“You Live in the Age of Environmental Science – Seize It”
IoES Student Handbook 2020
January 2020 Update
Getting your degree in Environmental Science at UCLA
Table of Contents
WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR 1
ABOUT THE IOES 2
ABOUT THE REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR 4
STUDENT RESOURCES 6
People 6
Tell Your Story 9
Web Resources 9
THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR 11
About the Major 11
Declaring the Major 15
Preparatory Courses 22
Upper-Division Major Requirements 33
Environmental Science Senior Practicum 53
MINORS 57
About the Minors 57
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Minor 60
Conservation Biology Minor 70
Environmental Engineering Minor 79
Earth and Environmental Science Minor 87
Environmental Health Concentration 90
Environmental Systems and Society Minor 94
Geography/Environmental Studies Minor 100
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DOUBLE MAJORS/MINORS 107
Special Opportunities 107
Double Majors 111
Other Minors 111
RESEARCH, GRANTS, AND OTHER RESOURCES 112
Research Opportunities 112
Honors in Environmental Science 116
Glickfeld Excellence in Environmental Research Grant 116
Getting Involved 118
Course, Academic, Health, and Other Student Resources 124
Research Grants, Scholarships & Financial Aid 128
Other UCLA Student Services Links 130
APPENDIX 1
Environmental Science Official Catalog Description 1
Honors Program 8
Practicum substitution requests guidelines 12
Informational Guides & Links 15
1
WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the IoES undergraduate program! We are very happy that you have chosen us as the
place to pursue your undergraduate education at UCLA and we hope that you quickly feel at
home. You are now part of a vibrant, engaging academic community, one that will work to
ensure that joining us is one of the best decisions that you made in your life.
You have come to the IoES because you are interested in understanding the complexities of the
environment and in using that understanding to solve the many environmental problems that
face our world today. At the IoES we are committed to giving you the tools and skills, and to
helping you develop the intellectual sophistication to tackle these problems. We do not just want
you to succeed, we expect you to succeed and we will help you to succeed.
This guidebook will help. It explains the many different pathways to making an environmental
difference, helping you to choose among the different disciplines so that you can create a truly
interdisciplinary experience and education. I encourage you to take an active role in your own
education. Take advantage of the size of UCLA and the many different views represented here. I
assure you that if you embrace the intellectual challenges and cultural diversity of IoES, there is
a career for you – a career that is fun, rewarding, and makes a difference.
Marilyn Raphael, director
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
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ABOUT THE IOES
The mission of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) is to advance cross-
disciplinary research, teaching, and public service on environmental matters of critical importance. The
environment is defined broadly to include the interrelated issues of global climate change, loss of
biological diversity, and threats to human health and well-being from the use and misuse of natural
resources. We apply the tools of scientific and policy analysis, as well as moral and aesthetic values, to our
endeavors.
The environment is a crucial component of sustainability, which is defined as the simultaneous
consideration of environmental, economic, and social concerns. Los Angeles itself is a vital asset to this
mission. As an international mega-city located in one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions, Los
Angeles is a magnet for scholars from around the world who are confronting similar issues of pollution,
access to potable water, demand for energy, fragmentation of habitat, and the need to restore ecological
function to sprawling urban settlements in a manner that supports economic growth and that is socially
just and equitable.
IoES offers creative, multidisciplinary academic programs and courses that address the full complexity of
current environmental problems and sustainable solutions. The bachelor of science degree in
environmental science is a dual-component degree program for students seeking a challenging and
invigorating science curriculum. The first component, the Environmental Science major, provides
students with disciplinary breadth in several areas important to environmental science. The second
component, a minor or concentration in one of seven defined environmental science areas, provides
students with focused disciplinary depth in an area of their choosing.
Unlike a department that focuses on a specific field of inquiry, IoES draws together faculty experts from
across the campus. There are currently over 100 faculty affiliated with Institute, representing more than
25 departments. Through our eight research centers and our local, national, and international programs,
we employ innovative, cross-disciplinary approaches to address critical environmental and sustainability
challenges.
IoES is committed to facilitating student participation in solving real-world sustainability problems.
Drawing on the dynamism of the world’s most diverse megacity and our top-tier public university, we take
students of all cultures and income levels beyond campus borders to partner with leading government,
non-profit, and business entities to develop cutting-edge environmental solutions.
Today’s environmental challenges are too big to leave any idea unexplored. They are too pressing to
exclude provocative or even unpopular ideas. For these reasons, IoES sponsors events that stimulate
public dialogue on topics including nuclear energy, genetically modified organisms and the future of cars
and transportation.
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We thrive on the energy, optimism and impatience of our students and faculty. We envision a future that
is beautiful and prosperous in 2050—air, water, food, people and nature. As humanity urbanizes, the story
of how we save the planet will be written by cities like Los Angeles, by multicultural universities like
UCLA, and by innovators who break down silos of disciplinary scholarship. Students at IoES, you, are part
of that story.
4
ABOUT THE REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR
The Environmental Science major graduated its first student in 2008. After 10 years as a major, a couple
of factors provided the impetus for the department leadership to investigate changes that would improve
the experience of students while in school and make students even more competitive for graduate
programs and jobs after graduation.
We based the changes largely on feedback we’ve received from students. We perform a bi-annual survey of
our alumni, and they provided feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the program. In addition, in
2017 we underwent our 8-year departmental review, which brought in faculty from across departments at
UCLA and faculty from comparable universities across the country to evaluate our programs and provide
suggestions. Similarly our change in leadership brought fresh eyes to the program and motivated revision
to make our Environmental Science program second to none in the world.
Those elements that are our strengths have remained unchanged or in fact been strengthened and
emphasized in the program. Those areas that were weaknesses we’ve addressed in a couple of ways. We
had three primary goals for the revision of the major:
1. Provide the skills and knowledge that were lacking or needed improvement under the existing
program, to make our students the premier candidates for jobs and graduate programs. We’ve
added a dedicated course in GIS, a specific course in environmental policy and regulation, and
courses in advanced statistics, data management, and programming, all of which will provide
extremely marketable skills.
2. Make navigating the major simpler; by consolidating the individual categories we have opened up
the options for students to take many different courses in any term. This should alleviate the
problem of students having few or no options in a term, especially as students near graduation.
We expect this will alleviate some angst during each enrollment session and will help students
graduate in a timely manner.
3. Create a better sense of cohesion and camaraderie amongst the majors, particularly by cohort, by
introducing required courses intended to be taken in particular stages of advancement. Ideally
Environmental Science majors will have at least one course each academic year where the
majority or entirety of the class will be other Environmental Science majors, primarily from the
same cohort. Complementing this will be the Jr Retreat, a complete cohort camping trip during
zero week of the junior/3rd year of study.
We hope that you will find the revised major a significant improvement and the changes helpful as you
make your way through your undergraduate program.
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Acknowlegements
The IoES wishes to sincerely thank all of those who put so much time and effort into this major revision.
All of the many committees who read, considered and commented on the changes provided invaluable
assistance in its creation.
In particular, the IoES would like to thank Professor Greg Okin, who chaired the curriculum revision
working group and the B.S. Advisory Committee and was a model of mission management; the members
of the curriculum working group: Jenny Jay, Rob Eagle, Alan Barreca, Noah Garrison, Royce Dieckmann,
and Cully Nordby, and the contributions of the other members of the Environmental Science B.S.
Advisory Committee who added valuable comments and tweaks to the plan: Ulli Seibt, Malcolm Gordon,
Yifang Zhu, and Aradhna Tripati.
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STUDENT RESOURCES
People
At the IoES we pride ourselves on being accessible and providing exceptional, individualized academic
guidance for our students.
Royce Dieckmann, Student Affairs Officer
The first stop for all students in the major is the Student Affairs Officer. Even if you
don’t believe you need help or have any questions, we urge you to schedule an
annual meeting with Royce. This handbook may answer many questions, but an in-
person meeting should be viewed like your annual checkup. However, unlike with
your medical doctors, we promise it won’t be painful! Royce is available for
appointments through an easy online scheduling tool (Calendly) to discuss all of
your academic questions, including curriculum planning, enrollment, course
substitutions, change of major/minor/concentration, how to get involved with
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research, internships, or volunteering, graduate school planning, DARS fixes, or any other questions,
problems, or issues you may experience.
Make an appointment online
Life Science Bldg. 2318
(310) 206–9193
rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu
Noah Garrison, Environmental Science Practicum Director
If you aren’t already familiar with Noah Garrison from the Introduction to
Environmental Science course, Environment 10, you will be as you
transition to your junior year and attend the Junior Class Retreat, while as
seniors you will get to know him very well as the IoES Practicum Director.
Noah is an invaluable resource available for consultation about a variety of
topics in the field, but in particular if you have questions about graduate or
professional school (he is also a practicing environmental attorney), career
pathways, or getting involved in research or departmental honors, it will be
well worth your while to make an appointment to speak with him!
Life Science Bldg. 2308
(310) 825–1926
Cully Nordby, IoES Associate Director
Dr. Cully Nordby is Associate Director of the IoES; she oversees all
academic programs for the Institute including the BS major. Her
background is in behavioral ecology and conservation biology. She is also
deeply involved in campus sustainability and co-supervises the student-led
Student Action Research program at UCLA. She is very happy to meet with
students to talk about ideas, careers, graduate school, and getting involved
on campus.
Life Science Bldg. 2316
Open office hours: Mondays 1:00–2:00PM (or by appointment)
(310) 267–5607
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Marilyn Raphael, Interim IoES Director
Dr. Marilyn Raphael is Professor of Geography at UCLA and served as
Department Chair from 2010-2013. Her primary research focus is
Southern Hemisphere (SH) atmospheric dynamics and climate change
and her major scientific goals are to characterize the Antarctic sea ice
variability and to define and understand the interaction between
Antarctic sea ice and the large-scale Southern Hemisphere circulation,
focusing on interaction at the seasonal, interannual and decadal time
scales. Her work includes global climate modeling with an emphasis
on improving the simulation of sea ice and the atmosphere in the
Southern Hemisphere. She is currently Chair of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research’s expert group, Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) and Co-Chair of the
World Climate Research Programme’s (WCRP) Polar Climate Predictability Initiative (PCPI).
She has served on the National Research Council’s Committees on Future Science Opportunities
in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse
Gas Concentrations.
La Kretz Hall, Suite 300 (on 3rd floor)
(310) 206–5082
[email protected]cla.edu
IoES Faculty
There are over 100 faculty affiliated with Institute, representing more than 25 departments across the
College and several professional schools. Whatever your passion, whatever you are interested in, seek out
faculty that are doing research that interests you, seek their advice, get to know them. See links below for
full list.
Faculty, the professors who have formal appointments in IoES
Affiliated Faculty, the professors who have an informal affiliation with IoES
You
At the IoES our most valuable resource is you, our students. We want you to be the stars that help the
IoES shine brightly. To do that, we need to know what you’re doing and to do that, we’ve set up platforms
to help you share your stories with the world.
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Tell Your Story
What awards (fellowships, scholarships, recognition, honors, etc.) have you received? What work or
research have you done in the environmental sector? Increasing the exposure of your successes to our
broad audience creates a halo effect that increases opportunities for all IoES students, including yourself.
What sets IoES apart is our focus on sharing what we discover with the world. We bring environmental
science directly to the public and decision-makers who can truly make a difference, with:
● Social media across multiple platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
● Collaboration with major media outlets in print, radio and television
● Engaging and collaborative public events
● Featured stories about our innovative students, faculty members, and centers
For students and alumni we also provide these channels of communication to facilitate discussion and
networking:
● An online platform for students to publicly share IoES related projects and results
● A LinkedIn Group to share professional/academic opportunities, tips, and advice
● A Facebook Group to foster discussion and share events and updates related to sustainability
from inside and outside the UCLA IoES community
● An Alumni Spotlight that showcases what our former students are now doing
To share your story, contact David Colgan, director of communications: dc[email protected]
Web Resources
The Institute of the Environment and Sustainability features an excellent website that contains a
multitude of information for students.
In particular, the section for the B.S. in Environmental Science for “Current Students” contains resources
that should be consulted by all majors regularly as you pursue your undergraduate studies, such as the
most recent program plan, information about the Senior Practicum, course lists, awards, scholarships,
email lists and social media connections.
● https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/envisci/resources/
Piazza Email List
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All majors should join the IoES undergraduate mailing list. We use a web service called Piazza, which
allows you to tailor the frequency of email messages (we recommend the daily digest format). Piazza also
keeps a complete, searchable archive of all messages that can be accessed on any web-capable device via
the Piazza website.
Messages contain useful information for undergraduates and alumni alike, including things like new
courses, invitations to events on and off campus, internship and job opportunities, research and lab
opportunities, volunteering, campus clubs, study abroad, and more.
To join, simply create an account and join “IoES undergraduate advising.” If you’re already a Piazza user
from one of your courses, you need only join the above “class” to start getting our messages.
● https://piazza.com/ucla/other/ioesundergraduateadvising
Facebook
We maintain the Environmental Science Facebook group exclusively for current students, alumni, and
faculty. Keep in touch with classmates, network with alumni, and post useful and interesting messages for
your peers and colleagues:
● https://www.facebook.com/groups/141172551155/
LinkedIn
Join the IoES LinkedIn group and network with faculty, staff, and other alumni of the IoES’
undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs. It’s never too early to start working on your
professional network; it might even help you get your next (or first!) job.
● https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4509089
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR
About the Major
The bachelor’s degree in environmental science is an immersive, multifaceted, educational experience.
Drawing on the resources of a diverse, world-class university in UCLA, it emphasizes real-world practice—
getting students off campus to solve problems with companies, organizations and communities. Along the
way, students create their experience, using the campus, city and vast natural areas of California as living
laboratories. After they graduate, 80 percent of our students go on to work in environmental professions,
while others use what they’ve learned to pursue careers in social science, business, the arts, and more.
The classroom portion of the degree is rooted in physical and life sciences, including foundational courses
in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics. And because environmental issues are human issues, all
students also take multiple classes in social sciences and humanities—learning subjects such as public
policy, politics, journalism, and environmental justice. To make this happen, IoES partners with
departments across campus. Students are also offered unparalleled opportunities to engage with global
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experts who visit UCLA and observe cutting-edge research at lectures and symposiums, or to potentially
participate in that research with IoES and partner faculty. This broad education prepares our students to
take on the complex, pressing environmental issues the world faces.
Interdisciplinary Major
The study and practice of environmental science are by nature interdisciplinary pursuits, and the B.S.
program draws on strong connections across numerous departments at UCLA that all touch on the
environmental science field. At their core, environmental issues are human issues. Rooted in life and
physical sciences, our curriculum also features multiple classes in social sciences and humanities—
subjects such as public policy, politics, journalism, and environmental justice. This gives students a broad
perspective and tools to take on today’s most complex, urgent environmental challenges. Students will
take upper division courses in areas covering the physical and life sciences from departments around
campus such as Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, Geography, Earth Planetary and Space Sciences,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health Sciences,
and others.
In addition, students will take courses on the politics and policy of environmental issues, and on
anthropogenic forces or human interactions with the environment, primarily through courses offered by
the IoES but also from Geography, Public Policy, Urban Planning, English, Philosophy, and others.
Students also participate in a 1-unit Sustainability Talks series that brings faculty from within the UCLA
community and experts from outside organizations and government agencies to present on topics relevant
to sustainability and environmental science.
Minors
Environmental Science students play a significant role in directing their own education. In addition to
taking upper division classes across a variety of environmental disciplines, students choose one of seven
minors, which is indicated on the diploma upon graduation, to develop a deep expertise in a specific
discipline:
● Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
● Conservation Biology
● Environmental Engineering
● Environmental Health (Concentration; no official minor)
● Environmental Systems and Society
● Geography/Environmental Studies
● Earth and Environmental Science
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Senior Practicum
Our students learn by doing, getting off-campus to solve problems over a full year with the one-of-a-kind
Senior Practicum. This capstone experience is like no other, bonding students, faculty and professionals
as they work in small teams to solve real-world problems. Recent practicum teams have worked to:
● Develop sustainable aquaculture models, with The Nature Conservancy
● Assess health and community Impacts of urban oil drilling in south Los Angeles, with STAND-LA
● Draft plans to connect fragmented habitat threatened by climate change in and around Sequoia
National Park, with the U.S. National Park Service
● Develop a model and economic blueprint for sustainable ebony production in central Africa, with
Taylor Guitars and Madinter
When Should I...? A Timeline for Success
The above timeline represents an ideal situation and advice based on past experience; it is not meant to be
prescriptive or restrictive. Each student has different needs and should view the timeline within that
context.
