Track Leader: Dr. Mark Lubell mnlubell@ucdavis.edu
This track has a strong social science focus. It assumes that most environmental problems are fundamentally caused by mistakes in human behavior, and that better scientific information is but one of many factors affecting our ability to solve environmental problems. Reflecting that successful environmental managers operate at the junction of overlapping natural and social systems, students supplement ESM’s core curriculum in the physical and biological sciences with work in resource economics, law, planning, and public policy. It is geared towards those who are interested in working in policy-oriented roles in environmental affairs. Typical career tracks include working for federal, state or local natural resources agencies, environmental consulting firms, governmental liaison offices of private corporations, or non-profit organizations addressing environmental issues. Many graduates of this track also go to professional or graduate school in law, environmental policy, natural resources management, regional planning, public policy, or related fields.
Major Requirements
Preparatory Subject Matter Requirements
| Course IDs | Course Title | Quarters Offered | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written and Oral Expression | ||||
| UWP 101, 102A-G, 104A-F | Upper Division Writing | I, II, III, IV | 4 | May test out of requirement |
| CMN 1, 3, or DRA 10 | Public Speaking | I, II, III, IV | 4 | |
| Biological Sciences | ||||
| BIS 2A | Essentials of Life on Earth | I, II, III, IV | 5 | |
| BIS 2B | Principles of Ecology and Evolution | I, II, III, IV | 5 | |
| BIS 2C | Biodiversity and the Tree of Life | I, II, III, IV | 5 | |
| Geology (choose one of the following) | ||||
| GEL 1 | The Earth | I, II, III | 4 | |
| GEL 50 | Physical Geology | I, II, III | 3 | (recommended) |
| Chemistry | ||||
| CHE 2A or 2AH | General Chemistry | I, II, IV (2A or 2AH) | 5 | |
| CHE 2B or 2BH | General Chemistry | II, III, IV (2B or 2BH) | 5 | |
| CHE 2C or 2CH | General Chemistry | I, III, IV (2C or 2CH) | 5 | (recommended, not required) |
| Physics (Complete either 1AB or 7ABC) | ||||
| Physics 1A | General Physics | I, II, IV | 3 | |
| Physics 1B | General Physics | II, III | 3 | |
| Physics 7A | General Physics | I, II, III, IV | 4 | |
| Physics 7B | General Physics | I, II, III, IV | 4 | |
| Physics 7C | General Physics | I, II, III, IV | 4 | |
| Economics | ||||
| ECN 1A | Principles of Microeconomics | I, II, III, IV | 4 | |
| Mathematics | ||||
| MAT 16A, 17A, or 21A | Calculus | I, II, III, IV | 3-4 | Mat 17AB recommended |
| MAT 16B, 17B, or 21B | Calculus | I, II, III, IV | 3-4 | |
| Environmental Science and Policy | ||||
| ESP 1 | Environmental Analysis | I, IV | 4 | |
I = fall quarter, II = winter quarter, III = spring quarter, IV = summer session
Depth Subject Matter Requirements
NOTE: Students graduating with this major are required to attain at least a C average (2.0 GPA) in all courses taken at the university in Depth Subject Matter and pass all coursework. See requirements of the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science in the UC Davis General Catalog.
| Course IDs | Course Title | Prerequisites | Quarters Offered | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Environment | ||||
| ESM 120 | Global Environmental Interactions | One college-level chemistry and biology course | II | 4 |
| Ecology (Choose one of the following) | ||||
| ESP 100 | General Ecology | BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; STA 13 recommended | I, II, IV | 4 |
| EVE 101 | Introduction to Ecology | BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; or equivalent | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| Policy | ||||
| ESP 162 | Environmental Policy | ECN 1A | II | 4 |
| Statistics (Choose one of the following - Statistics 100 recommended) | ||||
| STA 13 | Elementary Statistics | Two years of high school algebra or equivalent in college | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| STA 100 | Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences | MAT 16B or 17B or 21B | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| Environmental Monitoring (Choose one of the following) | ||||
| ESM 108 | Environmental Monitoring | Entry level course in the environmental sciences | III | 3 |
| ESP 179 | Environmental Impact Assessment | ESP 1 or the equivalent | II, IV | 4 |
| GIS Technology | ||||
| ABT/LDA 150 | Introduction to GIS | None | I, III | 4 |
| Internship | ||||
| ESM/ESP 92 or 192 | Internship | Upper division standing, permission of instructor
Variable unit – must take at least 3 units of internship |
I, II, III, IV | 3 |
| Capstone | ||||
| ESM 195 | Integrating Env Science & Management | Senior standing; Environmental science major (e.g.: ESM, EPAP, ETX, WFC) | III | 2 |
| Honors Thesis (Optional) | ||||
| ESM 194H | Senior Honors Thesis | Senior standing, Overall GPA of 3.50 or higher
Consent of the master adviser |
2-6 | |
I = fall quarter, II = winter quarter, III = spring quarter, IV = summer session
Required Courses
NOTE: Courses taken for the depth subject matter or track cannot be used to fulfill more than one major requirement.
