Environmental Science: Environmental Policy and Planning, B.S.

General Education (40-41 hours)

(see General Education  for list of approved courses) 

Program Requirements

The following core requirement must be completed by all Environmental Science majors.

• ENGL 2820 - Scientific Writing (required within the first 60 hours) or
• ESC 4995r - Departmental Thesis

• Students who have taken ENGL 2810 , ENGL 2880 , or ENGL 2830  and subsequently changed their major to Environmental Science will have satisfied this requirement.

•  

• MATH 2100 - Introductory Statistics (QR)

• Students who have taken ENCE 2220  , MATH 3100 , MATH 4140 , PSY 2010  or SOC 2500  and subsequently changed their major to Environmental Science will have satisfied this requirement.

•  

• MATH 1130 - College Algebra (QR) and
• MATH 1830 - Calculus for Management, Life, and Social Sciences (QR)

• or

• MATH 1710 - Precalculus I
• MATH 1720 - Precalculus II
• MATH 1950 - Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (QR)

•  

Environmental Policy and Planning Requirements

• ANTH 1200 - Cultural Anthropology (CZ or SB)
• ECON 1010 - Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics (SB)
• ECON 1020 - Principles of Economics: Microeconomics (SB)

•  

• PSPS 1010 - American Politics (CZ or SB)

• or

• PSPS 1020 - World Politics (CZ or SB)

• or

• PSPS 1030 - Controversies in Public Policy (SB)

•  

• SOC 1510 - Introduction to Sociology (SB)

Additional Information and Notes

2.0 GPA in all required major and related courses.

Minimum of 39 hours of 3000 and 4000 level courses.

Electives to complete 120 hours.

See Degree and Graduation Requirements  for additional requirements.

NOTE: River Studies and Leadership Certificate. Students have the opportunity to earn the River Studies and Leadership Certificate (RSLC) from the non-profit River Management Society (RMS) in partnership with UTC. Interested students should meet with a designated RSLC advisor in the Department to discuss program specifics. To earn the RSLC, Environmental Science: Environmental Policy and Planning majors must complete the following coursework (with no grade lower than a ‘C’) and experiences with a focus on river systems:

1. RSLC Core. To earn the RSLC, students must successfully complete one course in each of the following four core areas.

a. Geographic Information Systems: ESC 4660 *

b. River Science: ESC 4520  *, GEOL 4450  

c. River Policy: ESC 4100 *

d. River Rescue: Students must complete an approved extracurricular course in river rescue such as a Basic River Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, or Whitewater Rescue Technician course. Such courses are offered regularly by numerous local and regional river rescue providers. For an updated list of qualifying courses, please see the Department website; other suitable courses may be proposed by the student. Completion of the River Rescue course requirement will not be associated with academic credit at UTC.

2. RSLC Emphasis. To earn the RSLC, students must complete two additional courses from one of the following emphasis areas. For Environmental Science: Environmental Policy and Planning majors, the River-based Policy and Management Emphasis is recommended given its alignment with requirements of the major.

a. River Science: BIOL 4110 , BIOL 4530 *, ESC 3600 *, ESC 4460 , ESC 4520 *, GEOL 4450   

b. River-based Policy and Management: ECON 4300 *, ECON 4550 *, ESC 4070 *, ESC 4300 *, PSPS 3420 *, PSPS 3430 *, PSPS 3520 *, PSPS 3620 *, PSPS 3710 * 

c. River-based Recreation, Education, and Tourism: HHP 1050 , HHP 3010 , HHP 3060 , COMM 4100 *

3. Professional Experience. To earn the RSLC, students must complete 2 credit hours of an approved river-focused internship, other professional experience, or independent study. This experience should align with the Senior Experience requirement of the ESC major. Associated credit will be earned in ESC 4900 , ESC 4910r , ESC 4920 , ESC 4995r , ESC 4997r , or ESC 4998r  as appropriate.

4. Presentation. To earn the RSLC, students will be required to present aspects of their work at an RMS Symposium or sponsored conference or write an article for the RMS Journal about their experiences.

Joint Undergraduate to Masters Program (JUMP)

Undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga who are classified as seniors and are within 30 hours of completion of their first bachelor’s degree with an overall GPA of at least 3.25 are eligible to participate in a joint undergraduate to masters program. Please refer to the specific JUMP program requirements as some GPA requirements are higher. This Joint Undergraduate to Masters Program allows a student to take graduate classes early and potentially complete a graduate program in less time and for less cost than the traditional graduate program which is completed after the undergraduate degree is awarded. 

Find more information in Academic Regulations .

Transformative Academic Development Program on Learning Environmental Science

TADPOLES - Transformative Academic Development Program On Learning Environmental Science 

A combined undergraduate to graduate program allows a student to potentially complete a graduate program in less time and for less money than required of traditional graduate students.  Application to the combined undergraduate to graduate program is limited to 10 admitted students per academic year, and must comply with all program specific requirements.  A undergraduate student may submit their application for review during their junior year.  Admission to the program is contingent upon approval of the Environmental Science graduate program director, and the dean of the Graduate School; and, the student will be admitted to the TADPOLES program as a rising senior, after completion of 90 credit hours.  With the permission of the Environmental Science graduate program director, a student may enroll in up to a total of 9 hours of graduate course work.  To be clear, all undergraduate students must complete all of their undergraduate major requirements prior to graduation.  All graduate courses for which a grade of B or better is earned may be applied to the graduate degree program, provided the students completes the academic program and submits a course substitution for the graduate hours.  Any grade lower than a B may only be applied to the undergraduate program.  Admission to this combined program does not guarantee admission to the graduate program as a regular graduate student as it requires completion of the undergraduate degree, a separate application to Graduate School, approval of the program director, and dean of the Graduate School.

Spring Semester:  ESC 5020 - Mechanisms in the Environment (instead of undergradaute ESC 3600 - Air and Water Pollution Control)

Spring Semester:  ESC 5050 - Biodiversity and Natural Resource Conservation (instead of undergradaute ESC 4070 - Environmental Conservation)

Fall Semester:  ESC 5140 - Environmental Law and Regulations (instead of undergradaute ESC 4100 - Environmental Law and Agencies)

ClearPath for Advising

The ClearPath for Advising provides students with an opportunity to see program requirements defined in a semester-by-semester format. The ClearPath for Advising guides also provide students with important tips, pointers, and suggestions for staying on track with progress toward the degree.  Your ClearPath is available through the Advisement website.