Lower Division Prep: There are 13 total preparatory courses for the Environmental Science major; by
taking 2 each quarter in the first two years the prep will be very nearly complete prior to the 3
rd
year of
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study. This will allow more freedom in planning upper-division coursework, as prerequisites will all be
complete and the greater flexibility of an all upper-division schedule will permit other opportunities to be
pursued, such as research or internships. For transfer students, finishing any remaining prep courses in
fall or winter of the first year of study at UCLA is equivalent.
Complete GE Requirements: Similar to the above, completing GE and College requirements within
the first two years will permit greater flexibility and freedom in the 3
rd
-4
th
years of study. GE courses tend
to meet more often and for more contact hours than upper-division courses do, which can affect flexibility
for participating in research, internships, clubs, and social activities common to junior/senior students.
Upper-Division Major Courses: The Environmental Science major encourages students to begin
taking upper-division courses starting in the 2
nd
year of study. In the first year, concentrating on GE
courses and prep courses is recommended. By the 2
nd
year, some upper-division courses can be integrated
into the study plan. By the third year students should be taking primarily upper-division coursework for
the major and minor/concentration.
Decide Upon/Declare a Minor: There is no hard deadline for declaring your minor/concentration,
but it is recommended that you start taking courses that reflect your interests as early as possible so that
by the end of 2
nd
year/beginning of 3
rd
year you will have a strong idea which concentration you wish to
pursue. Ideally you will be able to declare your concentration around this time, as the sooner you can
choose the greater your options will be in regards to course choice.
Research: It can be difficult for students to get relevant research positions in the first two years, and
often you may not be sure what direction you want to go in at this point. However, there are programs at
UCLA that can help get you into research early in your academic career. The Sustainable LA Grand
Challenges program is a great way to get into environmental research as early as 2
nd
year. The
Undergraduate Research Center is a clearinghouse of research opportunities on campus. As you advance,
a great way to get involved is to approach those professors working in an area that interests you, and it’s
often easier if you’ve taken a class with that professor. Go to office hours and express your interest in the
field and getting involved in research. Most professors have opportunities in their own labs or those of
their post-docs and graduate students.
Internships: As with research it can be difficult to obtain internships early on in your college career.
However, internships are more valuable when they are focused in an area that is relevant to your goals,
and those goals often become much more clear by the 3
rd
& 4
th
year. While we will post any internship
opportunities we learn about via the Piazza email list, the most common means of finding internships is
via word-of-mouth (often through student clubs and peers) and also seeking out organizations that do the
type of work you are interested in pursuing and contacting them directly to inquire about internship
opportunities.
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Study Abroad: The IoES encourages students to explore study abroad opportunities, whether it be a
traditional semester abroad at a foreign university, a travel study program, or summer field study
program. We will try to accommodate courses from study abroad within the major; simply consult with
the departmental counselor prior to enrolling and we can discuss the entire process and vet courses in
advance. For application of courses to the minor/concentration, consult with the department offering the
minor. UC EAP offers a plethora of opportunities for study abroad, and many universities (including
UCLA) offer terrific summer abroad programs. There are also quality non-university study abroad
opportunities. If you’re interested, make an appointment and we can discuss all of your options.
Declaring the Major
For students who enter UCLA as freshmen, declaring the Environmental Science major is usually a
relatively simple matter.
If already enrolled in another major within the College of Letters and Science, there is no need to inform
the current major department of the change of major. However, if enrolled in a major in any other college
or school at UCLA, such as Engineering or Arts, the process is more involved.
Make an Appointment to Declare the Major
Major Declaration in the College of Letters and Science
The requirements for a student to change their major to Environmental Science are as follows:
If within the first two years of study, the student must:
● Be in good academic standing (not on academic probation or subject to dismissal)
● Be making progress in the preparatory courses
● Be able to complete all remaining program requirements within the unit maximum of 216
(including GE/College requirements, major, and minor requirements, as well as any other
program such as additional minors or majors)
● Not have 2 or more preparatory courses with grades below C-, or an overall GPA in the major
preparatory courses below 2.0.
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If the above conditions are met the student can in most cases declare the major by making an
appointment with the SAO.
If in the third year of study (immediately following spring quarter of the second year) or if any of the
above conditions are not met, the student will need to consult with the department SAO about what steps
must be taken to qualify to declare the major. It may be a simple matter of catching up with some
coursework or preparing a viable academic plan. In other cases, a petition may need to be filed with the
department asking for an exception to a department regulation, or a petition may be required by the
College, such as in cases where a student will exceed the unit maximum or time to degree.
Major Declaration from another School at UCLA
In addition to meeting the bulleted requirements above, for a student to change their major to
Environmental Science while enrolled in another school, such as the Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS), Arts & Architecture, Music, or Theater Film & Television,
requires that the student first obtain a change of program form and degree planner from the College
Academic Counseling office at Murphy Hall, Room A316. The Environmental Science counselor will help
prepare and review the plan, and if acceptable will sign it indicating departmental approval. The petition
will then be returned to the College, which makes the determination whether the student will be
permitted to transfer to the College and into the Environmental Science major.
Readmission
Students who have completed readmission coursework and wish to change majors to Environmental
Science are always reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In most cases the bulleted requirements above must
be met and if in violation of departmental regulations a petition must be filed and approved by the
department in advance of any petition to the College. Students seeking readmission with the
Environmental Science major should make an appointment with the IoES SAO, Royce Dieckmann, to
determine eligibility to enter the major.
Dismissal and Minimum Standards
A student may be dismissed from the major, be denied permission to enter the major, or may be denied
his or her degree, depending on which of the conditions below have been violated.
1. Earns grades below C- in two or more of the major preparatory courses
2. Earns a GPA below 2.0 in the preparatory courses
3. Earns a grade below C in Environment 180A
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4. Earns below a 2.0 GPA in the major overall, and in the upper-division requirements for the major
A student in violation of rules 1, 2, and 3 can petition the IoES Undergraduate Academic Committee for an
exception, which is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If rule 4 is violated, the student must petition the
College for an exception to graduate or must make up the courses necessary to bring their GPA over 2.0.
In any of the above cases, consult with the IoES SAO.
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The Environmental Science Major Program Plan
I. Environmental Science Major
Preparation for the Major (9 units)
• Environment 10 [recommended first or second year of program]
• Geography 7
Note: Where two options are listed, the first option is recommended.
• Chemistry 14A/B/BL or Chemistry 20A/B/L
• Life Science 7A and Life Science 7B
• Mathematics 3A/B or Mathematics 31A/B or Life Science 30A/B
• Physics 5A/C or Physics 1A/B
• Statistics 12 or Statistics 13 or Life Science 40
One additional course from the following choices, depending on the Minor/Concentration selected (see Minor/Concentration on back side of
this sheet):
• Chemistry 14C or Chemistry 30A
• Mathematics 3C or Mathematics 32A
• Physics 5B or Physics 1C
• Life Science 7C and Life Science 23L
• Earth Planetary & Space Sciences 1
Note: LS 30A/30B precludes the ability to take Math 3C or 32A; Geography 7 and Statistics 12 are both Social Analysis GE
Major requirements (50-52 units)
Note: Where a course is listed in multiple categories, it may be used in one or the other, but not both.
Physical & Life Sciences (5 courses, 20-22 units)
One required course
Environment 175 (recommended in 3rd year)
Choice of four courses from list, with no more than two courses from any one department:
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 101, 102, 103, 104, M105, 107, 112, 130, 141
Chemical Engineering C118
Civil & Environmental Engineering 153, 154, M166
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 101, C113, 119, 139, 150, 153
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100, 109, 116, 151A, 154
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Environment 121, 157
Environmental Health Sciences 100, C125, C152D, C164
Geography 101, M102, M103, 107, 116, 117, M118, 120, M126, 133
Social Sciences & Humanities (3 courses, 12-13 units)
One required course
Environment 140 (recommended in 2nd year)
Choice of two courses from list:
Environment M125, M133, 134, M135, 150, M153, 157, 159, 160, M161, 162, 163, M164, 166, M167
Geography M127, M142, 160, 171C
Philosophy 125
Public Policy C115
Sustainability Talks (2 units) 2 terms of Environment 185A or 193
Environmental Science Practicum (3 courses, 14 units) Environment 180A/B/C
For further guidance in course selection, please see: ioes.ucla.edu/envisci/course-requirements. Please note that Geography renumbered all
courses effective Fall 2020; DARS should automatically accommodate these changes for any courses taken prior.
II. Minor/Concentration
Students choose one of eight minors/concentrations, each associated with a particular department.
Students will normally choose their minor/concentration by the end of their second year. Students choosing one of the seven minors must,
with assistance from IoES staff, apply to the associated department to be accepted into the minor program.
A minimum of 20 units must be unique to each minor.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Minor, Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Additional preparation required: Mathematics 3C or 32A or Physics 5B or 1C or Chemistry 14C or 30A
Requirements: (7 courses, 28-31 units, two course overlap possible)
• Three from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M100, 101, 102, 103, 104, M105, M106, C110, C115, M120, 125, 130, M140, 141,
145, 150, C160, C170, 180, CM185
• Four additional courses (two of which must be upper-division) from any of the above AOS courses beyond the minimum three
required or from: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 1, 2, 3, 186 (186 must be taken twice); Chemistry & Biochemistry 103, 110A,
110B, 113A, C113B, 114; Earth Planetary & Space Sciences 15; Mathematics 115A, 115B, 132, 135, 136, 146, 170A, 170B; Ecology &
Evolutionary Biology 109, C119, 122, 123A or 123B, 147, 148; Physics 110A, 110B, 112, M122, 131, 132
Conservation Biology
Minor, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
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Additional preparation required: Chemistry 14C or 30 A or Life Science 7C/23L
Requirements: (7-9 courses, minimum 28 UD units, two course overlap possible)
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100, and 116 (or Environment 121)
• Four to six (minimum 19 units) from Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100L, 101, 103, 105, 109, 109L, 111, 112, 113AL, 114A, 114B,
C119A, C119B, 122, M127, 129, M131, 142, 151A, 152, 153, 154, 155, 161, 162, 162L, C174 176, 180A, 180B, 184, any course
completed from Field or Marine Biology Quarter or approved equivalent; Geography M102, M103, 106, 107, 116, 117, M118, M125,
M126, M131, 133 (maximum of two Geography courses can be applied to the minor)
Environmental Engineering
Minor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Additional preparation required: Mathematics 3C or 32A
Requirements (6 courses, 24 units, one course overlap possible)
• Civil and Environmental Engineering 153 or Atmospheric & Oceanic Science 104
• Five from Civil and Environmental Engineering 110, 150, 151, 152,154, 155, 156A, 156B, 157A, 157B, 157C, 157L, C159, 163, 164,
M165, M166, Chemical Engineering 102A, C118; Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering 103, 105A, •*Credit for both MAE 105A & CH
ENGR 102A will not be granted)
Environmental Health
Concentration, Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences
Additional preparation required: Chemistry 14C or 30
Requirements (6 courses, 24 units, one course overlap possible)
• Environmental Health Sciences 100 and C135 or 185A and 185B
• Epidemiology 100
• Three from Chemistry 153A; Environmental Health Sciences C125, C140, C152D, C157, C164, M166
Environmental Systems and Society
Minor, Institute of the Environment
Additional preparation required: One from Chemistry 14C or 30 A, Mathematics 3C or 32A, Physics 5B or 1C, Life Science 7C/23L, EPSS 1
Requirements (7 courses, 28-30 units, two course overlap possible)
• Seven from EnvironmentM111, 121, M125, M126, M131, M133, 134, 150, M153,157, C159, 160, M161, 162, 163, M164, 166, M167,
185 SAR series
Geography/Environmental Studies
Minor, Dept. of Geography
Additional preparation required: One from Chemistry 14C or 30 A, Mathematics 3C or 32A, Physics 5B or 1C, Life Science 7C/23L, EPSS 1
Minor requirements (7 courses, 30 units, two course overlap possible)
• Geography 5
• One from Geography 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
• Three from Geography M106, M107, M109, 110, 113, 114, M115, 116, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, M127, M128, 129, M131,
132, 135, 136, M137, 159C, 159D, 159E
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• Two additional upper division Geography courses, excluding those from the preceding list and courses 190-199
Earth and Environmental Science
Minor, Dept. of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
Additional preparation required: Mathematics 3C or 32A or Physics 5B or 1C or Chemistry 14C or 30A
Minor Requirements (7 courses, 30 units, two course overlap possible)
• Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 1, and one course from 5, 13, 15, 61.
• Five courses from Earth and Space Sciences 101, 112, C113, 139, 150, 153 (consult with EPSS department for other applicable courses)
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Preparatory Courses
The preparatory courses for the Environmental Science major are typical for any bachelor of science
program. The major requires 13 total prep courses. We recommend that students entering UCLA as
freshmen take two prep courses each quarter until all 13 are completed, which will satisfy all of the prep
requirements by the end of the second year of study.
Introduction to Environmental Science
Required: Environment 10 – Introduction to Environmental Science
All Environmental Science majors must take Environment 10 – Introduction to Environmental Science.
Ideally students will complete this requirement in the first year of study, or during junior year for transfer
students.
Environment 10 covers earth science, atmospheric science, oceanography, ecology and conservation,
policy and regulation, and other environmental issues. It will usually be offered in winter quarter.
AP Credit: No AP credit equivalent available.
Course Description: Environment 10. Introduction to Environmental Science. (4) Lecture,
three hours; laboratory, one hour. Limited to undergraduate students. Introduction to environmental
science as discipline and as a way of thinking. Discussion of critical environmental issues at local and
global scales. Fundamentals of physical, chemical, and biological processes important to environmental
science. Laboratory exercises to augment lectures. Letter grading.
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Required: Geography 7 – Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
All Environmental Science majors must also take Geography 7 – Introduction to Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). Learning the computer mapping technologies of GIS will provide students with
background for an incredibly marketable skill and enable students to progress in upper-division courses
and senior Practicum projects with an increasing emphasis on use of GIS.
AP Credit: No AP credit equivalent available.
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Course Description: Geography 7: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. (5)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Designed for freshmen/sophomores. Introduction to
fundamental principles and concepts necessary to carry out sound geographic analysis with geographic
information systems (GIS). Reinforcement of key issues in GIS, such as geographic coordinate systems,
map projections, spatial analysis, and visualization of spatial data. Laboratory exercises use database
query, manipulation, and spatial analysis to address real-world problems. P/NP or letter grading.
Fulfills one Social Analysis GE requirement
Mathematics (Calculus)
Required:
• Math 31A – Differential and Integral Calculus AND
• Math 31B – Integration and Infinite Series
OR
• Math 3A – Calculus for Life Sciences Students AND
• Math 3B – Calculus for Life Sciences Students
OR
• Life Science 30A – Mathematics for Life Scientists AND
• Life Science 30B – Mathematics for Life Scientists
Additional courses, depending on minor: Math 32A (Calculus of Several Variables), or 3C
(Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra for Life Sciences Students).
Required for Environmental Engineering minor.
Math is fundamental to the study of all other science core courses; as such it is recommended that
students enroll in the Math courses among their earliest prep courses taken during the first year. The two
Math series – 31 and 3 – are similar, but students who do not feel especially strong in calculus may prefer
the 3-series. Alternatively, the Life Sciences Division has created a math series (Life Science 30) as
another option that they feel provides a mathematics background appropriate for students in the
Division’s majors, which emphasizes the application of math skills and computational models. Math 32A
or 3C are additionally an option for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Earth and Environmental Science,
Environmental Systems and Society, and Geography/Environmental Studies minors.
