Science Building 160
(213) 740-7770
FAX: 740-8566
Email: environ@rcf.usc.edu
www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/enviro

Director: Linda E. Duguay, Ph.D.*

The Environmental Studies Program offers students a range of options for studies related to the environment. Available degree programs in Environmental Studies include a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science, and minors in social sciences, natural sciences and environmental planning and development. A Master of Arts degree in environmental studies and a Master of Science in environmental risk analysis are also awarded.

The Bachelor of Arts program emphasizes studies in the societal aspects of environmental issues, along with a core set of courses in the basic sciences. This option emphasizes studies in the general social sciences, and includes areas of emphasis in business, geography, and public policy and management. Students can also pursue a general social sciences track.

The Bachelor of Science program contains areas of emphasis in biology, chemistry or earth sciences, together with a core set of courses in the social sciences. The three minor degree programs provide students with primary interests in other majors an opportunity to incorporate an environmental theme into their undergraduate studies.

All programs are highly interdisciplinary with faculty and courses drawn from many departments in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Marshall School of Business, School of Engineering and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. A special effort is made to provide students with experience in dealing with actual environmental problems and policies through senior seminars, directed research projects with faculty, internships with government agencies and private corporations, the Santa Catalina Island semester and the School for Field Studies programs abroad.

The Master of Arts degree program in environmental studies is also interdisciplinary and focuses on public policy and its related facets. Those who graduate with an M.A. in environmental studies are well prepared to pursue careers in policy, planning or management in the public, private or nonprofit sector in either this country or abroad. In addition, the curriculum provides students with a foundation for acquiring a Ph.D. in environmental studies or a related field, or a law degree. Individuals who are already employed in the pollution control and remediation field will find the M.A. degree attractive as well. Upon completion of the graduate program, students will possess extensive knowledge of environmental science, environmental statistics and economics, law and regulation, policy and planning, development and economic growth, and global issues and problems.

The Master of Science degree in Environ-mental Risk Analysis focuses on providing advanced professional training for students with a B.S. degree in natural sciences or engineering. Students will pursue a core program encompassing science, engineering and finance supplemented with important skills courses in risk assessment, statistics and computer modeling and simulations. Those who graduate with the M.S. degree will be well prepared to pursue professional careers in business and industry which build on their degrees in the natural sciences. This degree will produce individuals with the analytical and problem-solving skills of natural scientists combined with the necessary training in finance and management needed in the business world.

This new and expanded program is specifically designed for both environmental studies and biological sciences majors and for students in any field who want to minor in environmental studies. The semester is sponsored by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and held at USC’s Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island each spring semester. The courses are taught by USC faculty and are specialized to take advantage of the unique facilities and settings of Catalina Island. Students generally enroll in 16 units.

Students will live on Catalina Island for the entire semester (with two breaks). Rates for room and board at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center are comparable to those on campus.

For more information, students should contact their advisor or the USC Wrigley Institute Offices at Alan Hancock Foundation 232 on the University Park campus, (213) 740-6780.

The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Southern California is the home of Green Leaf, a national honor society that recognizes and rewards the brightest students throughout the country who are studying some aspect of the natural environment as undergraduates in college. A number of prominent environmental scientists and social scientists comprise a National Advisory Board. Undergraduate seniors who have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher and are majoring in a field directly related to the natural environment may apply for admission to Green Leaf. Juniors who have an overall GPA of 3.75 or higher and are majoring in a discipline related to the natural environment are also invited to apply. In addition to completing an application for admission, students must submit an official copy of their transcripts, three letters of recommendation from faculty, and a short essay (between two and three pages long) explaining their future goals. In order to be accepted, students must not only meet the minimum GPA for their class level, but they also must have strong letters of recommendation and be able to express their future plans clearly in writing. Students who are accepted receive a pin (a green leaf), a certificate acknowledging their achievement, and an annual newsletter covering important issues, future educational options, and career opportunities. Applications for Green Leaf can be obtained from the Environmental Studies Program office.

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

*Requires one year of both physics and math and one semester of chemistry.

Graduate Degrees

The master’s degree program in environmental studies focuses on issues and problems concerning public policy. A main goal of the graduate program is to educate students who already have a good grounding in the natural sciences about central theories, concepts and principles in public policy. A minimum of 41 units is required to receive an M.A. in environmental studies.

All students have a common point of entry into the graduate program. ENST 500 Introduction to Environmental Studies is broad and interdisciplinary. It provides students with an introduction to the field and to the different concentrations in the program. POSC 546 Seminar in Environmental Policy represents the second required core course. It offers students an overview of environmental politics, policy and regulations. Environmental science courses - ENST 501, ENST 502, ENST 503 and ENST 504 - expose students to critical scientific principles, concepts and issues related to pollution control, remediation and ecology. Students must also obtain a background in statistics and economics by taking ENST 510 Statistics for Environmental Analysis (or an equivalent course in the social sciences) and ECON 487 Resource and Environmental Economics. Finally, all students must complete the capstone course, ENST 595 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Studies.

