Majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability

Worksheet for Planning the Major

The Environmental Studies and Sustainability program provides students with the in-depth knowledge, multidisciplinary perspectives, and critical skills needed to address the complex environmental problems of today and of the future. The ESS major explores the dynamics of Earth’s global environmental systems, threats to biotic and human communities, and both the obstacles to and the promise of environmental sustainability.  The major is designed with flexibility so that students can pursue a wide range of interests and careers, such as research, environmental law, non-profit work, sustainability coordination, consulting, and environmental agency work at the state or federal level.  Many graduate school programs have specialized requirements such as statistics, organic chemistry, or economics.  Students interested in the ESS major or minor should thus seek advising from an ESS faculty member early in their academic careers, in addition to consulting the departmental website.

Five core courses are required of all majors: Environmental Science; Environment, Sustainability, and Society; Geographic Information Systems; a senior capstone seminar; and a laboratory science course on either ecology or environmental geology. Also integral to the major is an experiential requirement which can be met through relevant academic internships, study abroad, field research, civic engagement, or volunteer work. The program and Drew University’s Academic Internship Office help students find appropriate opportunities. Each student’s experiential work must be approved in advance by the program director and must be completed before the start of the last semester of study.  All majors also complete an additional 28 credits of environmental study, as detailed below.

Within the ESS major, students may elect the Environmental Science Track, which emphasizes appropriate skills and experiences for science-oriented careers and graduate study.

For descriptions of the courses listed below, visit the ESS Program page in the College of Liberal Arts web site.  Scroll down the page, and click on the Courses tab.

Required Core Courses for All ESS Majors

(5 courses, 20 credits)

  • ESS 101/Introduction to Environmental Geology (4 cr)   OR BIOL 150/Ecology and Evolution (4 cr)
  • ESS 215/Environmental Science (4 cr)
  • ESS 210/Environment, Society, and Sustainability (4 cr)
  • ESS 302/ Geographic Information Systems (4 cr)
  • ESS 400/Environmental Studies & Sustainability Capstone Seminar (4 credits

Experiential Requirement

(0-2 cr)

All ESS majors must acquire hands-on experience related to environmental concerns. This requirement can be met through relevant Academic Internships, Drew International Seminars, other study abroad programs with environmental or sustainability components, civic engagement and volunteer experiences, and appropriate independent research at Drew or elsewhere (excluding literature research projects).  Must be completed before the start of the last semester; must be approved beforehand by the ESS Program Director.

Environmental Science Track

Students choosing the Environmental Science Track must take, in addition to above Required Core Courses and the Experiential Requirement:

  • Both ESS 101/Introduction to Environmental Geology AND BIOL 150/Ecology
  • CHEM 150/Principles of Chemistry I
  • CHEM 160/Principles of Chemistry II
  • 16 credits from the list of electives (below), all at the intermediate or upper level, with at least 8 credits of designated environmental science courses (* on elective list).

ESS Major without the Science Track

ESS majors who do not choose the Environmental Science Track must complete, in addition to the above Required Core Courses and the Experiential Requirement, 28 credits from the list of electives (below), with at least 16 credits at the upper level.

ESS Elective Courses

* Courses that count as science electives for the Environmental Science Track are designated with the asterisk (*)