It is important for students to be aware that taking the LS 30A/B courses will foreclose the ability to
pursue the Environmental Engineering minor, but all other minor options are still available. This is
because the Math Department does not allow LS 30A/B to serve as a prerequisite for Math 3C or 32A.
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Switching Math Series: Students may currently move between the Math department’s series courses.
For example, if a student took Math 31A, they can then enroll in Math 3B to complete the series. If the
student took Math 3B, they may enroll in Math 32A. There are some disadvantages to switching series,
primarily due to the order in which the material is taught, so students who switch should be prepared for
additional challenge.
Note that there have been changes proposed for the Math 3ABC series that may change the ability of
students to switch between series. We will make every attempt to notify students if or when these changes
take effect. Students cannot switch from LS 30A to Math 3B or 31B; students who have taken the LS 30
courses who wish to then take calculus (Math 3 or 31 series) will have to start those from the beginning.
Math & Environmental Engineering: Students interested in pursuing the Environmental
Engineering minor are urged to take Math 32A rather than 3C. 32A leads to second-year calculus courses
that students who may wish to pursue graduate study in Environmental Engineering will need to take.
Math 3C does not permit students to enroll in these second-year calculus courses.
AP Credit: Students who earned a score of 5 on the Calculus AB exam will have earned credit for Math
31A. Students who earned a score of 5 on the BC exam will have credit for Math 31A and 31B, while a score
of 4 earns Math 31A credit.
Mathematics Course Descriptions:
Math 3A. Calculus for Life Sciences Students. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Preparation: three and one half years of high school mathematics (including trigonometry). Enforced
requisite: successful completion of Mathematics Diagnostic Test (score of 35 or better) or course 1 with
grade of C- or better. Not open for credit to students with credit in another calculus sequence. Modeling
with functions, limits, and derivatives, decisions and optimization in biology, derivative rules and tools.
P/NP or letter grading.
Math 3B. Calculus for Life Sciences Students. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisite: course 3A with grade of C- or better. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 31B.
Applications of differentiation, integration, differential equations, linear models in biology, phase lines
and classifying equilibrium values, bifurcations. P/NP or letter grading.
Math 3C. Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra for Life Sciences Students.
(4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 3B with grade of C- or better.
Multivariable modeling, matrices and vectors, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, linear and nonlinear systems
of differential equations, probabilistic applications of integration. P/NP or letter grading.
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Math 31A. Differential and Integral Calculus. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Preparation: at least three-and-one-half years of high school mathematics (including some coordinate
geometry and trigonometry). Requisite: successful completion of Mathematics Diagnostic Test or course 1
with grade of C- or better. Differential calculus and applications; introduction to integration. P/NP or
letter grading.
Math 31B. Integration and Infinite Series. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisite: course 31A with grade of C- or better. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 3B.
Transcendental functions; methods and applications of integration; sequences and series. P/NP or letter
grading.
Math 32A. Calculus of Several Variables. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced
requisite: course 31A with grade of C- or better. Introduction to differential calculus of several variables,
vector field theory. P/NP or letter grading.
Life Science 30A. Mathematics for Life Scientists. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour.
Preparation: three years of high school mathematics (to algebra II), some basic familiarity with
computers. Mathematical modeling as tool for understanding dynamics of biological systems.
Fundamental concepts of single-variable calculus and development of single- and multi-variable
differential equation models of dynamical processes in ecology, physiology, and other subjects in which
quantities change with time. Use of free computer program Sage for problem solving, plotting, and
dynamical simulation in laboratory. Letter grading.
Life Science 30B. Mathematics for Life Scientists. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours.
Enforced requisite: course 30A. Introduction to concept of matrices and linear transformations to equip
students with some basic tools to understand dynamics of multivariable nonlinear systems. Examples
from ecological, physiological, chemical, and other systems. Letter grading.
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Chemistry
Required:
• Chemistry 14A – Atomic and Molecular Structure, Equilibria, Acids, and
Bases AND
• Chemistry 14B – Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry, Kinetics, and
Organic Chemistry AND
• Chemistry 14BL – General and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
OR
• Chemistry 20A – Chemical Structure AND
• Chemistry 20B – Chemical Energetics and Change AND
• Chemistry 20L – General Chemistry Laboratory
Additional required courses, depending on minor: Chemistry 14C (Structure of Organic
Molecules) or 30A (Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Reactivity). Required for
Environmental Health concentration.
Like calculus, chemistry is fundamental to environmental science and a strong science foundation for any
B.S. program. As with math, we recommend that the Chemistry series be started during the first year of
study. For most students in the Environmental Science major, the 14-series is recommended, primarily
because it introduces organic chemistry earlier.
Chemistry is the most versatile of the prep courses in regard to the minors, because Chemistry 14C or 30A
can be applied to any of them, with the exception of Environmental Engineering.
Switching Chemistry Series: Students generally cannot switch Chemistry series once a course in
either series has been completed. It is therefore imperative that students choose the series wisely; for
most Environmental Science majors we recommend the 14-series.
AP Credit: No course equivalency is granted for AP scores in Chemistry.
Chemistry Course Descriptions:
14A. Atomic and Molecular Structure, Equilibria, Acids, and Bases. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Preparation: high school chemistry or equivalent background and three and one half
years of high school mathematics. Enforced corequisite: Life Sciences 30A or Mathematics 3A or 31A or
score of 35 or better on Mathematics Diagnostic Test. Not open to students with credit for course 20A.
Introduction to physical and general chemistry principles; atomic structure based on quantum mechanics;
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atomic properties; trends in periodic table; chemical bonding (Lewis structures, VSEPR theory,
hybridization, and molecular orbital theory); gaseous and aqueous equilibria; properties of inorganic and
organic acids, bases, buffers; titrations. P/NP or letter grading.
14B. Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry, Kinetics, and Organic Chemistry. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: course 14A with grade of C- or better. Enforced
requisite or corequisite: Life Sciences 30B or Mathematics 3B or 31B with grade of C- or better. Not open
to students with credit for course 20A, 20B, or 30A. Phase changes; thermochemistry; first, second, and
third laws of thermodynamics; free energy changes; electrochemistry and its role as energy source;
chemical kinetics, including catalysis, reaction mechanisms, and enzymes; coordination compounds;
general classes and naming of organic molecules; structure, conformations, and relative energies of
organic molecules; application of thermodynamics and kinetics to organic and biochemical reactions; use
of molecular modeling software to illustrate molecular structures and their relative energies. P/NP or
letter grading.
14BL. General and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I. (3) Lecture, one hour; laboratory, three
hours. Enforced requisite: course 14A with grade of C- or better. Enforced corequisite: course 14B. Not
open to students with credit for course 20L. Introduction to volumetric, spectrophotometric, and
potentiometric analysis. Use and preparation of buffers and pH meters. Synthesis and kinetics techniques
using compounds of interest to students in life sciences. P/NP or letter grading.
14C. Structure of Organic Molecules. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced
requisite: course 14B with grade of C- or better. Not open to students with credit for course 30A.
Continuing studies in structure of organic molecules, with emphasis on biological applications.
Resonance, stereochemistry, conjugation, and aromaticity; spectroscopy (NMR, IR, and mass
spectrometry); introduction to effects of structure on physical and chemical properties; survey of
biomolecular structure. P/NP or letter grading.
20A. Chemical Structure. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Preparation: high school
chemistry or equivalent background and three and one half years of high school mathematics.
Recommended preparation: high school physics. Enforced corequisite: Mathematics 31A. First term of
general chemistry. Survey of chemical processes, quantum chemistry, atomic and molecular structure and
bonding, molecular spectroscopy. P/NP or letter grading.
20B. Chemical Energetics and Change. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced
requisites: course 20A or 20AH, and Mathematics 31A, with grades of C- or better. Enforced corequisite:
Mathematics 31B. Second term of general chemistry. Intermolecular forces and organization, phase
behavior, chemical thermodynamics, solutions, equilibria, reaction rates and laws. P/NP or letter grading.
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20L. General Chemistry Laboratory. (3) Lecture, one hour; laboratory, three hours. Enforced
requisite: course 20A with grade of C- or better. Enforced corequisite: course 20B. Use of balance,
volumetric techniques, volumetric and potentiometric analysis; Beer’s law, applications for environmental
analysis and materials science. P/NP or letter grading.
30A. Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Reactivity. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour. Enforced requisite: course 20B with grade of C- or better. First term of organic chemistry for
Chemistry, Biochemistry, and engineering majors. Covalent bonding, shapes, stereochemistry, and
acid/base properties of organic molecules. Properties, synthesis, and reactions of alkanes, cycloalkanes,
alkenes, and alkynes. SN2, SN1, elimination, and radical reactions. P/NP or letter grading.
Life Sciences
Required:
• Life Sciences 7A - Cell and Molecular Biology AND
• Life Sciences 7B - Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology
Additional courses, depending on minor: Life Sciences 7C (Physiology and Human
Biology) and 23L (Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology).
Life Sciences at UCLA is divided into three discrete courses focusing on particular aspects of biological
science. Because of the division of courses imposed by the quarter system, students should consult with
the IoES SAO or the Life Sciences Core Office (lscore@lifesci.ucla.edu) prior to enrolling in any courses at
any other institution intended to substitute for the UCLA courses.
Who takes Life Sciences 7C and 23L? Students wishing to pursue the Conservation Biology may
choose to take LS 7C and 23L. It is also an option for students pursuing Environmental Systems and
Society or Geography/Environmental Studies. 23L is the lab component previously included with LS 2
and LS 3 before the series changed. This lab course is best taken concurrently with 7C.
AP Credit: We do not recognize any AP credit as equivalent to any of the Life Sciences
series courses.
Life Sciences Course Descriptions:
7A. Cell and Molecular Biology. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, 75 minutes. Introduction to
basic principles of cell structure and cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. P/NP or letter
grading.
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7B. Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, 110 minutes. Enforced
requisite: course 7A. Principles of Mendelian inheritance and population genetics. Introduction to
principles and mechanisms of evolution by natural selection, population, behavioral, and community
ecology, and biodiversity, including major taxa and their evolutionary, ecological, and physiological
relationships. Letter grading.
7C. Physiology and Human Biology. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, 75 minutes. Enforced
requisite: course 7B. Organization of cells into tissues and organs and principles of physiology of organ
systems. Introduction to human genetics and genomics. Letter grading.
23L. Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology. (2) Laboratory, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: course 2. Must be taken concurrently with either course 3 or 4.
Introductory life sciences laboratory designed for undergraduate students. Opportunity to conduct wet-
laboratory cutting-edge bioinformatics laboratory experiments. Students work in groups of three
conducting experiments in areas of physiology, metabolism, cell biology, molecular biology, genotyping,
and bioinformatics. Letter grading.
Statistics
Required:
• Statistics 12 – Introduction to Statistical Methods for Geography and
Environmental Studies
OR
• Statistics 13 – Introduction to Statistical Methods for Life and Health Sciences
OR
• Life Sciences 40 - Statistics for Life Sciences
Statistical analysis is ubiquitous in environmental science, and as such, a course in statistics is required of
all Environmental Science majors. The purpose of statistics is to design, construct, and evaluate
techniques for analyzing data. The data can be qualitative or quantitative, self-reported or machine-
collected, and the motivations can be scientific, commercial, legal, or policy driven.
The recommended Statistics courses are largely similar and will provide a background that is appropriate
for the types of analysis students will undertake in the major. Statistics 12 is also a Social Analysis GE,
while the other options are not. However, it is also offered only once a year and is usually a smaller class,
so it is typically easier to enroll in Stats 13 or LS 40.
30
Statistics Requirements for Double Majors: Students who are planning to double major or take a
minor that requires a different statistics course should consult with the IoES SAO prior to enrolling in any
other statistics course. Usually we can accommodate such requirements as a substitution, particularly
when the other department has a strict requirement, such as the Economics or Psychology departments.
Transfer students who have already taken a lower-division statistics course must inform the IoES SAO so
that credit can be applied. All other students must submit a substitution request to the IoES SAO prior to
enrolling in any Statistics course other than Stats 12 or 13 or LS 40.
AP Credit: We do not recognize any AP credit as equivalent to the listed Statistics courses
or to fulfill the Statistics requirement for the major prep.
Statistics Course Descriptions:
Statistics 12. Introduction to Statistical Methods for Geography and Environmental
Studies. (5) Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, one hour. Not open for credit to
students with credit for course 10, 11, or 13. Introduction to statistical thinking and understanding, with
emphasis on techniques used in geography and environmental science. Underlying logic behind statistical
procedures, role of variation in statistical thinking, strengths and limitations of statistical summaries, and
fundamental inferential tools. Emphasis on applications in geography and environmental science in
laboratory work using professional statistical analysis package, including spatial statistics. P/NP or letter
grading. Fulfills one Social Analysis GE requirement
Statistics 13. Introduction to Statistical Methods for Life and Health Sciences. (5) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, one hour. Not open for credit to students with credit for
course 10, 10H, 11, 12, or 14. Presentation and interpretation of data, descriptive statistics, introduction to
correlation and regression and to basic statistical inference (estimation, testing of means and proportions,
ANOVA) using both bootstrap methods and parametric models. P/NP or letter grading.
Life Science 40. Statistics for Life Sciences. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours.
Designed for life sciences students. Introduction to statistics with emphasis on computer simulation of
chance probabilities as replacement for traditional formula-based approach. Simulations allow for deeper
understanding of statistical concepts, and are applicable to wider class of distributions and estimators.
Students learn simple programming language to carry out statistical simulations, and apply them to
classic problems of elementary statistics. Letter grading.
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Physics
Required:
• Physics 5A – Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Mechanics and Energy AND
• Physics 5C – Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Electricity, Magnetism, and
Modern Physics
OR
• Physics 1A – Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics AND
• Physics 1B – Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Oscillations, Waves,
Electric and Magnetic Fields
Additional courses, depending on minor: Physics 5B (Physics for Life Sciences Majors:
Thermodynamics, Fluids, Waves, Light, and Optics) or 1C (Physics for Scientists and
Engineers: Electrodynamics, Optics, and Special Relativity)
Physics is the study of the forces and laws of nature, from the largest galaxies to the tiniest subatomic
particles. It’s the most fundamental science, since the laws of nature determine everything else, forming
the basis of chemistry and ultimately of biology, organisms, and ecosystems. It also encompasses
electricity and magnetism. Advances in these and other areas of physics have made electric power,
industry, electronic devices, and our modern standard of living possible.
Choosing Physics 5A/5C/5B or 1A/1B/1C: For most students in the Environmental Science major,
we recommend the 5 (formerly 6-) series of Physics. It provides more context and connection for the
biological sciences than the 1-series. For students pursuing the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences or
Earth and Environmental Science minors, the third-quarter Physics course (5B) is recommended as
additional preparation for the minor. It is especially useful for upper-division Atmospheric and Oceanic
Science courses for the introduction to thermodynamics.
Switching Physics Series: While it is possible to switch between Physics series, it is not
recommended.
AP Credit: We do not recognize any AP credit as equivalent to any course in the Physics
series.
Physics Course Descriptions:
5A. Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Mechanics and Energy. (5) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Requisites: Life Sciences 30A, 30B, or Mathematics 3A, 3B,
32
3C (3C may be taken concurrently). Statics and dynamics of forces, motion, energy, including thermal
energy, with applications to biological and biochemical systems. P/NP or letter grading.
5B. Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Thermodynamics, Fluids, Waves, Light, and Optics.
(5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Requisite: course 5A. Thermal
properties of matter, free energy, fluids, ideal gas, diffusion, oscillations, waves, sounds, light, and optics,
with applications to biological and biochemical systems. P/NP or letter grading.
5C. Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Electricity, Magnetism, and Modern Physics. (5)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Requisite: course 5A. Electrostatics in
vacuum and in water. Electricity, circuits, magnetism, quantum, atomic and nuclear physics,
radioactivity, with applications to biological and biochemical systems. P/NP or letter grading.
