The Associate in Science in Environmental Science for Transfer degree is an interdisciplinary degree that combines social science, policy and human behavior with physical and biological sciences. The degree consists of earth sciences and economics with a focus on the environment. Students will learn how natural processes work with human behavior and resource use and how productive activities degrade the environment. The program will also emphasize environmental policy and regulation as it relates to pollution. The degree emphasizes enhancement of quantitative skills to be applied to environmental applications and decision making. Courses in biology, chemistry, geography, geology, and physics explain the Earth's processes. Courses in social science examine human impacts on the environment, resource use, and regulation. The mathematical tools learned in calculus and statistics provide a foundation for measuring environmental impacts. Upon completion of the Associate in Science in Environmental Science for Transfer, the students will be prepared for transfer to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Environmental Science or Environmental Studies.

Program Level Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Develop an interdisciplinary perspective on the Earth's natural processes by applying the scientific method to environmental issues.
2. Describe the role of humans' interaction with the environment through the use of natural resources and production.
3. Compare and contrast global environmental policy in the aim of correcting market failures related to the environment.
4. Explain how biological processes, such as water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles, source and sink functions, and population biology, affect resource use and sustainability. 
5. Analyze environmental patterns related to Earth's physical processes and geography, such as energy, heat, minerals, fossil fuels, landscape, and climate.

Associate Degree for Transfer Graduation Requirements

Associate Degrees for Transfer require students to meet the following requirements:

• Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of degree-applicable courses,
• Minimum overall grade point average of 2.0,
• Minimum grade of “C” (or “P”) for each course in the major, and
• Completion of Cal-GETC.

Students should consult a GWC counselor in order to select the best pathway to meet their educational goals. For students who intend to transfer, the choice of general education will be specific to both their major and transfer institution.

Course List Units

Course	Title	Units
Required Core
Select one option of the following:
Option 1:
BIOL G180 & BIOL G186	Cell and Molecular Biology and Diversity of Organisms	10
CHEM G180	General Chemistry A	5
Option 2:
BIOL G180	Cell and Molecular Biology	5
CHEM G180 & CHEM G185	General Chemistry A and General Chemistry B	10
List A		14-15
BIOL G110	Ecology and Field Biology	3
or ECON G130	Environmental Economics and Policy
GEOG G180 & G180L	Physical Geography and Physical Geography Laboratory	4
or GEOL G110	Physical Geology
MATH G180	Calculus 1	4
or MATH G140	Business Calculus
STAT G160	Introduction to Statistics	3-6
or STAT G160S	Introduction to Statistics
or SOC G125	Introduction to Statistics in Sociology
or ECON G160	Statistics for Business and Economics
or PSYC G140	Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
List B		11
ECON G170	Principles of Microeconomics	3
PHYS G185 & PHYS G280	Calculus Based Physics: Mechanics and Calculus Based Physics: Electricity/Magnetism	8
Or
PHYS G120 & PHYS G125	Algebra Based Physics: Mechanics and Algebra Based Physics: Electricity/Magnetism	8
Major Total		40-41
GE Pattern (Cal-GETC)		34
Transferable Electives (as needed to reach 60 units)
Total Units		60