Program Map

Environmental Studies - Associate in Arts

Award Type: Associate in Arts
Effective Date: Fall 2025
Learning and Career Pathway
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Environment

This program map from the 2024-2025 catalog year represents one possible pathway to complete this program. Your pathway may vary depending on your transfer plans and also previous college credit, including AP Test scores, concurrent enrollment courses and high school articulated courses.

I'm ready to get started. What do I do next?

  1. Review this program map to get an overview of the required courses
  2. Meet with a counselor to develop your customized student education plan www.chabotcollege.edu/counseling
  3. Use DegreeWorks, an online student education planning tool, to track your progress toward graduation www.chabotcollege.edu/admissions/degreeworks
Description:

The Associates of Arts in Environmental Studies provides students with a multidisciplinary overview of the relationship between humans and the physical world. Contemporary environmental issues are examined from a holistic perspective, including foundational knowledge in systems in the lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, but emphasizing also the political, social, economic, and cultural context in which environmental issues arise.  The curriculum emphasizes sustainability, environmental justice, and the wisdom of all global citizens to combat environmental demise and work towards a better future for all. 

Students can select from a variety of elective classes based on their interest in this interdisciplinary field.  Selection of electives may also be steered by what would best match the school a student plans to transfer to.

What can I do with this Major?

This degree is a launching pad to pursue higher degrees where students can specialize in interest areas for a variety of careers.  

Practitioners focused on environmental advocacy and justice work to develop more equitable systems in response to environmental demise within social structures and provide advisory services and education. This may include business and industry areas not traditionally associated with the environment as sustainability becomes a necessary component of public and private sectors of the economy. 

Examples of these career opportunities include

  • Environmental Planner
  • Sustainability Specialist
  • City Planning
  • Greenhouse Gas Permitting Consultants
  • Environmental Health and Safety Officer
  • Environmental Educator
  • Environmental Compliance Inspectors
  • Waste Management Specialists
  • Public Relations Specialist 
  • Federal Executive Branch
  • Recycling Officer
  • Environmental Consultants
  • Sustainable Urban Planners
  • Transportation Analyst
  • Administrator
  • Citizen Activist
  • Consumer Affairs Specialist
  • Energy Impact Assessor
  • Environmental Auditor
  • Historic Preservationist
  • Journalist
  • Land Acquisition Analyst
  • Environmental Lawyer
  • Open Space and Recreation Planner
  • Water Control Inspector

Students that complete graduate work and specialize in weather and climate studies, ecology, environmental engineering, physical geography and geology can find jobs focused on research and monitoring, such as

  • Agriculture and Natural Resource Engineers 
  • Animal and Plant Scientists 
  • Geoscientists 
  • Marine Scientists 
  • Environmental Health Specialists 
  • Environmental Technicians 
  • Wildlife Managers 
  • Forestry Management Specialists 
  • Horticulturalists  
  • Water Quality Scientist 
  • Air Pollution analyst 
  • Natural Resource Conservation 
  • Environmental Analyst 
  • Environmental Educator
  • Environmental Scientist 
  • Wildlife Biologist
  • Environmental Remediation
  • Watershed Manager

Critical Course Prerequisite for Other Courses Prerequisite Required Required for Major GE General Education

Semester 1
 
14 units
ENST 1
Introduction to Environmental Studies (Active)
3.0
English 1- Critical Reading and Composition
 
GE
4.0
Math Course for General Education: see a counselor to choose the appropriate course.
 
GE
4.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
Semester 2
 
16 - 17 units
Humans and the Environment (Choose ENSC 11 or ENSC 10)
 
3.0-4.0
ENSC 11
Humans and the Environment with Laboratory (Active)
4.0
OR
ENSC 10
Humans and the Environment (Active)
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
4.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
3.0
Elective- see a counselor to choose a course that counts for elective units (can be any credit course).
 
3.0
Semester 3
 
15 units
GEOS 11 or GEO 1 (Choose one)
 
3.0
GEOS 11
Physical Geology (Active)
3.0
OR
GEO 1
Introduction to Physical Geography (Active)
3.0
List A Course #1
 
3.0
Select one course from List A below
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
Semester 4
 
15 - 17 units
List A Course #2
 
3.0-5.0
Select one course from List A below
List A Course #3
 
3.0
Select one course from List A below
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
General Education Course- see a counselor to choose the appropriate general education pattern and general ed course option for this term.
 
GE
3.0
List A
 

Choose three courses from the list below:

56 - 58 units
GEO 8
Introduction to Weather and Climate (Active)
3.0
GEO 10
Global Environmental Solutions (Active)
3.0
GEO 12
Geography of California (Active)
3.0
GEO 13
Climate Studies (Active)
3.0
GEO 20
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Active)
3.0
ENSC 15
Agroecology (Active)
3.0
BIOS 21A
Principles of Plant Biology and Ecology (Active)
4.0
GEO 5
World Regional Geography (Active)
3.0
PHIL 60
Ethics (Active)
3.0
SOCI 1
Principles of Sociology (Active)
3.0
GEO 3
Economic Geography (Active)
3.0
ANTH 3 or GEO 2 (Choose one)
 
3.0
ANTH 3
Social and Cultural Anthropology (Active)
3.0
OR
GEO 2
Cultural Geography (Active)
3.0
POSC 20 or POSC 30 (Choose one)
 
3.0
POSC 20
Comparative Politics (Active)
3.0
OR
POSC 30
International Relations (Active)
3.0
BIOS 1 or BIOS 41 (Choose one)
 
4.0
BIOS 1
Introduction to the Science of Biology (Active)
4.0
OR
BIOS 41
Fundamentals of Biology for Health Sciences (Active)
4.0
CHEM 31 or CHEM 1A (Choose one)
 
4.0-5.0
CHEM 31
Introduction to College Chemistry (Active)
4.0
OR
CHEM 1A
General College Chemistry I (Active)
5.0
PHYS 3A or PHYS 4A (Choose one)
 
4.0-5.0
PHYS 3A
College Physics A (Active)
4.0
OR
PHYS 4A
General Physics I (Active)
5.0
PSY 5 or MTH 43 (Choose one)
 
4.0
PSY 5
Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (Active)
4.0
OR
STAT C1000
Introduction to Statistics (Active)
4.0
Total Units: 60.0-63.0
This program map is not a guarantee of course availability or financial aid applicability.