1A. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics. (5) Lecture/demonstration, four hours;
discussion, one hour. Recommended preparation: high school physics, one year of high school calculus or
Mathematics 31A and 31B. Enforced requisites: Mathematics 31A, 31B. Enforced corequisite:
Mathematics 32A. Recommended corequisite: Mathematics 32B. Motion, Newton laws, work, energy,
linear and angular momentum, rotation, equilibrium, gravitation. P/NP or letter grading.
1B. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Oscillations, Waves, Electric and Magnetic
Fields. (5) Lecture/demonstration, four hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: course 1A,
Mathematics 31B, 32A. Enforced corequisite: Mathematics 32B. Recommended corequisite: Mathematics
33A. Damped and driven oscillators, mechanical and acoustic waves. Electrostatics: electric field and
potential, capacitors, and dielectrics. Currents and DC circuits. Magnetic field. P/NP or letter grading.
1C. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Electrodynamics, Optics, and Special Relativity.
(5) Lecture/demonstration, four hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: courses 1A, 1B,
Mathematics 32A, 32B. Enforced corequisite: Mathematics 33A. Recommended corequisite: Mathematics
33B. Ampere law, Faraday law, inductance, and LRC circuits. Maxwell equations in integral and
differential form. Electromagnetic waves. Light, geometrical, and physical optics. Special relativity. P/NP
or letter grading.
33
Upper-Division Major Requirements
Course requirements of the major are structured to provide intellectual breadth and introduce students to
the key fields that exist under the umbrella of environmental science, and to provide course options from
multiple departments to expose students to different disciplinary approaches.
We recommend that students use the major requirements to explore the various fields and disciplines
available to them before choosing a minor. Students are encouraged to take courses of greatest personal
interest to them as early as possible.
The upper-division major requirements are divided into four sections:
● Physical and Life Sciences (5 courses)
● Social Science and Humanities (3 courses)
● Sustainability Talks (2 units)
● Practicum (3 courses)
All upper-division courses in the Environmental Science major must be taken for a letter grade with the
exception of the Sustainability Talks, which are P/NP graded. Students must earn a C average (2.0) or
above in the upper-division requirements to graduate.
The first two sections, Physical and Life Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities, are composed
primarily of lecture-style courses, although there are also lab and field courses amongst these. Students
are required to take 8 courses across these two sections. Details and course descriptions are listed below.
Students are required to take two Sustainability Talks units from a set of course options that are designed
to bring students in the major together and expose them to the myriad of possibilities for careers,
research, engagement and involvement with environmental matters of all types through a lecture series.
These courses are one unit, P/NP graded and consist of a guest lecture each week.
The Senior Practicum is a year-long series that is the capstone to the major. The three courses are taken
over fall, winter and spring quarters in the student’s final year.
Note: Students do not need to complete the entirety of their prep courses prior to beginning upper-
division major requirements. However, courses may have prerequisites or recommended requisites that
students should complete or consider before enrolling.
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Course Options
In order to facilitate review of available paths of study, course listings are presented below by section –
grouped first by topic area across departments, then second by department with full course descriptions.
Multiple Listed Courses
Courses where the course number is preceded by an “M” are multiple-listed between more than one
department. The course description notes which department and course number where the other
offering(s) of the course may be found. Students may enroll in the course under any of the departments
offering it and will receive the same credit.
Substitutions and Petitions
Students wishing to substitute a course, either one found at UCLA or from another institution, can submit
a petition to IoES for consideration. It is best if this is done in advance on an advisory basis. Simply send
an email to the IoES SAO with your request in the following format:
Subject line: Petition for [category]
I would like to use [course] from [institution] to be taken in [term/year] for the [category requirement].
Attach a syllabus if available or include a course description or links to course information. The more
information you can provide about the course the easier it is for a determination to be made.
Program Plan
The most up-to-date version of the program plan is always available on the IoES website in the Current
Students - Resources section: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/envisci/resources
Physical and Life Sciences Requirements (5 Courses; 20-22 units)
• 1 Required Course: Environment 175
• 4 Electives
All students will take Environment 175 (recommended for 3rd year) and 4 additional electives from the
course options. No more than two courses can be from any one department. For multiple-listed courses,
department is determined by how it is listed in the plan, not by the department under which the student
enrolls.
35
Environment 175 - Programming with Big Environmental Datasets. (4) Lecture, three hours.
Enforced requisite: Statistics 12 or 13, or Life Science 40. Students gain practical experience conducting
empirical research by learning how to program using R. Given the demands of “big data”, modern
empirical research usually requires the use of powerful statistical software, like R. The programming
language students learn shares many similarities with other statistical programs, providing students with
a valuable labor-market skill.
Physical and Life Sciences Elective Courses Listed by Topic:
The following groupings of courses are meant to help you plan your major courses based upon your
interests and goals. The courses that satisfy Physical and Life Sciences elective requirements are grouped
first by topic but across departmental boundaries. The groupings are meant to be suggestive of possible
pathways but should not be seen as prescriptive. These courses will complement (and in some cases
overlap) courses in the minor of your interest. Full course descriptions for classes, organized by
department, are provided after the listings by topic.
Atmospheric Science
● AOS 101 - Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and Thermodynamics
● AOS 141 – Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution
● C125 – Atmospheric Transport and Transformations of Airborne Chemicals
● C152D – Properties and Measurement of Airborne Particles
● EPSS 153 – Oceans and Atmospheres
● GEOG 120 - Hydrology
Air Quality & Air Pollution
● AOS 104 – Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution
● AOS 141 – Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution
● ChE C118 – Multimedia Environmental Assessment
● EHS C125 – Atmospheric Transport and Transformations of Airborne Chemicals
● EHS C152D – Properties and Measurement of Airborne Particles
Climate Science
● AOS 102 - Climate Change and Climate Modeling
● AOS 112 – Climate Change Assessment
● GEOG 117 – Tropical Climatology
● GEOG 116 – Climatology
● GEOG M118 – Applied Climatology
● GEOG M126 - Environmental Change
36
Ecology & Conservation
● AOS 107 - Biological Oceanography
● EEB 100 – Introduction to Ecology and Behavior
● EEB 109 – Introduction to Marine Science
● EEB 116 – Conservation Biology
● EEB 151A – Tropical Ecology
● EEB 154 – California Ecosystems
● ENV 121 – Conservation of Biodiversity
● GEOG 107 – Forest Ecosystems
● GEOG 133 – Humid Tropics
Environmental Management, Green Business & Economics
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
Environmental Policy, Regulation, & Law
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
Oceanography
● AOS 103 - Physical Oceanography
● AOS M105 – Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
● AOS 107 – Biological Oceanography
● AOS 130 – California’s Ocean
● EPSS 153 – Oceans and Atmospheres
Water Treatment/Pollution
● AOS 104 – Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution
● AOS M105 – Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
● ChE C118 – Multimedia Environmental Assessment
● C&EE 153 – Introduction to Environmental Engineering Science
● C&EE 154 – Chemical Fate and Transport in Aquatic Environments
● C&EE M166 – Environmental Microbiology
● EHS C164 – Fate and Transport of Organic Chemicals in the Aquatic Environment
● GEOG 120 - Hydrology
Earth, Soils & Natural Resources
● EPSS 101 – Earth’s Energy
● EPSS C113 – Biological and Environmental Geochemistry
● EPSS 119 – Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
37
● EPSS 139 – Engineering and Environmental Geology
● EPSS 150 – Remote Sensing for Earth Sciences
● EPSS 153 – Oceans and Atmospheres
● GEOG 101 – Principles of Geomorphology
● GEOG 120 - Hydrology
● GEOG M102 – Soils and Environment
● GEOG M103 – Soil and Water Conservation
● GEOG 107 – Forest Ecosystems
Environmental Health
● AOS 104 – Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution
● AOS 141 – Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution
● C&EE M166 – Environmental Microbiology
● ChE C118 – Multimedia Environmental Assessment
● EHS 100 – Introduction to Environmental Health
● EHS C125 – Atmospheric Transport and Transformations of Airborne Chemicals
● EHS C152D – Properties and Measurement of Airborne Particles
● EHS C164 – Fate and Transport of Organic Chemicals in the Aquatic Environment
Society & Environment
● EPSS 101 – Earth’s Energy
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
Physical and Life Sciences Elective Course Descriptions by Department:
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
(Crossed out courses have been discontinued by the department offering them; they apply if they have
been taken but will not be available in the future. Note that AOS courses are designated “A&O SCI” in
course catalog).
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 101. Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and
Thermodynamics. (5) Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Mathematics 3B or 31B,
Physics 1B or 6B. Recommended: course 3. Introduction to atmospheric environment, with emphasis on
thermodynamics, dynamics, and structure of atmosphere. Laws of thermodynamics; work, heat, and
cyclic processes. Adiabatic processes, moisture, and atmospheric stability. Hydrostatic balance.
Fundamental equations of motion, with applications to atmospheric flow. Circulation and vorticity.
38
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 102. Climate Change and Climate Modeling. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: Mathematics 3C or 32A, Physics 1B or 6C, with
grades of C or better. Global environmental issues in climate change due to human activities or natural
climate variations. Quantitative introduction to new science of climate modeling to understand and
predict these changes. Physical processes in climate system. Atmospheric and oceanic circulation. El niño
and year-to-year climate prediction. Greenhouse effect and global warming. [Prerequisites can be waived
by permission of instructor, and generally are not enforced by the enrollment system]
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 103. Physical Oceanography. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Requisite: Mathematics 3B or 31B. Introductory course for physical sciences, life
sciences, or engineering majors interested in environmental issues. Observations of temperature, salinity,
density, and currents. Methods. Wind-driven and geostrophic currents. California Current and Gulf
Stream. Internal waves. Surface waves and tides. Air/sea interactions. Coastal upwelling.
Biological/physical interactions. El niño. Role of ocean in climate and global change. Santa Monica Bay
field trip.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 104. Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution. (4)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Chemistry 14B or 20B. Chemistry and physics of air
and water pollution, including photochemistry, acid rain, air pollution meteorology and dispersion,
groundwater and surface water pollution, chemical cycling, air/water interface, global atmospheric
change.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M105. Introduction to Chemical Oceanography. (4)
(Same as Ecology and Evolutionary Biology M139.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Introductory course for physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering majors interested in oceanic
environment. Chemical composition of oceans and nature of physical, chemical, and biological processes
governing this composition in past and present. Cycles of major and minor oceanic constituents, with
focus on those that are most important for life (i.e., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and oxygen).
Investigation of primary production, export production, remineralization, diagenesis, air-sea gas
exchange processes.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 107. Biological Oceanography. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Introductory course for physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering majors
interested in oceanic environment. Review of how biological processes are intrinsically tied to physical
and chemical processes in oceans. Examination of processes that control distribution, abundance, and
production of marine organisms and their spatial and temporal variability.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 112. Climate Change Assessment. (4) Lecture, three hours.
Preparation: one upper-division course in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences or Environmental Science.
Requisite: Mathematics 3B or 31B. Projections of future anthropogenic climate change and understanding
39
of natural climate variability depend on international climate model intercomparison projects, on large
observing systems coordinating space and ground observations, and on multi-scientist climate
assessments. Lectures, readings and projects address current issues in the scientific literature on
assessment of climate change for students with prior background in the atmospheric, oceanic and
environmental sciences.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 130. California’s Ocean. (4) Lecture, four hours.
Recommended requisite: course 103 or M105. Circulation, biogeochemistry, biota, water quality,
measurement techniques, computational modeling, conservation, and management for California’s
coastal ocean, including coastal measurement cruise and term project (paper and presentation).
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 141. Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air
Pollution. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Chemistry 14B or 20B,
Mathematics 3A or 31A, Physics 1B or 6B. Physical and chemical processes that determine composition of
atmosphere and its implications for climate, ecosystems, and human welfare. Origin of atmosphere.
Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, trace metal cycles. Climate and greenhouse effect. Atmospheric
transport and turbulence. Stratospheric ozone. Oxidizing power of atmosphere. Regional air pollution:
aerosols, smog, mercury, and acid rain.
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering C118. Multimedia Environmental Assessment. (4) Lecture, four hours;
discussion, one hour; preparation, two hours; outside study, five hours. Recommended requisites: courses
101C, 102B. Pollutant sources, estimation of source releases, waste minimization, transport and fate of
chemical pollutants in environment, intermedia transfers of pollutants, multimedia modeling of chemical
partitioning in environment, exposure assessment and fundamentals of risk assessment, risk reduction
strategies. Concurrently scheduled with course C218.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 153. Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Science. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled); outside study, seven hours.
Recommended requisite: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103. Water, air, and soil pollution:
sources, transformations, effects, and processes for removal of contaminants. Water quality, water and
wastewater treatment, waste disposal, air pollution, global environmental problems. Field trip.
Civil and Environmental Engineering 154. Chemical Fate and Transport in Aquatic
Environments. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Recommended
requisite: course 153. Fundamental physical, chemical, and biological principles governing movement and
fate of chemicals in surface waters and groundwater. Topics include physical transport in various aquatic
40
environments, air-water exchange, acid-base equilibria, oxidation-reduction chemistry, chemical
sorption, biodegradation, and bioaccumulation. Practical quantitative problems solved considering both
reaction and transport of chemicals in environment.
Civil and Environmental Engineering M166. Environmental Microbiology. (4) (Same as
Environmental Health Sciences M166.) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six
hours. Recommended requisite: course 153. Microbial cell and its metabolic capabilities, microbial
genetics and its potentials, growth of microbes and kinetics of growth, microbial ecology and diversity,
microbiology of wastewater treatment, probing of microbes, public health microbiology, pathogen control.
Earth Planetary and Space Science
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 101. Earth’s Energy: Diminishing Fossil Resources
and Prospects for Sustainable Future. (4) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours; two optional
field trips. Preparation: one lower-division atmospheric sciences, chemistry, Earth sciences, or physics
course. Earth’s energy resources (fossil fuels and alternatives) from Earth science and sustainability
perspective.
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences C113. Biological and Environmental Geochemistry.
(4) Lecture, three hours. Requisites: Chemistry 14A and 14B (or 20A and 20B), Mathematics 3A, 3B, and
3C (or 31A and 31B). Recommended: at least one lower-division Earth, planetary, and space sciences
course. Intended for junior/senior life and physical sciences students. Study of chemistry of Earth’s
surface environment and interplay between biology, human activity, and geology. Introduction to origin
and composition of Earth, including atmosphere, crust, and hydrosphere. Examination of how these
reservoirs are affected by biological cycles and feedbacks to biological evolution and diversity. Local and
global-scale movements of biologically important elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Concurrently scheduled with course C213. [3C not required]
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 119. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. (4) Lecture,
three hours. Requisite: course 1 or 100. Designed for juniors/seniors in physical sciences. Classical
concepts of sedimentation and tectonics. Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift and ensuing
controversy. Physiography of continents and oceans. Geophysical evidence regarding nature of ocean
floor. Magnetic stratigraphy. Seafloor spreading. Plate tectonic model and its driving mechanisms.
Tectonic, igneous, and metamorphic processes at plate boundaries. [Requisites can be waived by
instructor]
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 139. Engineering and Environmental Geology. (4)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 1 or 100. Recommended: course 111.
Principles and practice of soil mechanics and foundation engineering in light of geologic conditions,
recognition, prediction, and control or abatement of subsidence, landslides, earthquakes, and other
41
geologic aspects of urban planning and subsurface disposal of liquids and solid wastes. [Requisites can be
waived by instructor]
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 150. Remote Sensing for Earth Sciences. (4) Lecture,
three hours. Recommended requisites: courses 1, 61. Designed for juniors/seniors and graduate students.