Students who enroll in the master’s degree program must pursue one of three concentrations: global environmental issues and development; law, policy and management; and environmental planning and analysis. Each one differs in professional training and educational focus and, perhaps most importantly, exposes students to fields and areas of knowledge that are closely and critically connected to today’s most vexing environmental policy problems.

The concentration in global environmental issues and development introduces students to the social, political and economic dynamics that underlie regional and global environmental problems and seeks to unravel the complex interrelationships between political economy, population growth and development in the Pacific Rim and elsewhere in the world.

The concentration in law, policy and management is intended for those who wish to work (or already work) in government agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations (e.g., environmental groups). Students learn about the interconnections that exist between law, public policymaking, management (i.e., the administration of human and financial resources) and environmental issues.

The third concentration, environmental planning and analysis, is for students who wish. to study technical matters related to land use planning and analysis. This concentration seeks to train students who wish to work (or who are already working) for planning departments, planning commissions and consulting firms.

A master’s thesis is not required for the M.A. degree.

A minimum of 41 units is required. All courses are four units unless otherwise noted.

Students who wish to enter the Master of Arts program in environmental studies are expected to have a GPA of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0). Students with a baccalaureate degree in any major will be admitted into the program as long as they have completed a year of biology, a year of chemistry, a course in earth sciences and a course in each of the following areas: a course in either earth, life, or physical sciences or engineering; a course in statistics (or calculus); and an introductory human environment, social ecology or environmental studies course in the social sciences. It is recommended that students take a science course in ecology and a course in economics at the undergraduate level prior to applying for admission. The director of the Environmental Studies Program will consider relevant course work and work experience as a possible substitute for the required and recommended course work.

Selection for graduate study is based on letters of reference, the student’s previous academic record, the Graduate Record Examinations and a statement of purpose for graduate study.

Applicants should contact the Environmental Studies Program office for an admission package. All applicants should return their applications by March 1 for full consideration. The following components of the application are required: (1) a completed USC Application for Admission to Graduate Studies, (2) official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work taken to date, (3) the results of the General Test of the GRE or notification of when it will be taken and that a request has been made to send the results to USC and (4) at least three letters of recommendation from persons directly familiar with the student’s academic work and potential for successful graduate study.

Advisement for the graduate program in environmental studies is viewed as an ongoing process. Before entering graduate school and during the first months of graduate school, each student should work with the director of the Environmental Studies Program on devising a plan for completing his or her course work.

The master’s degree in environmental studies is under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degree must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

The focus of the M.S., Environmental Risk Analysis degree is on advanced training for students with an existing science background. Students will enter the M.S. program with a B.S. degree in a core natural science field or in engineering, environmental science and certain fields of geography. Students take a core curriculum in science, engineering and finance, which is supplemented by important tools courses in risk assessment, statistics and computer modeling. Students learn about the basics of environmental science in a two-semester combination of courses and seminars (ENST 501, 502, 503, 504). An advanced environmental science seminar (ENST 505ab) is offered in a two-semester sequence and ties together science, technology and finance with risk assessment and policy. The first semester of the course is devoted to analyzing case studies taken from business, industry and government. During the second semester students work on a project that employs the tools they have acquired in linking science, policy, technology and finance.

A master’s thesis is not required for the M.S. degree. The M.S. degree in environmental risk analysis will give students the quantitative skills needed to understand and assess environmental risks and to use that information in business, industry, government and society.

A miniumum of 48 units is required.

Students who wish to enter the Master of Science program in environmental risk analysis are expected to have a GPA of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0). Students with a baccalaureate degree in the natural sciences, mathematics, environmental science, geography and engineering will be admitted into the program. It is recommended that students have completed an introductory human environment, social ecology or environmental studies course in the social sciences as well as a course in economics and/or environmental policy. The director of the Environmental Studies Program will consider relevant course work and work experience as a possible substitute for the required and recommended course work.

Selection for graduate study is based on letters of reference, the student’s previous academic record, the Graduate Record Examinations and a statement of purpose of graduate study.

Applicants should contact the Environmental Studies Program office for an admission package. All applicants should return their applications by March 1 for full consideration. The following components of the application are required: (1) a completed USC Application for Admission to Graduate Studies; (2) official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work taken to date; (3) the results of the General Test of the GRE or notification of when it will be taken and that a request has been made to send the results to USC; and (4) at least three letters of recommendation from persons directly familiar with the student’s academic work and potential for successful graduate study.

Advisement for the graduate program in environmental studies is viewed as an during the first months of graduate school, each student should work with the director of the Environmental Studies Program on devising a plan for completing his or her course work.

The master’s degree in environmental risk analysis is under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degree must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.