  • ESS 102/Geology in the Movies
  • *ESS 104/Toxic Chemicals: Great Challenges in Environmental Science
  • ESS 101/Introduction to Environmental Geology (if not applied to core requirements
  • HIST 271/Environmental History
  • ESS 330/Topics in Economy and Environment.  May be repeated for credit with change in topic.
  • ESS 331/Archaeology and Sustainable Cultures
  • ESS 344/Environmental Aesthetics
  • *ESS 304/Earth’s Dynamic Surface
  • ANTH 202/Ecological Anthropology
  • *ANTH 132/Primatology
  • BIOL 150/Ecology and Evolution (if not applied to core requirements)
  • *BIOL 338/Ornithology
  • *BIOL 314/Animal Behavior
  • *BIOL 308/Conservation Biology
  • *BIOL 334/Plant Morphology & Identification
  • *BIOL 324/Forest Ecology
  • *BIOL 306/Biogeography & Lab
  • *BIOL 320/Marine Ecology: Tropical
  • *BIOL 318/Freshwater Ecology
  • CHEM 101/Chemistry & Environment
  • CHEM 150/General Chemistry I
  • CHEM 103/Turning Green: An Introduction to Green Materials and Alternatives
  • DIS 10/Drew International Seminar: when topic is appropriate for environmental studies credit
  • ECON 245/Environmental Economics (Prerequisite: ECON 5)
  • ECON 247/Economics of Business and Sustainability (Prerequisite: ECON 5, ESS 40 or permission of instructor)
  • PSCI 320/Environmental Policy and Politics
  • REL 218/Environmental Ethics
  • SPAN 140/Self, Place, and the Environment in the Hispanic World
  • *ESS 282/Topics in Environmental Science (2 or 4 cr)
  • ESS 281/ Topics in Environmental Humanities (2 or 4 cr)
  • ESS 283/ Topics: Environment and Society (2 or 4)
  • *ESS 382/Advanced Topics in Environmental Science (2 or 4 cr)
  • ESS 381/Advanced Topics in Environmental Humanities (2 or 4 cr)
  • ESS 383/Advanced Topics: Environment and Society (2 or 4)
  • ESS 300/Research in Environmental Studies (2 or 4 cr)
  • * Courses that count as science electives for the Environmental Science Track

Environmental Studies and Sustainability Courses at Drew University

  • ESS 102 / Geology in the Movies (4)
  • ESS 104 / Toxic Chemicals: Great Challenges in Environmental Science (4)
  • ESS 101 / Introduction to Environmental Geology (4)
  • ESS 215 / Environmental Science (4)
  • ESS 210 / Environment, Society and Sustainability (4)
  • ESS 271 / Environmental History (4)
  • ESS 331/Archaeology and Sustainable Culture (4)
  • ESS 330/Topics in Economy and Environment
  • ESS 344 / Environmental Aesthetics (4)
  • ESS 302 / Geographic Information Systems (4)
  • ESS 304 / Earth’s Dynamic Surface: From Mount Everest to Ocean Floor (4)
  • ESS 400 / Environmental Studies and Sustainability Capstone Seminar (4)
  • ESS 282 / Topics in Environmental Science (2 or 4)
  • ESS 281 / Topics in Environmental Humanities (2 or 4)
  • ESS 283/ Topics: Environment and Society (2 or 4)
  • ESS 382 / Advanced Topics in Environmental Science (2 or 4)
  • ESS 381 / Advanced Topics in Environmental Humanities (2 or 4)
  • ESS 383/ Advanced Topics: Environment and Society (2 or 4)
  • ESS 300 / Research in Environmental Studies (4)

The following courses listed in other departments also count toward the ESS major and minor:

  • ANTH 202 / Ecological Anthropology (4)
  • BIOL 150 / Ecology and Evolution (4)
  • BIOL 338 / Ornithology (4)
  • BIOL 314 / Animal Behavior (4)
  • BIOL 308 / Conservation Biology (4)
  • BIOL 334 / Plant Morphology and Identification (24)
  • BIOL 324 / Forest Ecology (4)
  • BIOL 306 / Biogeography (3)
  • BIOL 320 / Tropical Marine Ecology (4)
  • BIOL 318 / Freshwater Ecology (4)
  • CHEM 101 / Chemistry and the Environment (4)
  • CHEM 103/Turning Green: Introduction to Green Materials and Alternatives (4)
  • CHEM 150 / Principles of Chemistry I (4)
  • CHEM 160 / Principles of Chemistry II (4)
  • ECON 245 / Environmental Economics (4)
  • ECON 247 / Economics of Business and Sustainability (4)
  • PSCI 320/Environmental Policy and Politics
  • REL 218 / Environmental Ethics (4)
  • SPAN 140 / Self, Place & the Environment in the Hispanic World (4)