Environmental Science
Associate in Science Biological Sciences · Chabot College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Description
The Associate in Science in Environmental Science degree provides students with a foundation in scientific principles and the diversity of life. Environmental Science students study life at various levels of organization ranging from the molecular level to the entire biosphere. Greatest emphasis is on population, community, ecosystem and biome levels. Students answer scientific questions by critically evaluating scientific information, developing and testing hypotheses using the tools and techniques of the ecological, biological and physical sciences, analyzing data, and interpreting results. The Associate in Science in Environmental Science degree prepares students for careers in research, environmental protection and health, environmental law and policy, conservation management, agriculture, food, natural resource management and forestry. Preparation for some entry level jobs in careers such as environmental protection and health technician may require an associate’s degree while most careers require at least a bachelor’s degree and scientists or specialists will need to obtain a master’s or doctorate degree.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon the successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- communicate ecological, biological and physical science concepts by written, verbal, and graphical/illustrative means;
- demonstrate critical thinking and/or laboratory skills required to interpret data from a variety of experimental, written, and visual sources to answer scientific questions;
- describe relationships between structure and function at multiple levels of biological organization with emphasis on population, community, ecosystem and biome levels;
- describe how diversity arises by evolutionary change and how the unity of living systems results from evolutionary conservation;
- describe interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOS 21A | Principles of Plant Biology and Ecology (Active) | 4 |
| GEOS 1 | Physical Geology with Laboratory (Active) | 4 |
| orGEOS 11 | Physical Geology (Active) | 3 |
| GEOS 11L | Physical Geology Lab (Active) | 1 |
| ENSC 11 | Humans and the Environment with Laboratory (Active) | 4 |
| orENSC 15 | Agroecology (Active) | 3 |
| ENSC 15L | Agroecology Laboratory (Active) | 1 |
| MTH 15 | Applied Calculus I (Active) | 3 |
| orMTH 1 | Calculus I (Active) | 5 |
| BIOS 21B | Principles of Animal Biology and Evolution (Active) | 4 |
| BIOS 21C | Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology (Active) | 5 |
| CHEM 1A | General College Chemistry I (Active) | 5 |
| PHYS 3A | College Physics A (Active) | 4 |
| Total | 60 | |
Other Information
Discipline: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Environment
Program Control Number: 37428
TOP Code: 030100 - Environmental Science
CIP Code: 03.0104 - Environmental Science