Environmental Sciences
AS Degree Environmental Sciences and Sustainability · Sierra College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Successful completion of the Environmental Sciences curriculum will prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges or universities in areas including environmental studies and sciences, wildlife conservation biology, ecology, forestry, toxicology, waste management, and others. Environmental Sciences is the combination of biological, chemical, geological, and mathematical principles as they apply to the environment and environmental problems. Commonly, environmental science is thought of as the study of solving these problems, such as degradation and pollution of the environment, that may have been caused by humans. Environmental science also focuses on preserving and managing natural resources. The major has been designed to meet lower-division requirements for Environmental Sciences majors at transfer institutions. In all cases, students should consult with a counselor for more information on university admission and transfer requirements. Students must fulfill the following major requirements with grades of “C” or better, complete a minimum of 60 degree-applicable semester units (12 of which must be completed at Sierra College) with a grade point average of at least 2.0 and complete one of the following three general education patterns:
- Sierra College Associate Degree Requirements;
- California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC).
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 0140 | Organismal Biology | 4.5-9 |
| orBIOL 0002 & BIOL 0003 | Botanyand General Zoology | |
| CHEM 0001A | General Chemistry I | 5-6 |
| orCHEM 0003A & CHEM 0003B | General Chemistry I - Part 1and General Chemistry I - Part 2 | |
| ESCI 0001 | Physical Geology | 3 |
| orGEOG 0001 | Physical Geography | |
| ESS 0001 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Sustainability | 3 |
| ESS 0001L | Introduction to Environmental Science Laboratory | 1 |
| Select 4-6 units from the following: | 4-6 | |
| AGRI 0198 | Food, Society and the Environment | |
| AGRI 0221 | Introduction to Soil Science | |
| ANTH 0002 | Cultural Anthropology | |
| BIOL 0013 | Field Methods in Ecology | |
| BIOL 0014 | Natural History, Ecology and Conservation (also ESS 0014) | |
| BIOL 0015 | Marine Biology | |
| BIOL 0016A | Local Ecosystems of Placer County 1 | |
| BIOL 0016B | Local Ecosystems of Nevada County 1 | |
| BIOL 0016C | Vernal Pools and the California Prairie 1 | |
| BIOL 0016D | Biology of Waterfowl and Marsh Birds 1 | |
| BIOL 0016E | Ecology of the Sierran Conifer Forest 1 | |
| BIOL 0016G | Field Paleontology and Ancient Environments (also ESCI 0016G) 1 | |
| BIOL 0016H | Ecology of the Mendocino Coast 1 | |
| BIOL 0016I | Biology of Mono Lake and the Great Basin 1 | |
| BIOL 0016J | Ecology of Point Reyes National Seashore 1 | |
| BIOL 0016K | Foothill Ecology of the Sierra Nevada 1 | |
| BIOL 0016L | Aquatic and Riparian Environments of California Waterways 1 | |
| BIOL 0016M | Marine Mammals and Birds 1 | |
| BIOL 0016N | Ecology of the Modoc Plateau 1 | |
| BIOL 0016O | Ecology of the High Sierra and White-Inyo Mountains 1 | |
| BIOL 0016P | Ecology of Death Valley and Desert Ecosystems 1 | |
| BIOL 0016Q | Ecology of Mid-Western North America 1 | |
| BIOL 0016R | Canyon Lands of the Southwest 1 | |
| BIOL 0016T | Ecology of the Northern California Coast 1 | |
| BIOL 0016U | Ecology of the Central California Coast 1 | |
| BIOL 0016V | Ecology of Southern California Deserts 1 | |
| BIOL 0016W | Ecology of the Klamath and Southern Cascade Ranges 1 | |
| BIOL 0016Y | Ecology of National Parks and Wilderness Ecosystems 1 | |
| BIOL 0016Z | Ecology of the American River 1 | |
| BIOL 0017B | Ecology of the Sutter Buttes 1 | |
| BIOL 0021 | Introduction to Plant Science | |
| BIOL 0023 | Wildflower Identification | |
| BIOL 0024 | Wildland Trees and Shrubs (Dendrology) | |
| ECON C2002 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| orECON C2001 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| ESCI 0001L | Physical Geology Laboratory | |
| ESS 0006 | The Sierra Nevada | |
| ESS 0006F | Sierra Nevada Field Trip | |
| ESS 0007 | Energy, Environment, and Climate (also ESCI 0007) | |
| ESS 0008 | California Water | |
| ESS 0010 | Conservation of Natural Resources | |
| ESS 0013 | Environmental Regulations | |
| GEOG 0001L | Physical Geography Laboratory | |
| GEOG 0090 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | |
| GEOG 0091A | Beginning Geospatial Design | |
| GEOG 0091B | Intermediate Geospatial Design | |
| STAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| orSTAT C1000E & MATH 0011 | Introduction to Statistics Embedded Supportand Data Science for All | |
| Total Units | 20.5-28 | |
A maximum of 2 units may be taken from the BIOL 0016, BIOL 0017, BIOL 0023 and ESCI 0016, 0054 and 0055 field studies courses.