Remote sensing related to development of natural resources. Characteristics of electromagnetic spectrum
and review of remote sensing devices. Applicability to land-use classification, soil survey, urban studies,
vegetation classification; emphasis on geologic interpretation of imagery. [Requisites can be waived by
instructor]
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 153. Oceans and Atmospheres. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Requisites: Mathematics 31A, 31B, 32A, Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and
1CH). Physics and chemistry of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere; origin and evolution of planetary
atmospheres; biogeochemical cycles, atmospheric radiation and climate, energetics and dynamics of
oceanic and atmospheric circulation systems. [Requisites can be waived by permission of instructor -
students advised to have 2 calculus and 2 physics courses]
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100. Introduction to Ecology and Behavior. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Not open for credit to students with credit
for course 118, C119A, C119B, 122 through C126, 129, 132 through 134B, 136, or 151B. Introduction to
methods and topics in ecology and behavior. Growth and regulation of populations, organization of
communities and ecosystems, biogeography, and behaviors animals use to find food, choose mates, and
interact in social groups.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 109. Introduction to Marine Science. (4) Lecture, three
hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Strongly recommended for prospective Marine
Biology Quarter students. Introduction to physical and biological world of 70 percent of planet: oceans.
Designed to be integrative, with focus on geological evolution of seas, physical and chemical properties of
water, and how these abiotic processes shape ecology and evolution of marine organisms and
environments.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 116. Conservation Biology. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, two hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Recommended: course 100. Not open for credit to
students with credit for Environment 121. Study of ecological and evolutionary principles as they apply to
preservation of genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Discussion sections focus on interactions of
science, policy, and economics in conserving biodiversity. Oral and written student presentation on
specific conservation issues.
42
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 151A. Tropical Ecology. (4) Lecture, one hour; discussion,
two hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Broad introduction to biodiversity, community structure, and
dynamics and ecosystem function of range of tropical forest habitats. Discussion of such themes as
biogeography, forest structure, plant growth forms, animal communities, herbivory, forest dynamics, and
disturbance regimes.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 154. California Ecosystems. (5) Lecture, three hours;
laboratory or field trip, four hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Recommended: course 100. Introduction to
structure, biodiversity, and dynamics of California ecosystems, with focus on Southern California, and
impact of human activities on these systems.
Environment
Environment 121. Conservation of Biodiversity. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours.
Not open for credit to students with credit fo r Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 116. Examination of
interrelation of natural biotic and human systems. Description of distribution of biodiversity and natural
processes that maintain it. Critical analysis of various levels of threats and multidimensional challenges
required for mitigating threats.
Environment 157. Energy, Environment, and Development. (4) Lecture, three hours.
Requisites: Mathematics 3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B), Physics 1A and 1B (or 6A and 6B). Introduction to
basic energy concepts and examination of role of various energy sources, energy conversion technologies,
and energy policies in modern life. Analysis of implications of current patterns of energy production and
consumption for future economic and environmental well-being. Integration of concepts and methods
from physical and life sciences, engineering, environmental science, economics, and public policy. Basic
quantitative skills provided to analyze and critique technical, economic, and policy choices to address
challenge of balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Environmental Health Sciences
Environmental Health Sciences 100. Introduction to Environmental Health. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour. Preparation: one course each in chemistry and biology. Introduction to
environmental health, including coverage of sanitary principles and chronic and acute health effects of
environmental contaminants.
Environmental Health Sciences C125. Atmospheric Transport and Transformations of
Airborne Chemicals. (4) Lecture, four hours. Preparation: one year of calculus, one course each in
physics, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Designed for science, engineering, and public health
students. Role of regional or long-range transport, and atmospheric lifetimes and fates of airborne
chemicals in phenomena such as photochemical smog, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone depletion,
43
accumulation of greenhouse gases, and regional and global distribution of volatile toxic compounds.
Concurrently scheduled with course C225.
Environmental Health Sciences C152D. Properties and Measurement of Airborne
Particles. (4) Lecture, four hours. Preparation: one year each of chemistry, physics, and calculus. Basic
theory and application of aerosol science to environmental health, including properties, behavior,
sampling, and measurement of aerosols and quantitative problems. Concurrently scheduled with course
C252D.
Environmental Health Sciences C164. Fate and Transport of Organic Chemicals in
Aquatic Environment. (4) Lecture, four hours. Recommended requisites: Chemistry 14A and 14B, or
20A and 20B. Evaluation of how and where and in what form and concentration organic pollutants are
distributed in aquatic environments. Study of mass transport mechanisms moving organic chemicals
between phases, biological degradation and accumulation, and chemical reactions. Effect of humic
substances on these processes. Concurrently scheduled with course C264.
Geography
Geography 101. Principles of Geomorphology. (4) Formerly numbered 100.) Lecture, three hours;
reading period, one hour. Requisite: course 1. Study of processes that shape world's landforms, with
emphasis on weathering, mass movement and fluvial erosion, transport, deposition; energy and material
transfers; space and time considerations. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography M102. Soils and Environment. (Formerly numbered M127.) (Same as
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology M127 and Environment M102.) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour; field trips. General treatment of soils and environmental implications: soil
development, morphology, and worldwide distribution of soil orders; physical, chemical,
hydrologic, and biological properties; water use, erosion, and pollution; management of soils as
related to plant growth and distribution. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography M103. Soil and Water Conservation (4) (Formerly numbered M107.) (Same
as Environment M103.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: one
course from course 1, 2, Environment 10, Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Systematic study of processes of and hazards posed by erosion, sedimentation, development,
and pollution and techniques needed to conserve soil and maintain environmental quality.
Scope includes agriculture, forestry, mining, and other rural uses of land. P/NP or letter
grading.
44
Geography 107. Forest Ecosystems. (4) (Formerly numbered 111.) Lecture, three hours;
field trips. Requisite: course 2 or Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Evaluation of
ecological principles as they apply to forests. Emphasis on constraints of physical environment,
biotic interactions, succession, disturbances, and long-term environmental change. P/NP or
letter grading.
Geography 116. Climatology. (4) (Formerly numbered 104.) Lecture, three hours; reading
period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of many relations between climate
and world of man. Application of basic energy budget concepts to microclimates of relevance to
ecosystems of agriculture, animals, man, and urban places. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography 117. Tropical Climatology. (4) (Formerly numbered 102.) Lecture, three
hours. In-depth exploration of development of tropical climate, with special reference to
hurricanes, ENSO, and monsoons. Examination of human interaction with tropical climate
processes and human-induced climate change in tropics. Use of climatological information to
foster sound environmental management of climate-related resources in tropics. P/NP or letter
grading.
Geography M118. Applied Climatology: Principles of Climate Impact on Natural
Environment (4) (Formerly numbered M106.) (Same as Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M106.)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Exploration of knowledge and
tools to solve complex problems in contemporary applied climatology, including current practices,
influence of climate on environment, and human influence on changing climates. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography 120. Hydrology. (4) (Formerly numbered 105.) Lecture, three hours.
Requisites: course 116, Statistics 12. Role of water in geographic systems: hydrologic phenomena
in relation to climate, landforms, soils, vegetation, and cultural processes and impacts on
landscape. Field projects required. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography M126. Environmental Change. (4) (Formerly numbered M131.) (Same as
Environment M126.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Examination of natural forces producing environmental changes over past two
million years. How present landscape reflects past conditions. Effects of environmental change
on people. Increasing importance of human activity in environmental modification. Focus on
impact of natural and anthropogenic changes on forests. P/NP or letter grading.
45
Geography 133. Humid Tropics. (4) (Formerly numbered 113.) Lecture, three hours.
Requisite: course 2 or 5 or Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of humid
tropics, with emphasis on rainforests, their ecological principles, and forms of land use. Letter
grading.
Social Sciences and Humanities (3 Courses; 12 units)
• 1 Required Course: Environment 140
• 2 Electives
Environment 140. Foundations of Environmental Policy and Regulation. (4). Lecture, three
hours. Introduction to environmental policy and regulation in U.S. Provides basic knowledge and skills
needed to work as professional environmental problem solver. Exploration of environmental harms that
are subject to regulation, role of science in informing policy and regulation, evolution of environmental
regulation, different types of regulatory instruments, regulatory process, and alternative approaches to
environmental decision making. Includes California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Proposition 65,
California’s long-standing leadership role in air pollution control, and state’s pioneering efforts in
regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Social Sciences and Humanities Elective Courses Listed by Topic:
The following groupings of courses are meant to help you plan your major courses based upon your
interests and goals. The courses that satisfy Social Sciences and Humanities elective requirements are
grouped first by topic but across departmental boundaries. The groupings are meant to be suggestive of
possible pathways, but should not be seen as prescriptive. These courses will complement (and in some
cases overlap) courses in the minor of your interest. Full course descriptions for classes, organized by
department, are provided after the listings by topic.
Environmental Management, Green Business & Economics
● ENV 134 – Environmental Economics
● ENV M135 – California Sustainable Development: Economic Perspective
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
● ENV 159 – Life Cycle Analysis of Sustainability Assessment
● ENV 160 – Topics in Environmental Economics and Policy
● ENV 162 – Entrepreneurship and Finance for Environmental Scientists
● ENV 163 – Business and Natural Environment
● GEOG M127 – Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues
● PUBPOL C115 – Environmental and Resource Economics and Policy
46
Environmental Policy, Regulation, & Law
● ENV M132 – Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
● ENV 160 – Topics in Environmental Economics and Policy
● ENV M161 – Global Environment and World Politics
● ENV M164 – Environmental Politics and Governance
● ENV 166 – Leadership in Water Management
● ENV M167 – Environmental Justice Through Multiple Lenses
Environmental Justice & Urban Environments
● ENV M167 – Environmental Justice Through Multiple Lenses
● GEOG M127 – Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues
● GEOG M142 – Past Societies and Their Lessons for Our Own Future
● GEOG 160 – Urban Geography
● GEOG 171C – Metropolitan LA
Water Treatment/Pollution
● ENV 166 - Leadership in Water Management
Society & Environment
● ENV M132 – Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future
● ENV M133 – Environmental Sociology
● ENV 150 – Environmental Journalism, Science Communications, and New Media
● ENV M153 – Introduction to Sustainable Architecture and Community Planning
● ENV 157 – Energy, Environment, and Development
● ENV M161 – Global Environment and World Politics
● ENV 162 – Entrepreneurship and Finance for Environmental Scientists
● ENV 163 – Business and Natural Environment
● ENV M164 – Environmental Politics and Governance
● ENV 166 – Leadership in Water Management
● ENV M167 – Environmental Justice Through Multiple Lenses
● GEOG M127 – Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues
● GEOG M142 – Past Societies and Their Lessons for Our Own Future
● GEOG 160 – Urban Geography
● GEOG 171C – Metropolitan LA
● PHILOSOPHY 125 – Philosophy of Science: Contemporary
● PUBLIC POLICY C115 – Environmental and Resource Economics and Policy
47
Social Sciences and Humanities Elective Course Descriptions by Department:
Environment
Environment M132. Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future. (4) (Same as Geography
M125 and Urban Planning M165.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exploration of history and
origin of major environmental ideas, movements or countermovements they spawned, and new and
changing nature of modern environmentalism. Introduction to early ideas of environment, how rise of
modern sciences reshaped environmental thought, and how this was later transformed by 19th-century
ideas and rise of American conservation movements. Review of politics of American environmental
thought and contemporary environmental questions as they relate to broader set of questions about
nature of development, sustainability, and equity in environmental debate. Exploration of issues in broad
context, including global climate change, rise of pandemics, deforestation, and environmental justice
impacts of war. Letter grading.
Environment M133. Environmental Sociology. (4) (Same as Society and Genetics M133 and
Sociology M115.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Relationship between society and
environment. Analysis in detail of interrelations between social factors (such as class, race, gender, and
religion) and environmental factors (such as pollution, waste disposal, sustainability, and global
warming). P/NP or letter grading.
Environment 134. Environmental Economics with Data Analysis. (4) (Formerly numbered
M134.) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: one course from Economics 41, Life Sciences 40,
Political Science 6, Statistics 10, 12, 13, or other statistical analysis course approved by
instructor. Examination of challenges of balancing environmental protection with wants and
needs of people in economy. Focus on how to design efficient public policies that meet
environmental goals. How to quantify cause-and-effect relationships, for example, between
pollution and infant mortality, using non-experimental data. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment 150. Environmental Journalism, Science Communications, and New Media.
(4) Lecture, three hours. Introduction to environmental journalism, science communications, and new
media, including weekly guest lectures by prominent successful practitioners in wide variety of media.
Focus on technologies, methods, genres, and theories of communicating environmental challenges,
exploring solutions, and engaging public in newspapers, television, radio, movies, online, on mobile
devices, and through social media. Discussion of possibilities and limitations of different media and
importance of communications for environmental science, policy, public understanding, and individual
decision making. Production by students of environmental communications in variety of media. P/NP or
letter grading.
48
Environment M153. Introduction to Sustainable Architecture and Community Planning.
(4) (Same as Architecture and Urban Design CM153.) Lecture, three hours. Relationship of built
environment to natural environment through whole systems approach, with focus on sustainable design
of buildings and planning of communities. Emphasis on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and
appropriate use of resources, including materials, water, and land. Letter grading.
Environment 157. Energy, Environment, and Development. (4) Lecture, three hours.
Requisites: Mathematics 3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B), Physics 1A and 1B (or 6A and 6B). Introduction to
basic energy concepts and examination of role of various energy sources, energy conversion technologies,
and energy policies in modern life. Analysis of implications of current patterns of energy production and
consumption for future economic and environmental well-being. Integration of concepts and methods
from physical and life sciences, engineering, environmental science, economics, and public policy. Basic
quantitative skills provided to analyze and critique technical, economic, and policy choices to address
challenge of balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment C159. Life-Cycle Assessment. (4) (Formerly numbered 159.) Lecture, three
hours. Requisites: Life Sciences 30A and 30B, or Mathematics 3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B).
Public discourse about current patterns of production and consumption of energy, and goods
and services more broadly, suggest such patterns are environmentally and economically
unsustainable. Introduction to basic concept of life-cycle assessment (LCA), including analytical
frameworks and quantitative techniques for systematically and holistically evaluating
environmental trade-offs presented by different alternatives. Focus on methodology of LCA to
compute various material inputs and environmental releases from all activities associated with
life cycle (i.e., raw material extraction, processing, end use, and disposal) of products or services.
Discussion of strengths and limitations of LCA as tool for decision making. Students perform
life-cycle analysis of one technology, product, or service of their choice. Concurrently scheduled
with course C259. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment 160. Topics in Environmental Economics and Policy. (4) Seminar, three hours.
Requisite: Statistics 12 or 13. Examination of intersection of environmental economics and policy, with
focus on testing policy-relevant environmental hypotheses using economics research approach. Invited
scholars present research aimed at yielding policy-relevant results on various topics such as climate
change, pollution, and transportation. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment M161. Global Environment and World Politics. (4) (Same as Political Science
M122B.) Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Recommended requisite:
Political Science 20. Politics and policy of major global environmental issues such as climate change,
integrating law, policy, and political science perspectives. P/NP or letter grading.
49
Environment 162. Entrepreneurship and Finance for Environmental Scientists. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour. Focus on key entrepreneurial and financial concepts, with emphasis on
applications that are vital for implementing environmental solutions in private, public, and nonprofit
settings. Topics include basic elements of finance, project evaluation, financial planning, and marketing.
Development of entrepreneurial skills to recognize opportunity and transfer ideas into viable projects that
are better for environment and that benefit people and communities. Case studies used to equip students
with tools necessary to successfully execute environmental goals and objectives. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment 163. Business and Natural Environment. (4) Lecture, three hours. Examination of
role of business in mitigating environmental degradation and incentives to be more environmentally
responsive. Emphasis on corporate strategies that deliver value to shareholders while responding to
environmental concerns. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment M164. Environmental Politics and Governance. (4) (Same as Urban Planning
M160.) Lecture, three hours. Environmental planning is more than simply finding problems and fixing
them. Each policy must be negotiated and implemented within multiple, complex systems of governance.
Institutions and politics matter deeply. Overview of how environmental governance works in practice and
how it might be improved. Letter grading.
Environment 166. Leadership in Water Management. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour. Limited to juniors/seniors. Examination of water quality and water supply issues, including
interactions between scientific, technological, management, and policy issues. Invited experts, scholars,
and practitioners discuss relevant issues such as pollution, climate change, and water infrastructure.
