Environmental Studies, Geography, and Planning, B.A.

Core Courses + Practical Experiences (31 units)

GEP Electives (21 units)

Take 3 courses in one focus area. Take additional electives within any focus area to reach 21 units. Must take at least one 400-level capstone course during junior/senior year (72+ units). Breadth courses do not double count as electives.

• Focus 1: Society, Environment, and Development

• GEP 320 - Geopolitics Unit(s): 4
• GEP 323 - Resource Management & Development in Global Perspective Unit(s): 4
• GEP 324 - Climate Change and Society Unit(s): 4
• GEP 325 - Global Food Systems: Scarcity and Sustainability Unit(s): 4
• GEP 330 - Environmental History Unit(s): 4
• GEP 333 - Natural Resource Planning Unit(s): 4
• GEP 335 - U.S. Environmental Policy Unit(s): 4
• GEP 336 - U.S. Environmental Law Unit(s): 3
• GEP 337 - Landscape History of the American West Unit(s): 3
• GEP 422 - Globalization and Environments Unit(s): 4
• GEP 431 - Restoration and Society Unit(s): 4
• GEP 490 - Global Challenges Research Design Unit(s): 3
• GEP 491 - Global Challenges Research Project Unit(s): 3

• Focus 2: Environmental Systems

• GEP 340 - Applied Ecology Unit(s): 3
• GEP 343 - Biogeography Unit(s): 4
• GEP 344 - Field Methods Unit(s): 2
• GEP 345 - Lab Methods Unit(s): 2
• GEP 347 - Conservation Biology Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 350 - Geomorphology Unit(s): 4
• GEP 351 - Natural Hazards Unit(s): 3
• GEP 352 - Soil Science Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 354 - Watershed Hydrology and Management Unit(s): 4
• GEP 355 - Weather and Climate Unit(s): 3
• GEP 446 - Restoration Ecology Unit(s): 4
• GEP 456 - Global Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future Unit(s): 4

• Focus 3: Urban Studies and Planning

• GEP 360 - Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning Unit(s): 4
• GEP 362 - Environmental Impact Assessment Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 367 - Transportation Policy and Technology Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 368 - Urban Design Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 370 - Globalization and the City Unit(s): 4
• GEP 371 - Social Geography of the American City Unit(s): 3
• GEP 461 - Planning Practice and Methodology Unit(s): 4

• Focus 4: Energy Management and Design

• GEP 373 - Energy, Technology, and Society Unit(s): 4
• GEP 374A - Strategies for Carbon and Energy Reductions Unit(s): 3
• GEP 374B - Laboratory Methods for Energy Efficiency Unit(s): 1
• GEP 375 - Renewable and Resilient Energy Sources Unit(s): 4
• GEP 476 - Energy Services and Efficiency Unit(s): 4

• Focus 5: Geospatial Analysis

• GEP 380 - Environmental Remote Sensing Unit(s): 4
• GEP 385 - Cartographic Visualization Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 388 - Environmental Geographic Information Systems Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 486 - Environmental Data Analysis Unit(s): 4
• GEP 489 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems Unit(s): 3-4

• No Focus

• GEP 396 - Selected Topics Unit(s): 1-4
• GEP 397 - Special Topics: Lab Unit(s): 2-4
• GEP 400 - Special Topics Capstone Unit(s): 3-4
• GEP 405 - Special Topics Capstone With Lab Unit(s): 3-4

Supporting Courses outside GEP (3 units)

• Society, Environment, and Development Theme

• ANTH 345 - Nature and Society: Topics in Anthropology and the Environment Unit(s): 4
• ANTH 352 - Global Issues Unit(s): 4
• ANTH 358 - Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology Unit(s): 4
• CALS 480 - Latin American Migration to the United States Unit(s): 4
• CALS 432 - Latinas/os and Globalization Unit(s): 4
• GEOL 306 - Environmental Geology Unit(s): 3
• HIST 471 - California and the West Unit(s): 4
• NAMS 346 - Philosophic Systems and Sacred Movements in Native North America Unit(s): 4
• POLS 352 - Politics of Eastern Europe Unit(s): 4
• POLS 314 - Environmental Political Theory Unit(s): 4
• SOCI 482 - Environmental Justice and Policy Unit(s): 4
• SOCI 384 - Sociology of Consumption Unit(s): 4
• SOCI 425 - Urban Sociology Unit(s): 4
• SOCI 382 - Social Movements and Collective Behavior Unit(s): 4

• Environmental Systems Theme

• BIOL 131 - Biological Diversity and Ecology Unit(s): 4
• BIOL 312 - Biological Oceanography Unit(s): 3
• GEOL 323 - Hydrology Unit(s): 3
• GEOL 310 - Geophysics Unit(s): 4
• GEOL 303 - Advanced Principles of Geology Unit(s): 4

• Technology and Data Analysis Theme

• ANTH 328 - New Technologies in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Unit(s): 4.00
• CS 115 - Programming I Unit(s): 4

Sample Four-year Program

The Four year Plan is a sample study plan. The sequence and specific courses given are suggestive; please see an advisor each semester to plan your personal program and track your progress using the Academic Requirements Report (ARR) in MYSSU.

Courses may be interchanged fall and spring semester depending on course offering each semester.

General Education Notes:

• GE Areas A2 and B4 should be completed by the end of the first year. Some students may take year-long courses for GE A2 and/or B4.
• GE Area A1 and A3 should be completed by the end of the second year
• Students should enroll in Upper Division GE courses after completion of Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 with a C- or better, lower division GE in that area, and 45 units total.
• Not all First-Year Learning Communities (FLC’s) meet the same GE areas.
• GE Area D must be taken in two different subject areas across the nine total required units in lower division (LD) and upper division (UD).
• Students must take American Institution requirements in U.S. History and U.S. Constitution/California State and Local Government. These requirements may be met in GE.