most years it may be project based. Recent examples include investigating the legacy impacts of humans on the Blackstone River watershed, and partnering with City of Worcester employees to collect and analyze environmental data and produce educational materials related to local environmental initiatives. Ordinarily, you will take the course in the fall semester of your senior year.
Yes! Many ENVS majors are minoring in something else. Recent ENVS majors have completed minors in Studio Art, Peace and Conflict Studies, Geoscience, Philosophy, Art History, languages, and more. Students can also double-major with Environmental Studies, though doing so requires careful planning and starting on requirements early.
Yes! We strongly encourage our students to consider studying abroad if they are able. Roughly 50% of ENVS majors (and many ENVS minors) participate in some type of study abroad or study away experience, such as a semester with the School for Field Studies program, a year or semester at a university abroad, a Maymester (check for new ENVS programs!), SEA Semester, and more.
to your academic plan. Reach out with any questions to your ENVS instructor or the ENVS Department Chair!