Emphasis on solutions involving integrated water supply and wastewater systems. Leadership
development through writing instruction and negotiations and media training. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment M167. Environmental Justice through Multiple Lenses. (4) (Same as Urban
Planning M167.) Lecture, three hours. Examination of intersection between race, economic class, and
environment in U.S., with focus on issues related to social justice. Because environmental inequality is
highly complex phenomenon, multidisciplinary and multipopulation approach taken, using alternative
ways of understanding, interpreting, and taking action. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography
Geography M127. Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues
(4)(Formerly numbered M128.) (Same as Urban Planning CM166.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Questions of population, resource use, Third World poverty, and
environment. Analysis of global economic restructuring and its connections to changing organization of
production and resulting environmental impacts. Case studies from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and U.S.
P/NP or letter grading.
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Geography M142. Past People and Their Lessons for Our Own Future (5) (Formerly
numbered M153.) (Same as Anthropology M148 and Honors Collegium M152.) Lecture, two hours;
discussion, two hours. Examination of modern and past people that met varying fates, as background to
examination of how other modern people are coping or failing to cope with similar issues. Letter grading.
Geography 160. Urban Geography (4) (Formerly numbered 150.) Lecture, three hours; reading
period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Analysis of development, functions, spatial patterns, and
geographic problems of cities. P/NP or letter grading.
Geography 171C. Metropolitan Los Angeles (4) (Formerly numbered 156.) Lecture, three hours;
reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Study of origins, growth processes, internal
structure and pattern, interactions, environmental and spatial problems of Los Angeles metropolitan area.
P/NP or letter grading.
Philosophy
Philosophy 125. Philosophy of Science: Contemporary. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour. Requisite: course 31 or 124. Introduction to contemporary philosophy of science, focusing on
problems of central importance. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
Public Policy
Public Policy C115. Environmental and Resource Economics and Policy. (4) Lecture, three
hours. Requisites: Economics 11, 143. Survey of ways economics is used to define, analyze, and resolve
problems of environmental management. Overview of analytical questions addressed by environmental
economists that bear on public policies. Concurrently scheduled with course CM250. Letter grading.
Sustainability Talks (2 units)
REQUIRED COURSES: Two terms of Environment 185A (or Environment 193 or 188B by petition).
The Sustainability Talks requirement is a low-impact pair of courses designed to bring students in the
major and minor together and to introduce students to the myriad possibilities available in the
environmental sciences through guest lectures by distinguished speakers from outside the university in a
variety of fields, as well as by UCLA faculty and researchers.
Any of the above courses can be taken at any time they are offered, taken at any stage of the major, and
repeated for credit. There is no required order in which to take the courses.
Environment 185A is offered every fall quarter.
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Environment 193 is usually offered in either winter or spring quarter.
Environment 188B is a variable topics course. When a special seminar is offered that is acceptable for this
requirement, it will be advertised by the department through the Piazza email list. The version of 188B
that is listed each quarter for the Sustainable LA Grand Challenges Research Scholars Program is not
acceptable for the Sustainability Talks requirement.
Course Descriptions:
Environment 185A. Sustainability Talks. (1) Lecture, two hours. Analysis of principles of
sustainability through series of lectures by world-renowned faculty members, authors, environmentalists,
and progressive thinkers, with required student response papers. May be repeated for credit. P/NP
grading.
Environment 188B. Special Courses in Environment. (2) Lecture, two hours. Departmentally
sponsored experimental or temporary courses, such as those taught by visiting faculty members. May be
repeated for credit with topic change. P/NP or letter grading.
Environment 193. Journal Club Seminars: Environment. (1) Seminar, one hour. Limited to
undergraduate students. Discussion of readings selected from current literature of field. May be repeated
for credit. P/NP grading.
The Environmental Science Practicum (14 units): Environment 180A/B/C
See section on the Environmental Science Practicum, below, for additional information.
Environment 180A. Practicum in Environmental Science. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion,
two hours. Enforced requisite: Statistics 12 or 13. Limited to Environmental Science majors who have
completed 40 or more units of preparation for major courses, including statistics, and 12 or more units of
upper division courses toward major or minor requirements. Examination of case studies and
presentation of tools and methodologies in environmental science, building on what students have been
exposed to in other courses. Letter grading.
Environment 180B–180C. Practicum in Environmental Science. (5–5) Laboratory, four hours;
field trips. Enforced requisite: course 180A. Course 180B is enforced requisite to 180C. Limited to
junior/senior Environmental Science majors. Investigation of various aspects of one environmental case
study representing actual multidisciplinary issue. Particular emphasis on developing skills required for
working as professionals in this field. Work may involve site investigations, original data collection and
analysis, mapping and geographic information systems, and environmental policy and law issues. Case
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study to be defined and conducted with collaboration of local agency or nonprofit institution. Letter
grading.
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Environmental Science Senior Practicum
Overview
The three-quarter Practicum in Environmental Science is the capstone educational experience required of
all environmental science majors and represents a significant departure from conventional teaching and
learning experiences at UCLA.
Designed to launch our students into impactful careers in the environment, the Practicum pairs teams of
five to seven seniors with a faculty member or other environmental expert. Then it immerses them in an
independent, original, environmental or sustainability research project for prominent clients from outside
the university, ranging from The Nature Conservancy and Natural Resources Defense Council, to
Northrop Grumman or the National Park Service. Clients often return to participate year after year. In
addition to providing an unprecedented opportunity for our majors to produce complex, professional
quality work while still a student, the Practicum generates valuable information and resources for the
clients’ missions.
Faculty advisors attend regular weekly meetings with their teams and may help teams arrange travel and
interactions with clients or other experts in the field, as well as offer advice to guide the scope of projects.
However, advisors do not serve as project managers; their role is more of a mentor and coach—projects
do not come with step by step directions! Project leadership and management, and the quality of the final
products prepared for clients, are the responsibility of the students on each team. To meet their project’s
goals, students will spend part of the year developing professional work habits and skills, which will
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prepare them for a successful transition to careers in environmental science. Indeed, alumni often say that
the Practicum experience is what gave them the edge in getting jobs or into graduate programs.
180A: Fall Quarter
Lectures, Labs, Assigning Teams, and Literature Reviews
In the first quarter of the capstone sequence, students attend lectures and presentations designed to
introduce them to some of the common tools and methodologies of environmental problem solving,
building on what they have been exposed to in other courses. Students become familiar with the norms
and ethical and policy issues that occur in the professional practice of environmental science, and
examine how scientific data and research are used to make decisions in policy, professional, regulatory
and other arenas. Students are introduced to their clients and the environmental science and policy
questions they will take on in their group projects in ENV 180B and 180C during the winter and spring.
Based on their individual preferences and backgrounds, students are assigned to a Practicum project team
roughly half way through the quarter.
Course work for the 180A class includes two major components:
● A lab-based introduction to data handling, basic statistics and data exploration, and spatial
analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Labs, which focus on the application of
these tools to environmental problem solving, meet once per week, but students should expect to
spend 6–8 hours per week outside of scheduled lab time completing assignments.
● The literature review – after being assigned to a Practicum project, students conduct independent
literature reviews of recent scientific and policy research on a specific aspect of their project topic.
Students effectively ask the question “what do we know, or not know about a particular issue?”
This differs from most research papers or essays students have written in previous classes; the
literature review does not involve developing and supporting a thesis. Instead, students conduct a
critical analysis on the current state of research, including reviewing any gaps in knowledge and
problems with research methodologies, or any controversies or major disagreements in the field,
to prepare themselves for tackling their Practicum project in 180B/C.
180B/C: Winter and Spring Quarters
Proposals, Research, Presentations, Final Reports and Deliverables
During winter and spring, students work as a team on their client-based environmental projects, diving
into real-life application of multi-disciplinary problem solving. Project work includes formulation of a
formal research proposal providing detail on how the team will meet the project’s goals, conducting
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research, and development of presentations and a final report and other work product that will be defined
in collaboration with the client. Depending on the nature of the project, work may include field work or
reconnaissance, including travel outside of the Los Angeles area, original data collection and analysis,
close collaboration with your client and other experts and stakeholders in the field, and learning any
number of skills or analytical approaches necessary to complete the project. In some cases, a team’s final
research report may provide the basis for a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In this case, the
advisor and client will work with the students after graduation to edit for possible publication.
Working and managing in a team
Students will be faced with needing to conduct and coordinate work, by multiple team members, on
multiple tracks at once, and over a limited timeframe. This is similar to situations encountered in the
professional world, where preliminary research may be conducted while efforts to finalize a project
framework or proposal are still being completed. In broad terms, it will be important for the success of
each project that:
● Students operate independently as a professional team;
● All parties develop a high level of trust and spirit of collaboration;
● Students and faculty are responsive to clients while conducting independent research;
● Communication among team members and between parties is professional and frequent; and
● Possibly most importantly, students feel comfortable to make decisions, make mistakes, and learn
from the experience.
Students should expect to devote 12–15 hours a week, on average, to their group project, although more
hours in any specific week can be expected depending on the particular needs of each project. This time
includes class meeting time and field trips as appropriate for each project. Importantly, to avoid excess
workload during spring quarter, each team will need to ensure that progress on their group projects is
evenly allocated over the two quarters.
Substitutions for the Practicum
While the capstone Practicum sequence is the expected path for all environmental science majors, we
recognize there may be circumstances that require a student to substitute other coursework or research in
lieu of completing part or all of the Practicum program. Any substitution will require a petition to the
IoES Academic Committee, and will be evaluated on an individual basis. Please see below for an overview
of general IoES policy regarding potential substitutions.
● In order to substitute any portion of the Practicum, students must be in good academic standing
and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the major.
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● All students are expected to complete 180A, the fall Practicum class and associated GIS labs.
Students may petition to substitute an independent study course for 180A where the student 1)
plans to substitute coursework or independent research for the 180B/C sequence in place of a
Practicum project, and 2) the student has completed at least an approved introductory GIS
course. In this case, and upon an approved petition, the student will be required to complete a
literature review paper for credit as independent study. All students who have not previously
completed an approved GIS course, however, should plan to enroll in 180A.
● Students may petition to substitute a variety of potential field courses or independent research
projects in place of 180B/C and completion of a Practicum project. Programs that have previously
been approved for substitution include:
● Participation in the Marine Biology Quarter (MBQ) or Field Biology Quarter (FBQ) programs
through the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
● Completion of the UC Natural Reserve System field course (taken in any term, including
summer).
Complete guidelines for Practicum Substitution requests can be found in the Appendix.
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MINORS
About the Minors
The Minors (or Concentration, in the case of Environmental Health) provide depth and specific
instruction in a particular field of the student’s greatest interest within Environmental Science. The minor
is required of all Environmental Science majors, and students earn an official minor on the transcript and
diploma when they graduate in six of the seven options.
Choosing a Minor
Students typically decide which minor to choose based on experiences in the upper-division coursework
for the major. To aid in that discovery we recommend choosing the major courses of greatest interest as
early as possible to help decide a direction. Most students determine their minor by the end of the
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sophomore year or early in the junior year (see below on “How to Declare a Minor” for additional
information). Students are encouraged to declare the minor prior to reaching 150 total units; after
reaching 150 units students will have to make an appointment with their general academic counseling
unit (CAC/AAP/Honors) for approval.
While the minors provide greater depth in a particular field, they should not be viewed as determining
one’s future. The minor can help students enter a particular field for graduate school or for a professional
opportunity, but should always be viewed as potentially opening doors, not as closing others. While a
student choosing, for example, Environmental Engineering may go on to become an engineer, the option
is still open to pursue public health, law, or almost any other path.
Minor Unit Requirements
All minors, with a little planning, will include the same number of courses. There is no longer or shorter
path; all can be completed with 20 units that are unique to the minor. Typically, this means that if a minor
has 6 courses, one course can overlap with another part of one’s program (major or another minor); if it
has 7 courses, two can overlap. However, the units are key, so courses that provide fewer than 4 units may
change the number of courses one needs to reach 20 unique units in the minor.
How to Declare a Minor
When to Declare
We are often asked “when should I declare my minor?” There is no specific time that is best for all
students but there are some guidelines that will help.
The major is constructed so that it allows you to sample courses from a variety of departments and fields.
Most students are able to start taking upper-division courses by the second year of study. We recommend
that you consider taking those courses that are of greatest interest to you – and are within the minors you
are considering – as some of the first courses you take in the upper-division courses for the major. That
way, you can have some basis for deciding if the subject matter is what you want to focus on for your
minor. If it’s not, you’ll still have completed a major requirement and you can try something else that
appeals to you.
It is optimal, though not required, to determine your minor by the beginning of your third year of study. It
is optimal because this will give you about two years in which to take the courses necessary to complete
the minor. This gives you the greatest possibility to get the courses you want; the longer you wait, the
greater the chance you may have to take courses that aren’t as desirable in order to complete the minor on
time. As noted above, students are encouraged to declare the minor prior to reaching 150 total units –
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after reaching 150 units students will require approval from their general academic counseling unit
(CAC/AAP/Honors).
The Process of Declaring a Minor
The first step once you’ve determined which you want to pursue is to make an appointment with Royce,
the IoES SAO, during which he will declare the minor. This will start tracking your progress on your
DARS. At the appointment Royce will tell you all about the minor, including special opportunities, course
recommendations based on your interests, and other aspects of the minor that will help you progress.
The second step will be to declare the minor with the department that offers it. This has two benefits: first,
it may allow you to enroll in some of that department’s courses during first pass enrollment; second, it
will allow you earn the minor on your transcript and diploma when you graduate.
Each department may have specific requirements that you must complete prior to declaring their minor
officially. Additionally, Declaring a minor is usually a simple process. First, students should consult with
the IoES SAO to declare the minor, which then tracks progress in DARS. Royce will explain any additional
steps the student must take prior to declaring the minor with the department that offers it (also detailed
in the sections for the minors here).
Substitution requests for minors offered by a department other than the IoES must be made to and
approved by that department. Each department has its own preferences for submitting such petitions.
Consult with the department SAO for instructions. See the Appendix for a list of all departmental SAO
contact information.
Career Paths – Study What Interests You!
For many of you, as young scientists, choosing a career path may feel like a daunting challenge, and the
decision of what to study to set yourself up for that career equally or even more intimidating. But here’s
the good news: there are many, many fantastic career paths available to you after you graduate, whether
you continue in environmental science or not, and the minor you pick will not, by itself, predict, or limit,
your future. You should feel free to study what interests you, not what you think you need to study
because it’s the only path to that exact right job.
According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of labor, on average people tend to change jobs 11
times between the ages of 18 and 44, and will change careers altogether two or three times in their
lifetime. Your undergraduate education path will not define your career path, rather, it will provide you
with a strong background as a scientist or professional in general for you to go forward and discover what
it is you want to do.
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This is not to say there aren’t reasons to potentially pick one minor over another. This is including
whether you plan to potentially go on to a graduate program in a particular scientific discipline or for a
professional program; there may be prerequisites you will need to have taken in the program subject area.
But even if you decide to change course later, there are almost always opportunities to build the
background needed for graduate study in a different field. Just because you minor in conservation biology
does not mean you can never get a PhD in climate science! The important thing is to find a course of study
will be passionate about, do well, and keep moving forward. Your choice of minor is an important first
step, but only a first step toward figuring out what you will do next!
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Minor
About the Minor
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
The Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences minor provides a formal vehicle for students specializing in other
science fields to pursue interest in the atmospheric and oceanic environment. It is designed to be flexible,
recognizing that many topics in this field cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Typical coursework
includes climatology, air pollution and particulate matter, meteorology, oceanography, atmospheric
thermodynamics, and related options from Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and other fields.
