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BA in Environmental Policy

Well-designed public policies are critical in maintaining and restoring a healthy environment. Public policies influence air and water quality, land use, biodiversity, and public health and shape crucial efforts to fight climate change. Our environmental policy program prepares students to craft and implement public policies that promote ecological conservation, environmental justice, and innovation toward a green economy.

Students advocating for policy change

Students in environmental policy learn how well-crafted public policies can promote environmental sustainability.  

Program Highlights

  • An emphasis on ethics and social justice in public policy
  • The opportunity to engage directly with environmental policy through service-learning, including internships, undergraduate research, and study abroad.
  • A focus on the human dimensions of global inequities
  • Learning that inspires meaningful action and thoughtful solutions

What You'll Learn

  • A solid foundational understanding of environmental science
  • The ability to analyze policies and assess their implications for sustainability
  • A working knowledge of the policy-making process and opportunities to influence it
  • The skills to communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in environmental decision-making

Careers

This program provides a foundation for careers in

  • Local, state, and national government
  • Not-for-profit organizations
  • Environmental policy consulting

You'll also be well-positioned for opportunities in the advanced study of environmental policy, public administration, urban and regional planning, natural resource management, or law.

Curriculum

Environmental Policy students complete coursework spanning a variety of disciplines pertinent to the understanding of environmental issues.

Core Curriculum

The BA in Environmental Policy has the following requirements:   

  • ENVS 137 Foundations of Environmental Science I 
  • ENVS 237 Foundations of Environmental Science II 
  • ENVS 238 Environmental Science Lab 
  • ENVS 200 Environmental Careers and Professional Skills 
  • ENVS 203 Environmental Statistics 
  • ENVS 280 Principles of Ecology 
  • ENVS 286 Principles of Ecology Lab  
  • ENVS 310 Introduction to Environmental Law & Policy 
  • PLSC 101 American Politics 
  • PLSC 392 Environmental Politics

Justice and Ethics Choice:

Choose one:

  • ENVS 284 Environmental Justice  
  • PHIL 287 Environmental Ethics  
  • THEO 204 Religious Ethics and the Ecological Crisis 

Economics Choice:

Choose one:

  • ENVS 335 Ecological Economics 
  • ECON 328 Environmental Economics 

Engaged Learning Choice:

Choose one:

  • ENVS 226 Science & Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems  
  • ENVS 227r Ecology of the Mediterranean Sea  
  • ENVS 267 Bird Conservation and Ecology  
  • ENVS 273 Energy & the Environment  
  • ENVS 281v Humans and the Environment in Contemporary Vietnam  
  • ENVS 283 Environmental Sustainability  
  • ENVS 340 Natural History of Belize  
  • ENVS 345 Conservation & Sustainability in Neotropical Ecosystems  
  • ENVS 350a STEP: Water  
  • ENVS 350b STEP: Biogas  
  • ENVS 350c STEP: Climate Action  
  • ENVS 350f STEP: Food Systems  
  • ENVS 391 Independent Environmental Research  
  • ENVS 395 Environmental Internship 

Capstone Choice:

Choose one:

  • ENVS 390 Integrative Environmental Seminar 
  • ENVS 391C Independent Environmental Capstone Research  
  • ENVS 395C Environmental Capstone Internship 

Electives

The BA in Environmental Policy has electives (18 credit hours) in the following categories:       

Society, Ethics, and Justice:

 Choose one:

  • ENVS 204 Gender, Health & Environment 
  • ENVS 260W Environmental Journalism (COMM 260W) 
  • ENVS 279W Climate and History (HIST 279E) 
  • ENVS 284 Environmental Justice 
  • ENVS 297W N American Environmental History (HIST 297E) 
  • ENVS 298 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 338 Climate Change and Human Health 
  • ENVS 350a STEP: Water  
  • ENVS 350b STEP: Biogas  
  • ENVS 350c STEP: Climate Action  
  • ENVS 350f STEP: Food Systems 
  • ENVS 383 Human Dimensions in Conservation 
  • ENVS 391 Independent Environmental Research 
  • ENVS 395 Environmental Internship 
  • ENVS 398 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 399 Directed Readings 
  • COMM 101 Public Speaking & Critical Thinking 
  • COMM 277 Organizational Communication                         
  • COMM 306 Environmental Advocacy 
  • COMM 322 Guerilla Media 
  • ENGL 288 Nature in Literature 
  • PHIL 287 Environmental Ethics        
  • PSYC 277 Environmental Psychology 
  • SOCL 226 Science, Technology, and Society            
  • SOCL 252 Global Inequities 
  • SOCL 272 Environmental Sociology 
  • SOCL 276 Sociology/ Politics of Food 
  • SOCL 278 Global Health                    
  • THEO 204 Religious Ethics and the Ecological Crisis 
  • THEO 344 Theology and Ecology

Policy, Economics, and Resource Management:

Choose two:

  • ENVS 298 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 311 Natural Resources and Land Use Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 312 Water Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 313 Energy Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 327 Food Systems Analysis 
  • ENVS 332 Industrial Ecology 
  • ENVS 333 Circular Economy 
  • ENVS 335 Ecological Economics 
  • ENVS 336 Biomimicry  Design Inspired by Nature 
  • ENVS 338 Climate Change and Human Health 
  • ENVS 351 Introduction to Sustainability Concepts & Impacts 
  • ENVS 363 Sustainable Business Management 
  • ENVS 364 Sustainability Management in the Global Context 
  • ENVS 383 Human Dimensions in Conservation 
  • ENVS 384 Conservation Economics 
  • ENVS 389 Ecological Risk Assessment 
  • ENVS 391 Independent Environmental Research 
  • ENVS 395 Independent Environmental Internship 
  • ENVS 398 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 399 Directed Readings 
  • ECON 328 Environmental Economics 
  • GLST 305 Globalization and Environmental Sustainability 
  • MGMT 201 Intro to Business Management 
  • PLSC 354 Global Environmental Politics

