Admission to the Program

Admission to the program is through formal declaration of the major through the Department of Biology. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Major Requirements

• 69 credit hours with grades of C or better 

Course Requirements

Core (51 credit hours)

Social Sciences (15 credit hours) 

• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) 
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) 
• GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (3) 
• SIS-105 World Politics 3:1 (3) 
• One of the following: 

ANTH-334 Environmental Justice (3) 

SOCY-389 Society and the Global Environment (3) 

Environmental Studies (18 credit hours) 

• CHEM-330 Environmental Chemistry (3) 
• ENVS-360 Environment and the Atmosphere (3) 
• ENVS-375 Water Resources (3) 
• ENVS-492 Senior Capstone in Environmental Studies (3) 
• Two from the following: 

ECON-379 Economics of Environmental Policy (3) 

GOVT-370 Formation and Implementation of Environmental Policy (3) 

GOVT-423 Advanced Studies in Public Policy (3):
Conservation Politics 

SIS-337 International Development (3) 

SIS-338 Environment and Development (3) 

SIS-388 International Environmental Politics (3) 

Natural Sciences and Mathematics (18-20 credit hours) 

• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4) 

or 

BIO-100 Great Experiments in Biology 5:1 (4) 

• BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4) 

or 

ENVS-250 Living in the Environment 5:2 (3) 

• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) 

or 

CHEM-100 The Molecular World 5:1 (4) 

• CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4) 

or 

CHEM-220 Environmental Resources and Energy 5:2 (3) 

• one of the following: 

MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) or  

MATH-221 Calculus I (4) 

Related Course Requirements (18 credit hours)

Skills (3 credit hours) 

• One of the following: 

COMM-200 Writing for Mass Communication (3) 

CSC-310 Introduction to Geographic Information
Systems (3) 

Environmental Applications (12 credit hours) 

• 12 credit hours from the following: 

ANTH-334 Environmental Justice (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

BIO-250 Oceanography  5:2 (3) 

BIO-323 Introduction to Ecology (3) 

BIO-340 Marine Biology (3) 

BIO-342 Marine Mammals (3) 

BIO-440 Microbiology with Laboratory (4) 

BIO-562 Aquatic Field Methods (3) 

BIO-563 Terrestrial Field Methods (3) 

CHEM-310 Organic Chemistry I (3) and 

    CHEM-312 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (1) 

CHEM-320 Organic Chemistry II (3) and 

    CHEM-322 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (1) 

ECON-379 Economics of Environmental Policy (3)(if not taken for core requirement) 

ENVS-520 Biogeochemistry (3) 

ENVS-572 Topics in Conservation Biology (3) 

ENVS-580 Environmental Science I: A Quantitative Approach (3) 

ENVS-581 Environmental Science II: A Quantitative Approach (3) 

ENVS-582 Environmental Law (3) 

GOVT-370 Formation and Implementation of  Environmental Policy (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

GOVT-423 Advanced Studies in Public Policy (3):
Conservation Politics (if not taken for core requirement) 

PHYS-105 College Physics I 5:1 (4) 

or 

PHYS-110 University Physics I 5:1 (4) 

PHYS-205 College Physics II 5:2 (4) 

or 

PHYS-210 University Physics II 5:2 (4) 

SIS-337 International Development (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

SIS-338 Environment and Development (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

SIS-388 International Environmental Politics (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

SOCY-389 Society and the Global Environment (3) (if not taken for core requirement) 

STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) 

Other courses may be substituted with approval of the Environmental Studies coordinator. 

Experiential Learning ( 3 credit hours) 

A maximum of 3 credit hours from: 

ENVS-392 Cooperative Education Field Experience (3) 

ENVS-490 Independent Study Project (1–6) 

ENVS-491 Internship (1–6) 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs.  The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. 

Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and  maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.