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Field Assistant - Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains
● Senior Research Associate - Pacific Institute
● Public Lands Business Organizer - Conservation Colorado
● Coastal Program Analyst - California Coastal Commission
● Watershed Intern - John L. Hunter and Assoc. (Environmental Consulting)
● Environmental Analyst and AERMOD/GIS Specialist, SWAPE (Environmental Consulting)
Graduate Programs
● MA in International Environmental Policy - Monterey Institute
● MPH - Columbia University
● Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering - Duke University
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Contact Information/To Declare the Minor
Denise Lopez
Student Affairs Officer
dlopez@atmos.ucla.edu
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
7127 Math Sciences Building
310–825–1954
To enter the minor, students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 or better and must make an appointment
with a departmental undergraduate adviser for approval in selecting a coordinated program of courses
from within the department and related disciplines.
Students in the minor are encouraged to join the AOS undergraduate mailing list. Make the request to
AOS Student Affairs Officer, Denise Lopez, at dlopez@atmos.ucla.edu
Course Requirements
Additional Preparation Required: One course
● Mathematics 3C or 32A OR
● Physics 6C or 1C OR
● Chemistry 14C or 30A
Minor Requirements:
SEVEN courses required including:
● THREE from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS – Note courses are designated as “A&O
SCI” in course catalog) M100, 101, 102, 103, 104, M105, M106, C110, C115, M120, 125, 130, M140,
141, 144, 145, 150, 155, C160, C170, 180, CM185 and
● FOUR additional courses (two of which must be upper division) from:
o Any of the above AOS courses beyond the minimum three required or from:
o AOS 1, 2, 3, 186 (186 must be taken twice)
o Chemistry and Biochemistry 103, 110A, 110B, 113A, C113B, 114
o Earth and Space Sciences 15
o Mathematics 115A, 115B, 132, 135, 136, 146, 170A, 170B
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o Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 109, C119, 122, 123A or 123B, 147, 148
o Physics 110A, 110B, 112, M122, 131, 132
Other relevant courses from related disciplines may be substituted with prior approval of the department.
One course may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis; all other minor courses must be taken for a letter
grade, with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Successful completion of the minor is indicated
on the transcript and diploma.
Course Descriptions
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
1. Climate Change: From Puzzles to Policy. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Overview of fundamentals of Earth’s climate, including greenhouse effect, water and chemical cycles,
outstanding features of atmospheric and ocean circulation, and feedback between different system
components. Exciting and contentious scientific puzzles of climate system, including causes of ice ages,
greenhouse warming, and el niño. Importance of climate science and prediction to society, with emphasis
on science’s role in identifying, qualifying, and solving environmental problems such as ozone hole and
greenhouse warming. P/NP or letter grading.
2. Air Pollution. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Causes and effects of high
concentrations of pollution in atmosphere. Topics include nature and sources of gaseous and particulate
pollutants, their transport, dispersion, modification, and removal, with emphasis on atmospheric
processes on scales ranging from individual sources to global effects; interaction with biosphere and
oceans; stratospheric pollution. P/NP or letter grading.
3. Introduction to Atmospheric Environment. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Nature and causes of weather phenomena, including atmospheric circulation, clouds and storms,
lightning and precipitation, fronts and cyclones, and tornadoes and hurricanes. Atmospheric radiation,
global warming, and greenhouse effect. P/NP or letter grading.
M100. Earth and Its Environment. (4) (Same as Environment M111.) Lecture, three hours. Overview
of Earth as system of distinct, yet intimately related, physical and biological elements. Origins and
characteristics of atmosphere, oceans, and land masses. Survey of history of Earth and of life on Earth,
particularly in relation to evolution of physical world. Consideration of possibility of technological
solutions to global environmental problems using knowledge gained during course. Letter grading.
101. Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and Thermodynamics. (5) Lecture, four hours;
discussion, one hour. Requisites: Mathematics 3B or 31B, Physics 1B or 6B. Recommended: course 3.
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Introduction to atmospheric environment, with emphasis on thermodynamics, dynamics, and structure of
atmosphere. Laws of thermodynamics; work, heat, and cyclic processes. Adiabatic processes, moisture,
and atmospheric stability. Hydrostatic balance. Fundamental equations of motion, with applications to
atmospheric flow. Circulation and vorticity. Letter grading.
102. Climate Change and Climate Modeling. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Enforced requisites: Mathematics 3C or 32A, Physics 1B or 6C, with grades of C or better. Global
environmental issues in climate change due to human activities or natural climate variations. Quantitative
introduction to new science of climate modeling to understand and predict these changes. Physical
processes in climate system. Atmospheric and oceanic circulation. El niño and year-to-year climate
prediction. Greenhouse effect and global warming. P/NP or letter grading.
103. Physical Oceanography. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Mathematics
3B or 31B. Introductory course for physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering majors interested in
environmental issues. Observations of temperature, salinity, density, and currents. Methods. Wind-driven
and geostrophic currents. California Current and Gulf Stream. Internal waves. Surface waves and tides.
Air/sea interactions. Coastal upwelling. Biological/physical interactions. El niño. Role of ocean in climate
and global change. Santa Monica Bay field trip. Letter grading.
104. Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisite: Chemistry 14B or 20B. Chemistry and physics of air and water pollution, including
photochemistry, acid rain, air pollution meteorology and dispersion, groundwater and surface water
pollution, chemical cycling, air/water interface, global atmospheric change. Letter grading.
M105. Introduction to Chemical Oceanography. (4) (Same as Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
M139.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introductory course for physical sciences, life sciences,
and engineering majors interested in oceanic environment. Chemical composition of oceans and nature of
physical, chemical, and biological processes governing this composition in past and present. Cycles of
major and minor oceanic constituents, with focus on those that are most important for life (i.e., carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and oxygen). Investigation of primary production, export production,
remineralization, diagenesis, air-sea gas exchange processes. Letter grading.
M106. Applied Climatology: Principles of Climate Impact on Natural Environment. (4)
(Same as Geography M106.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Exploration of knowledge and tools to solve complex problems in contemporary applied climatology,
including current practices, influence of climate on environment, and human influence on changing
climates. P/NP or letter grading.
C110. Advanced Dynamic and Synoptic Meteorology. (6) Laboratory, six hours. Requisite:
course 101. Weather map analysis, thermodynamic diagrams, satellite interpretation, severe weather
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forecasting, isentropic analysis, frontogenesis, quasi-geostrophic omega equation. Concurrently scheduled
with course C227. P/NP or letter grading.
112. Climate Change Assessment. (4) Lecture, three hours. Preparation: one upper-division course in
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences or Environmental Science. Requisite: Mathematics 3B or 31B.
Projections of future anthropogenic climate change and understanding of natural climate variability
depend on international climate model intercomparison projects, on large observing systems coordinating
space and ground observations, and on multi-scientist climate assessments. Lectures, readings and
projects address current issues in the scientific literature on assessment of climate change for students
with prior background in the atmospheric, oceanic and environmental sciences. P/NP or letter grading.
C115. Mesometeorology. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 101. Observations of phenomena
with length scales ranging from 20 km to 2,000 km. Topics include polar lows, airmass thunderstorms,
multicell storms, supercell tornadoes, gust fronts, downbursts, microbursts, and dry line. Discussions on
design of field project. Concurrently scheduled with course C228. P/NP or letter grading.
M120. Introduction to Fluid Dynamics. (4) (Same as Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences M140.)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Corequisite: Physics 131. Fluid statics and thermodynamics.
Kinematics. Conservation laws and equations of fluid motion. Circulation theorems and vorticity
dynamics. Rotating frame. Irrotational flow. Letter grading.
130. California’s Ocean. (4) Lecture, four hours. Recommended requisite: course 103 or M105.
Circulation, biogeochemistry, biota, water quality, measurement techniques, computational modeling,
conservation, and management for California’s coastal ocean, including coastal measurement cruise and
term project (paper and presentation). Letter grading.
141. Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Requisites: Chemistry 14B or 20B, Mathematics 3A or 31A, Physics 1B or 6B.
Physical and chemical processes that determine composition of atmosphere and its implications for
climate, ecosystems, and human welfare. Origin of atmosphere. Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, trace
metal cycles. Climate and greenhouse effect. Atmospheric transport and turbulence. Stratospheric ozone.
Oxidizing power of atmosphere. Regional air pollution: aerosols, smog, mercury, and acid rain. Letter
grading.
C144. Atmospheric Boundary Layer. (4) Lecture, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 101 with
grade of B+ or better. Atmospheric boundary layer is lowest portion of atmosphere, representing interface
between Earth’s surface and atmosphere, is strongly affected by turbulence, and plays important role in
exchange of heat, momentum, trace gases, and aerosols between Earth’s surface and free troposphere.
Investigation of properties of atmospheric boundary layer and processes that determine them.
Concurrently scheduled with course C222. P/NP or letter grading.
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145. Atmospheric Physics: Radiation, Clouds, and Aerosols. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Requisites: Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C, or 6A, 6B, and 6C. Theory and application of
atmospheric radiation, aerosol, and cloud processes. Topics include radiative transport, cloud and rain
formation, aerosol properties, impact of aerosol and clouds on climate. Letter grading.
150. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Laboratory. (5) Lecture, one hour; laboratory, six hours.
Requisites: Mathematics 3B or 31B, Physics 1B and 1C (or 6B and 6C). Many of today’s environmental
problems, such as stratospheric ozone hole, current rise of greenhouse gas concentrations, and various
severe weather phenomena, were first discovered and investigated using accurate observational
techniques. Direct experimental observations remain crucial component in today’s efforts to better
understand weather, climate, and pollution of atmosphere and ocean. Introduction to
experimental/observational approach in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Students work in small groups
to gain hands-on experience in setup, performance, analysis, and reporting of different experiments.
Introduction to underlying principles of these experimental methods and basic data analysis tools. P/NP
or letter grading.
155. Introduction to Ecosystem-Atmosphere Interactions. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion,
one hour. Exchanges of energy, moisture, atmospheric trace gases, and momentum between terrestrial
ecosystems and atmosphere. Interactions and feedbacks between physical environment and physiological
status of plants and soils. Topics include canopy structure and function, leaf energy balance, and carbon
and water fluxes between plants, soils, and atmosphere. Letter grading.
C160. Remote Sensing of Atmosphere and Oceans. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: Physics 1C
or 6B. Theory and techniques of remote sensing; atmospheric spectroscopy, scattering, and polarization;
passive and active techniques; relevant satellite systems; inversion methods; remote sensing of clouds,
aerosols, temperature, precipitation, and trace constituents; remote sensing of oceans and biosphere.
Concurrently scheduled with course C240B. P/NP or letter grading.
C170. Introduction to Solar System Plasmas. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisites: Mathematics 33A, Physics 1C. Introduction to basic plasma physical processes occurring in
sun, solar wind, magnetospheres, and ionospheres of planets, using simple fluid (magnetohydrodynamic)
models as well as individual particle (radiation belt dynamics) approach. Solar-planetary coupling
processes, geomagnetic phenomena, aurora. Concurrently scheduled with course C205A. Letter grading.
180. Numerical Methods in Atmospheric Sciences. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Preparation: one course in C or Fortran programming. Requisite: Mathematics 33B. Survey of numerical
methods employed in atmospheric and related sciences: theory, application, and programming. Letter
grading.
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186. Operational Meteorology. (2) Laboratory, six hours. Requisite: course C110. Limited to
junior/senior Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Sciences majors. Daily contact with weather data
and forecasting, satellite and radar data. Introduction to weather forecasting for aviation, air pollution,
marine weather, fire weather, and public use. Includes daily weather map discussions and visits to
observing, radiosonde, and radar installations. Letter grading.
Chemistry
103. Environmental Chemistry. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses
30B, 30BL, 110A, 153A (or 153AH), 153L. Chemical aspects of air and water pollution, solid waste
disposal, energy resources, and pesticide effects. Chemical reactions in environment and effect of
chemical processes on environment. P/NP or letter grading.
110A. Physical Chemistry: Chemical Thermodynamics. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour; tutorial, one hour. Requisites: course 20B, Mathematics 32A or 3C (for life sciences majors),
Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C (may be taken concurrently), or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH (may be taken concurrently),
or 6A, 6B, and 6C (may be taken concurrently). Fundamentals of thermodynamics, chemical and phase
equilibria, thermodynamics of solutions, electrochemistry. P/NP or letter grading.
110B. Physical Chemistry: Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and Kinetics. (4) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour; tutorial, one hour. Requisites: courses 110A, 113A, Mathematics 32B.
Kinetic theory of gases, principles of statistical mechanics, statistical thermodynamics, equilibrium
structure and free energy, relaxation and transport phenomena, macroscopic chemical kinetics,
molecular-level reaction dynamics. P/NP or letter grading.
113A. Physical Chemistry: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour; tutorial, one hour. Requisites: course 20B, Mathematics 32A, 32B, 33A, Physics 1A,
1B, and 1C, or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH, or 6A, 6B, and 6C, with grades of C- or better. Departure from classical
mechanics: Schrödinger versus Newton equations; model systems: particle-in-box, harmonic oscillator,
rigid rotor, and hydrogen atom; approximation methods: perturbation and variational methods; many-
electron atoms, spin, and Pauli principle, chemical bonding. P/NP or letter grading.
C113B. Physical Chemistry: Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour; tutorial, one hour. Requisite: course 113A. Interaction of radiation with matter,
microwave spectroscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, vibrations in polyatomic molecules,
electronic spectroscopy, magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Concurrently scheduled with course C213B.
P/NP or letter grading.
114. Physical Chemistry Laboratory. (5) Lecture, two hours; laboratory, eight hours. Enforced
requisites: courses 30AL, 110A, and 113A, with grades of C- or better. Enforced corequisite: course 110B or
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C113B. Lectures include techniques of physical measurement, error analysis and statistics, special topics.
Laboratory includes spectroscopy, thermodynamic measurements, and chemical dynamics. P/NP or letter
grading.
Earth, Planetary, and Space Science
15. Blue Planet: Introduction to Oceanography. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours.
Not open for credit to students with credit for or currently enrolled in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
25. General introduction to geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes and history of Earth’s
global ocean system. P/NP or letter grading.
Mathematics
115A–115B. Linear Algebra. (5–4) P/NP or letter grading.
115A. Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite: course 33A. Techniques of proof, abstract
vector spaces, linear transformations, and matrices; determinants; inner product spaces; eigenvector
theory.
115B. Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 115A. Linear transformations,
conjugate spaces, duality; theory of a single linear transformation, Jordan normal form; bilinear forms,
quadratic forms; Euclidean and unitary spaces, symmetric skew and orthogonal linear transformations,
polar decomposition.
132. Complex Analysis for Applications. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 32B, 33B. Introduction to basic formulas and calculation procedures of complex analysis of one
variable relevant to applications. Topics include Cauchy/Riemann equations, Cauchy integral formula,
power series expansion, contour integrals, residue calculus.
135. Ordinary Differential Equations. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 33A, 33B. Selected topics in differential equations. Laplace transforms, existence and uniqueness
theorems, Fourier series, separation of variable solutions to partial differential equations, Sturm/Liouville
theory, calculus of variations, two-point boundary value problems, Green’s functions. P/NP or letter
grading.
136. Partial Differential Equations. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 33A, 33B. Linear partial differential equations, boundary and initial value problems; wave
equation, heat equation, and Laplace equation; separation of variables, eigenfunction expansions;
selected topics, as method of characteristics for nonlinear equations.
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146. Methods of Applied Mathematics. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 32B, 33B. Integral equations, Green’s function, and calculus of variations. Selected applications
from control theory, optics, dynamical systems, and other engineering problems.
170A. Probability Theory. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses 32B,
33A. Not open to students with credit for Electrical Engineering 131A or Statistics 100A. Probability
distributions, random variables and vectors, expectation. P/NP or letter grading.
170B. Probability Theory. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: course
170A. Convergence in distribution, normal approximation, laws of large numbers, Poisson processes,
random walks. P/NP or letter grading.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
109. Introduction to Marine Science. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Life
Sciences 1. Strongly recommended for prospective Marine Biology Quarter students. Introduction to
physical and biological world of 70 percent of planet: oceans. Designed to be integrative, with focus on
geological evolution of seas, physical and chemical properties of water, and how these abiotic processes
shape ecology and evolution of marine organisms and environments. Letter grading.