Methods and Analysis:

Choose one:

  • ENVS 298 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 260W Environmental Journalism (COMM 260W) 
  • ENVS 327 Food Systems Analysis 
  • ENVS 352 Sustainability Assessment & Reporting I 
  • ENVS 353 Sustainability Assessment & Reporting II 
  • ENVS 354 Sustainability Plan Development & Reporting 
  • ENVS 380 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 
  • ENVS 381 Advanced GIS Applications 
  • ENVS 382 Remote Sensing 
  • ENVS 384 Conservation Economics 
  • ENVS 388 Applied Environmental Statistics 
  • ENVS 389 Ecological Risk Assessment 
  • ENVS 391 Independent Environmental Research 
  • ENVS 395 Environmental Internship 
  • ENVS 398 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 399 Directed Readings 
  • ANTH 317 Qualitative Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology 
  • BIOL 335 Introduction to Biostatistics 
  • COMM 101 Public Speaking & Critical Thinking 
  • COMM 231 Conflict Management and Mediation  
  • COMM 234 Interviewing for Communication  
  • COMM 277 Organizational Communication 
  • COMM 363 Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations 
  • MARK 320 Marketing for Environmental Sustainability 
  • SOCL 206 Principles of Social Research 
  • SOCL 301 Statistics for Social Research 
  • SOCL 302 Qualitative Research 
  • STAT 203 Statistics 
  • STAT 303 SAS Progr. & Applied Statistics

Environmental Electives:

Choose two:

  • ENVS 204 Gender, Health, and Environment 
  • ENVS 207 Plants & Civilization        
  • ENVS 218 Biodiversity & Biogeography 
  • ENVS 223 Soil Ecology 
  • ENVS 224 Climate & Climate Change 
  • ENVS 226 Science & Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems        
  • ENVS 227r Ecology of the Mediterranean 
  • ENVS 260W Environmental Journalism 
  • ENVS 267 Bird Conservation & Ecology 
  • ENVS 273 Energy & the Environment           
  • ENVS 274 Chemistry of the Environment 
  • ENVS 278 Hydrology             
  • ENVS 279W Climate and History 
  • ENVS 281v Humans and the Environment of Contemporary Vietnam         
  • ENVS 283 Environmental Sustainability 
  • ENVS 297W N. American Environmental History 
  • ENVS 298 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 301 Environmental Health       
  • ENVS 302 Introduction to Public Health 
  • ENVS 303 Introduction to Epidemiology 
  • ENVS 311 Natural Resources and Land Use Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 312 Water Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 313 Energy Law & Policy 
  • ENVS 319 Winter Ecology 
  • ENVS 320 Conservation Biology 
  • ENVS 322 Invasive Species    
  • ENVS 325 Sustainable Agriculture 
  • ENVS 326 Agroecosystems    
  • ENVS 327 Food Systems Analysis 
  • ENVS 330 Restoration Ecology 
  • ENVS 338 Climate Change and Human Health         
  • ENVS 340 Natural History of Belize 
  • ENVS 345 Conservation & Sustainability in Neotropical Ecosystems          
  • ENVS 350a STEP: Water  
  • ENVS 350b STEP: Biogas  
  • ENVS 350c STEP: Climate Action  
  • ENVS 350f STEP: Food Systems 
  • ENVS 351 Introduction to Sustainability Concepts & Impacts  
  • ENVS 352 Sustainability Assessment & Reporting I 
  • ENVS 353 Sustainability Assessment & Reporting II 
  • ENVS 354 Sustainability Plan Development & Reporting 
  • ENVS 369 Field Ornithology 
  • ENVS 380 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems            
  • ENVS 381 Advanced GIS Applications 
  • ENVS 385 Introduction to Global Health       
  • ENVS 387 Principles of Ecotoxicology 
  • ENVS 388 Applied Environmental Statistics 
  • ENVS 389 Ecological Risk Assessment 
  • ENVS 391 Independent Environmental Research 
  • ENVS 395 Environmental Internship 
  • ENVS 398 Special Topics (with SES approval) 
  • ENVS 399 Directed Readings 
  • ANTH 104 The Human Ecological Footprint 
  • ANTH 303 People & Conservation   
  • BIOL, CHEM, PHYS 300-level courses (with SES approval)

Admission

To apply for admission and scholarship consideration, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission and indicate your interest in this program on your application. For more information, see the following resources:

 

Tuition and Financial Aid

The Loyola School of Environmental Sustainability is committed to helping students secure the necessary financial resources to make their education at Loyola affordable.

Well-designed public policies are critical in maintaining and restoring a healthy environment. Public policies influence air and water quality, land use, biodiversity, and public health and shape crucial efforts to fight climate change. Our environmental policy program prepares students to craft and implement public policies that promote ecological conservation, environmental justice, and innovation toward a green economy.

Curriculum

Environmental Policy students complete coursework spanning a variety of disciplines pertinent to the understanding of environmental issues.

Admission

To apply for admission and scholarship consideration, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission and indicate your interest in this program on your application. For more information, see the following resources:

 

Tuition and Financial Aid

The Loyola School of Environmental Sustainability is committed to helping students secure the necessary financial resources to make their education at Loyola affordable.