| Course IDs | Course Title | Prerequisites | Quarters | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select three environmental policy courses | ||||
| ESP 160 | The Policy Process | POL 1; ECN 1A and STA 13 recommended | III | 4 |
| ESP 165 | Climate Policy | ECN 1A, ESP 1, or consent of instructor | III | 3 |
| ESP 166** | Ocean & Coastal Policy | ESP 1 or consent of instructor | II | 3 |
| ESP 167** | Energy Policy | ECN 1A; MAT 16B, 17B, or 21B; or consent of instructor | III | 4 |
| ESP 168A | Methods of Env Policy Evaluation | ESP 1 or 10; STA 13 or 100; ECN 1A; ECN 100A recommended | I | 5 |
| ESP 169** | Water Policy & Politics | POL 1 or ECN 1A recommended | III | 3 |
| ESP 171 | Urban & Regional Planning | ESP 1 recommended | III | 4 |
| ESP 172 | Public Lands Management | ECN 1A recommended | I | 4 |
| ESP 179 | Environmental Impact Assessment | ESP 1 or the equivalent | II, IV | 4 |
| HYD 150 | Water Law | Consent of instructor or upper division standing | II | 3 |
| SOC 160 | Sociology of the Environment | SOC 1 or 2 or 3 recommended | I | 4 |
| Select one environmental law course | ||||
| ESP 161 | Environmental Law | Upper division standing;one course in environmental science;POL 1 and UWP 1 recommended | I, III | 4 |
| HYD 150 | Water Law | Consent of instructor or upper division standing | II | 3 |
| Select one statistics course | ||||
| ARE 106 | Econometrics | ARE 100A with a C- or better; STA 103 with a C- or better | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| ECN 102 | Analysis of Economic Data | ECN 1A and 1B; STA 13 or 32; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| STA 101 | Advanced Statistics for Bio Science | STA 100 | III | 4 |
| STA 103 | Applied Stats for Business & Economics | STA 13 or 32 or 100; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| STA 106 | Analysis of Variance | STA 13 or 32 or 100 | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| STA 108 | Regression Analysis | STA 13 or 32 or 100 | I, II, III, IV | 4 |
| STA 130A | Mathematical Statistics: A Brief Course | MAT 16C or 17C or 21C | I | 4 |
| STA 131A | Probability Theory | MAT 21B and 21C; MAT 22A or MAT 67 | I, III | 4 |
| Select two biological processes courses | ||||
| ENT 104 | Behavioral Ecology of Insects | Introductory biology or zoology | II | 3 |
| ESM 141* | Fire Ecology | BIS 2A or PLS 2, BIS 2B or 2C | II | 4 |
| ESM/PLS 144 | Trees & Forests | PLS 2 or BIS 2C | I | 4 |
| ESP 151 | Limnology | BIS 2A and 2B; BIS 2C and ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended | III | 4 |
| ESP 155** | Wetland Ecology | BIS 2A or equivalent; ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended | I | 4 |
| EVE 115* | Marine Ecology | ESP 100 or EVE 101 or BIS 2B, or consent of instructor | II | 4 |
| PLB/EVE 117 | Plant Ecology | BIS 2A-C; PLB 111 recommended | I | 4 |
| PLS 130 | Rangelands: Ecology, Cons, & Restoration | PLS 2 or BIS 2B or BIS 2C or consent of instructor | II | 3 |
| WFC 110 | Biology & Conservation of Wild Mammals | BIS 2A-C; EVE 101 or ESP 100 or equivalent | III | 3 |
| WFC 111 | Biology & Conservation of Wild Birds | BIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended | I | 3 |
| WFC 120 | Biology & Conservation of Fishes | BIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended | I | 3 |
| Select two physical processes courses | ||||
| ATM 116 | Climate Change | None | I | 4 |
| ESM 121 | Water Science & Management | PHY 10 or GEL 1 | III | 3 |
| ESM 131 | Air as a Resource | CHE 2A or 10 | II | 3 |
| SSC 100 | Principles of Soil Science | College-level course in each of CHE, PHY, BIS, and GEL recommended | I | 5 |
| Select one remote sensing course | ||||
| ESM 185 | Aerial Photo Interpretation & Remote Sensing | Upper division standing | I | 4 |
| ESM 186 | Environmental Remote Sensing | MAT 16B; PHY 7C or 9B; ABT 150 rec.; upper division standing | II | 5 |
*Course is offered in odd years only (2015, 2017, etc.)
**Course is offered in even years only (2016, 2018, etc.)