Environmental Studies Emphasis
AA Degree Environmental Studies · Mt. San Antonio College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Humanities and Social Sciences Division
Degree A0411
An emphasis in Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary course of study that provides students with an integrated and critical understanding of the natural environment and human interactions with it. The coursework is designed to examine the interplay between natural and social systems and the ideological foundations of humanity’s attitudes and behaviors in relation to its ever-changing environment. This program is designed to prepare students to research, analyze, and propose solutions to the myriad environmental challenges facing the world today through a well-rounded curriculum combining classroom, laboratory, and field study instruction. Students who are interested in an Environmental Science major are advised to follow the AA in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in natural sciences and to work with a counselor to select major courses appropriate to their intended transfer institution.
This degree requires the completion of General Education coursework plus the following:
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a combination of any 3 courses | 9-11 | |
| BIOL 6 | Humans and the Environment | |
| BIOL 6L | Humans and the Environment Laboratory | |
| ECON C2002 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| orECON C2002H | Principles of Macroeconomics - Honors | |
| GEOL 9 | Environmental Geology | |
| POLS 10 | Environmental Politics | |
| Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Choose a minimum of three units from the following: | 3-5 | |
| BIOL 1 | General Biology | |
| BIOL 3 | Ecology and Field Biology | |
| BIOL 4 | Biology for Majors | |
| orBIOL 4H | Biology for Majors - Honors | |
| BIOL 20 | Marine Biology | |
| BIOL 21 | Marine Biology Laboratory | |
| BIOL 25 | Conservation Biology | |
| BTNY 3 | Plant Structures, Functions, and Diversity | |
| CHEM 10 | Chemistry for Allied Health Majors | |
| CHEM 40 | Introduction to General Chemistry | |
| CHEM 50 | General Chemistry I | |
| orCHEM 50H | General Chemistry I - Honors | |
| GEOG 1 | Physical Geography | |
| orGEOG 1H | Physical Geography - Honors | |
| GEOG 1L | Physical Geography Laboratory | |
| orGEOG 1LH | Physical Geography Laboratory - Honors | |
| GEOG 10 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| GEOL 1 | Physical Geology | |
| GEOL 8 | Earth Science | |
| orGEOL 8H | Earth Science - Honors | |
| GEOL 8L | Earth Science Laboratory | |
| MATH 140 | Calculus for Business | |
| MATH 160 | Precalculus Mathematics | |
| MATH 180 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | |
| METO 3 | Weather and the Atmospheric Environment | |
| METO 3L | Weather and Atmospheric Environment Laboratory | |
| OCEA 10 | Introduction to Oceanography | |
| orOCEA 10H | Introduction to Oceanography - Honors | |
| OCEA 10L | Introduction to Oceanography Laboratory | |
| OCEA 20 | The Coastal Ocean | |
| PHYS 1 | Physics | |
| PHYS 2AG | General Physics | |
| PHYS 4A | Engineering Physics | |
| PSYC 10 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | |
| STAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| orSTAT C1000H | Introduction to Statistics - Honors | |
| Social Science | ||
| Choose two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| ANTH 5 | Cultural Anthropology | |
| orANTH 5H | Cultural Anthropology - Honors | |
| ECON C2001 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| orECON C2001H | Principles of Microeconomics - Honors | |
| GEOG 2 | Human Geography | |
| orGEOG 2H | Human Geography - Honors | |
| GEOG 5 | World Geography: Introduction to Global Studies | |
| GEOG 30 | California Geography | |
| PHIL 12 | Introduction to Ethics | |
| orPHIL 12H | Introduction to Ethics - Honors | |
| POLS C1000 | American Government and Politics | |
| orPOLS C1000H | American Government and Politics - Honors | |
| SOC 2 | Contemporary Social Problems | |
| orSOC 2H | Contemporary Social Problems - Honors | |
| Total Units | 18-22 | |
Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, a student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills in relation to environmental issues
- Demonstrate an ability to integrate the many disciplines and fields that intersect with environmental concerns
- Demonstrate an awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of ecological processes and their relationship they have with human communities
- Demonstrate an ability to integrate environmental issues within the concept of sustainability
Review Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for this program.