Environmental Studies Pre-major
Program Co-Coordinator: Paul Gulezian, 847-376-7120, pgulezia@oakton.edu
Program Co-Coordinator: Marian Staats, 847-376-7103, mstaats@oakton.edu
Environmental Studies Pre-major is recommended for students who are considering completing a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Environmental Humanities, or Environmental Science after transferring to a four-year institution. It also offers a suitable pathway to a range of other undergraduate humanities, social science, or science programs. An undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies provides a strong foundation for graduate programs in environmental policy and science, as well as environmental law or public health. Interdisciplinary training in environmental studies develops students’ analytical thinking, problem solving, ethical reasoning, and advanced reading and writing so essential to strong communication skills. It therefore offers excellent preparation for a range of career options.
The pre-major is designed for students who have not decided upon a specific four-year college or university. Once a transfer school is selected, students are strongly encouraged to consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success and the transfer institution’s catalog to select courses that will meet both Oakton and transfer institution requirements.
When registering for courses, students are advised to select ESC (Environmental Studies) designated course sections. For more information on course selection or program-specific advising, contact the Program Co-Coordinators. Part time students should also consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success for part-time Pre-major recommendations. General Education courses should be selected from the list of IAI General Education Courses.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester One | Hours | |
| EGL 101 | Composition I | 3 |
| MAT 131 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| BIO 106 | Introduction to Environmental Science (lab) 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction To Philosophy | ||
| World Mythologies 1 | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Philosophy | ||
or other Humanities/Fine Arts course |
||
| Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| EGL 102 | Composition II | 3 |
| SPE 103 | Effective Speech | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology 1 | ||
| Introduction To Archaeology | ||
| Introduction To Physical Anthropology | ||
or other Social and Behavioral Sciences course |
||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction To Weather And Climate | ||
| Physical Geography | ||
| A Survey Of Oceanography | ||
or other Physical Science course |
||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Culture and the Arts | ||
| Women and Creativity 2 | ||
or other Fine Arts course |
||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester One | ||
| PHL 204 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Introduction to Global Studies | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Human Genetics (non-laboratory course) | ||
| Plants and Society | ||
| A Survey Of Oceanography | ||
or other Life Science course |
||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction To Sociology 2 | ||
| Introduction To Psychology | ||
| Introduction To Political Science | ||
| International Relations 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Gender, Identity and Literature 2 | ||
| Women and Literature 2 | ||
| Introduction to Native American Literature 3 | ||
or other Humanities course that also satisfies U.S. Diversity Studies requirement |
||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Life Science (lab) | ||
| Ecological Restoration (lab) | ||
| Introductory Chemistry (lab) | ||
or other Life or Physical Science course |
||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Plants and Society | ||
| Environmental Geology | ||
or other Life Science course |
||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction To Fiction | ||
| Introduction to Poetry | ||
| Introduction To Literature | ||
or other Humanities/Fine Arts course |
||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Social Problems 3 | ||
| The Individual in Modern Society | ||
| Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology 1 | ||
| World Regional Geography 1 | ||
| Cultural Geography 1 | ||
or other Social and Behavioral Sciences course |
||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
| 1 | Course fulfills the Global Studies Requirement. At least one Global Studies course is required for degree completion. |
| 2 | Course fulfills the U.S. Diversity Requirement. At least one U.S. Diversity course is required for degree completion. |
| 3 | Course fulfills both, the Global Studies and U.S. Diversity Requirements. |
Note: Pre-major is a recommended sequence and selection of courses. See Associate in Arts (A.A.) page for degree requirements.