C119A. Mathematical and Computational Modeling in Ecology. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: Life Sciences 30B or Mathematics 3B or 31A. Recommended:
courses 100, 122, Life Sciences 1, Mathematics 3C. Introduction to modeling dynamics of ecological
systems, including formulation and analysis of mathematical models, basic techniques of scientific
programming, probability and stochastic modeling, and methods to relate models to data. Examples from
ecology but techniques and principles applicable throughout life and physical sciences. Concurrently
scheduled with course C219A. P/NP or letter grading.
122. Ecology. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisites: course 100, Life Sciences 1,
Mathematics 3B or 31A or Life Sciences 30B. Highly recommended: Mathematics 31B, 32A. Designed for
departmental majors specializing in environmental and population biology. Introduction to population
and community ecology, with emphasis on growth and distributions of populations, interactions between
species, and structure, dynamics, and functions of communities and ecosystems. P/NP or letter grading.
123A–123B. Field Marine Ecology. (4 or 8 each) Lecture, five hours; laboratory, 15 hours.
Recommended requisites: courses 100, 122. Offered either as 4- or 8-unit five-week intensive course given
off campus as part of Marine Biology Quarter. Survey of current topics in marine ecology, including
analysis of primary research literature combined with field study of ecology of marine organisms,
populations, communities, and ecosystems. Original research project required. Letter grading. 123A. In
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residence at research station located outside continental U.S. 123B. In residence at research station
located within U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii.
147. Biological Oceanography. (4) Five-week intensive course. Lecture, five hours; laboratory, 15
hours. Requisites: Chemistry 14A, 14B, and 14BL, or 20A, 20B, 20L, and 30AL, Life Sciences 1, 3, 23L.
Lectures include physical, chemical, and biological factors affecting abundance and distribution of
organisms in marine environment. Laboratory includes experimental studies of local marine organisms,
with emphasis on primary and secondary production and nutrient flux. Letter grading.
148. Biology of Marine Plants. (4) Five-week intensive course. Lecture, five hours; laboratory, 15
hours. Requisites: Chemistry 14A, 14B, and 14BL, or 20A, 20B, 20L, and 30AL, Life Sciences 1, 3, 23L.
Introduction to general biology of marine algae, including basics of structure reproduction, life histories,
systematics, and introduction to physiology and ecology of marine algae. Techniques in culture and
laboratory investigation and utilization of algae. Given off campus at marine science center. Letter
grading.
Physics
110A. Electricity and Magnetism. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses
1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), 131, Mathematics 32B, 33A, 33B. Electrostatics and
magnetostatics. P/NP or letter grading.
110B. Electricity and Magnetism. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses
1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), 110A, Mathematics 32B, 33A, 33B. Faraday law and Maxwell
equations. Propagation of electromagnetic radiation. Multipole radiation and radiation from an
accelerated charge. Special theory of relativity. P/NP or letter grading.
112. Thermodynamics. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses 1A, 1B, and
1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), Mathematics 32B, 33A, 33B. Corequisite: course 115B. Fundamentals of
thermodynamics, including first, second, and third laws. Statistical mechanical point of view and its
relation to thermodynamics. Some simple applications. P/NP or letter grading.
M122. Introduction to Plasma Electronics. (4) (Same as Electrical Engineering M185.) Lecture,
three hours; discussion, one hour; outside study, eight hours. Requisite: course 110A or Electrical
Engineering 101A. Senior-level introductory course on electrodynamics of ionized gases and applications
to materials processing, generation of coherent radiation and particle beams, and renewable energy
sources. Letter grading.
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131. Mathematical Methods of Physics. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), Mathematics 32B, 33A, 33B. Vectors and fields in space,
linear transformations, matrices, and operators; Fourier series and integrals. P/NP or letter grading.
132. Mathematical Methods of Physics. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
courses 1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), 131, Mathematics 32B, 33A, 33B. Functions of a complex
variable, including Riemann surfaces, analytic functions, Cauchy theorem and formula, Taylor and
Laurent series, calculus of residues, and Laplace transforms. P/NP or letter grading.
Conservation Biology Minor
About the Minor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The Conservation Biology minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major program of
study with courses addressing issues central to the conservation and sustainability of biodiversity and
natural ecosystem processes. The minor seeks to provide students with a greater depth of experience and
understanding of the role that science can play in developing conservation policy. Ecosystem
conservation, including focused studies of flora and fauna and the unique requirements of specific species
for biodiversity is the primary focus of the minor.
Students are encouraged to join the EEB undergraduate email list. The EEB Undergraduate Office has
moved its listserv to CCLE. All students will need to opt in by subscribing through the following link:
https://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/eeb-counseling
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Marine Programs Manager - The Bay Foundation
● Education and Development Associate - Wishtoyo Foundation (Protection of Native American
Culture/Environment)
● Protected Areas Management Advisor - Peace Corps (Honduras)
● Fisheries Research Associate - The Nature Conservancy
● Sea Grant Fellow - Port of San Diego
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● Environmental Scientist - California Department of Water Resources
● Field Research Assistant - Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership
● Manager - National Parks Board, Singapore
Graduate Programs
● Ph.D. in Epidemiology - UNC Chapel Hill
● MESM - UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
● Ph.D. in Ecology and Conservation Biology - SUNY Stony Brook
Contact Information/To Declare the Minor
Jessica Angus, Jessica Gonzalez, and Kellie Marie Lavin
Student Affairs Officers
Contact via Message Center HERE.
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
101 Hershey Hall
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Drop-In Counseling and Scheduled
Appointments Available
Once EEB 100 and EEB 116 (or ENV 121) have been completed with a grade of C or better, students will
go to the EEB advising offices in Hershey Hall 101 during posted office hours to declare the minor. EEB
only accepts minor declarations during weeks 0-3 and 8-10 of any quarter (or any time in summer).
Mailing list: Join the EEB undergraduate email list: https://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/eeb-
counseling
Course Requirements
Additional Preparatory Courses Required: Choose one option from
• Life Sciences 7C & 23L (or Life Sciences 3 & 23L) OR
• Chemistry 14C or Chemistry 30A.
Pre-Requisites:
All pre-requisites for the Conservation Biology minor must be completed with a grade of “C” or better:
● Life Sciences 7A (5 units) or Life Sciences 1 (5 units)
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● EE BIOL 100 (4 units)
● EE BIOL 116* (4 units) or Environment 121 (4 units) – Choose one.
*Students who have received credit for EE BIOL 116 cannot take Environment 121.
Minor Requirements:
FOUR to SIX COURSES (totaling at least 20 units) from the following list:
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100L, 101, 103, 105, 109, 109L, 111, 112, 113AL, 114A, 114B, C119A,
C119B, 122, M127, 129, M131, 142, 151A, 152, 153, 154, 155, 161, 162, 162L, C174 176, 180A, 180B, 184, any
course completed from Field or Marine Biology Quarter or approved equivalent; Geography M102, M103,
106, 107, 116, 117, M118, M125, M126, M131, 133 (maximum of two Geography courses can be applied to
the minor)
Please note that Labs, EE Biol 176 and 180A are two-unit courses. If these courses are taken for the minor,
additional courses will be needed to reach the minimum 20 units for this category.
Field or Marine Biology Quarter
Students who are declared as a Conservation Biology are encouraged to participate in either the Field
Biology Quarter (FBQ) or the Marine Biology Quarter (MBQ).
https://www.eeb.ucla.edu/ugrad_fbq.php
The Field Biology Quarter (FBQ) is a quarter-long program designed to give advanced undergraduates an
opportunity to focus on the biology of organisms living in their natural environments. Emphasis is always
given to integrating field and laboratory studies of the local organisms in the chosen area. The program,
which consists of 16 upper division units of coursework, fulfills the field quarter requirement for Ecology
Behavior and Evolution (EBE) majors. Previous sites include:
● AUSTRALIA
● CALIFORNIA DESERT
● ECUADOR
● KENYA
● MEXICO
● NICARAGUA
● THAILAND
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The Marine Biology Quarter (MBQ) is a field program designed to give advanced undergraduates an
opportunity to gain intimate and firsthand knowledge of marine communities, their constituents and their
structure. Previous sites include:
● HAWAII
● CATALINA ISLAND
● MOOREA, TAHITI
● BODEGA MARINE LABORATORY
Application period ranges from two quarters to a full year in advance. Subscribe to the EEB mailing list
for information on each application period.
Course Descriptions
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
100. Introduction to Ecology and Behavior. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisite: Life Sciences 1 or 7B. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 118, C119A, C119B,
122 through C126, 129, 132 through 134B, 136, or 151B. Introduction to methods and topics in ecology and
behavior. Growth and regulation of populations, organization of communities and ecosystems,
biogeography, and behaviors animals use to find food, choose mates, and interact in social groups. Letter
grading.
100L. Introduction to Ecology and Behavior Laboratory. (4) Laboratory, four hours.
Requisites: course 100 (may be taken concurrently), Life Sciences 1 or 7B. Introduction to research
methods in ecology and behavior, resulting in independent research proposals and to gain understanding
of scientific method, critical evaluation of research papers, and development of scientific writing skills.
Involves work outside and off-campus meetings. To apply this course to the Biology upper division major
laboratory requirement, the corresponding lecture course must be completed with a passing grade. Letter
grading.
103. Plant Diversity and Evolution. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours; field trip.
Requisites: Life Sciences 1, 4. Introduction to green plant tree of life, with emphasis on using phylogenetic
perspective to examine major transitions in plant evolution, including evolution and diversification of
land plants, vascular plants, seed plants, and currently ecologically dominant flowering plants.
Introduction to phylogenetics, providing overview of theory and methodology to reconstruct and use
phylogenetic trees to study organismal evolution. Exploration of 700 million years of plant evolution, with
emphasis on morphological, functional, ecological, and biogeographical perspectives. Letter grading.
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105. Biology of Invertebrates. (6) Lecture, three hours; laboratory/field trips, six hours. Requisite:
Life Sciences 1. Introduction to systematics, evolution, natural history, morphology, and physiology of
invertebrates. P/NP or letter grading.
109. Introduction to Marine Science. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Life
Sciences 1 or 7B. Strongly recommended for prospective Marine Biology Quarter students. Introduction to
physical and biological world of 70 percent of planet: oceans. Designed to be integrative, with focus on
geological evolution of seas, physical and chemical properties of water, and how these abiotic processes
shape ecology and evolution of marine organisms and environments. Letter grading.
109L. Introduction to Marine Science Laboratory. (4) Laboratory, three hours; four field trips.
Requisites: course 109 (may be taken concurrently), Life Sciences 1 or 7B. Introduction to marine
environments and methods used to study them. Exploration of variety of concepts in marine science,
ranging from oceanography to behavior, primary productivity, and marine biodiversity, with emphasis on
experimental design and scientific writing. To apply this course to the Biology upper division major
laboratory requirement, the corresponding lecture course must be completed with a passing grade. Letter
grading.
111. Biology of Vertebrates. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours; four one- to two-day
field trips. Requisite: Life Sciences 1 or 7B. Adaptations, behavior, and ecology of vertebrates. Letter
grading.
112. Ichthyology. (6) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, six hours; field trips. Requisite: Life Sciences 1
or 7B. Highly recommended: courses 110, 111. Biology of freshwater and marine fishes, with emphasis on
their evolution, systematics, morphology, zoogeography, and ecology. Field trips to examine fishes of
Southern California shoreline, tidepools, and coastal streams. Letter grading.
114A. Ornithology. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory/field trips, three hours. Requisite: Life
Sciences 1. Recommended: course 100. Systematics, distribution, physiology, behavior, and ecology of
birds. Letter grading.
114B. Field Ornithology. 8 Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Recommended: course 100. Two to three weeks
of off-campus research projects followed by lecture course and offered only as part of Field Biology
Quarter. Biology, particularly ecology and behavior, of birds in their natural habitat. Letter grading.
116. Conservation Biology. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1
or 7B. Recommended: course 100. Not open for credit to students with credit for Environment 121. Study
of ecological and evolutionary principles as they apply to preservation of genetic, species, and ecosystem
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diversity. Discussion sections focus on interactions of science, policy, and economics in conserving
biodiversity. Oral and written student presentation on specific conservation issues. Letter grading.
C119A. Mathematical and Computational Modeling in Ecology. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: Life Sciences 30B or Mathematics 3B or 31A. Recommended:
courses 100, 122, Life Sciences 1, Mathematics 3C. Introduction to modeling dynamics of ecological
systems, including formulation and analysis of mathematical models, basic techniques of scientific
programming, probability and stochastic modeling, and methods to relate models to data. Examples from
ecology but techniques and principles applicable throughout life and physical sciences. Concurrently
scheduled with course C219A. P/NP or letter grading.
C119B. Modeling in Ecological Research. (4) Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite:
course C119A. Advanced techniques in mathematical and computational modeling of ecological dynamics
and other population dynamic problems. Independent research projects developed by students. Topics
include model formulation, stochastic models, fitting models to data, sensitivity analysis, presentation of
model results, and other topics from current literature. Concurrently scheduled with course C219B. P/NP
or letter grading.
122. Ecology. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisites: course 100, Life Sciences 1 or
7B, Mathematics 3B or 31A or Life Sciences 30B. Highly recommended: Mathematics 31B, 32A. Designed
for departmental majors specializing in environmental and population biology. Introduction to
population and community ecology, with emphasis on growth and distributions of populations,
interactions between species, and structure, dynamics, and functions of communities and ecosystems.
P/NP or letter grading.
123A. Field Marine Ecology. (4 or 8) Lecture, five hours; laboratory, 15 hours. Recommended
requisites: courses 100, 122. Offered either as 4- or 8-unit five-week intensive course given off campus as
part of Marine Biology Quarter that is in residence at research station located outside continental U.S.
Survey of current topics in marine ecology, including analysis of primary research literature combined
with field study of ecology of marine organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Original
research project required. Letter grading.
123B. Field Marine Ecology. (4 or 8) Lecture, five hours; laboratory, 15 hours. Recommended
requisites: courses 100, 122. Offered either as 4- or 8-unit five-week intensive course given off campus as
part of Marine Biology Quarter that is in residence at research station located within U.S., including
Alaska and Hawaii. Survey of current topics in marine ecology, including analysis of primary research
literature combined with field study of ecology of marine organisms, populations, communities, and
ecosystems. Original research project required. Letter grading.
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124A. Field Ecology. (4 or 8) Lecture, five hours; laboratory or field trip, 15 hours. Enforced requisites:
course 100, Life Sciences 1. Recommended: courses 111, 120, 122. Offered as part of Field Biology Quarter
that is in residence at research station located outside continental U.S. for part of or for duration of term.
Field and laboratory research in ecology; collection, analysis, and write-up of numerical data, with
emphasis on design and execution of field studies. Letter grading.
124B. Field Ecology. (4 or 8) Lecture, five hours; laboratory or field trip, 15 hours. Enforced requisites:
course 100, Life Sciences 1. Recommended: courses 111, 120, 122. Offered as part of Field Biology Quarter
that is in residence at research station located within U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, for part of or for
duration of term. Field and laboratory research in ecology; collection, analysis, and write-up of numerical
data, with emphasis on design and execution of field studies. Letter grading.
129. Animal Behavior. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisites: course 100, Life
Sciences 1. Introduction to behavioral ecology. Methods and results of evolutionary approaches to study of
animal behavior, including foraging strategies, social competition, sexual selection, mating systems,
cooperation, and social organization. Letter grading.
M131. Ecosystem Ecology. (4) (Same as Geography M117.) Lecture, three hours; field trips. Requisite:
Geography 1 or Life Sciences 2 or 7C. Designed for juniors/seniors. Development of principles of
ecosystem ecology, with focus on understanding links between ecosystem structure and function.
Emphasis on energy and water balances, nutrient cycling, plant-soil-microbe interactions, landscape
heterogeneity, and human disturbance to ecosystems. P/NP or letter grading.
142. Aquatic Communities. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Life Sciences 1
or 7B. Overview of species and communities in marine and freshwater environments. Exploration of
interactions of physical and biological factors that shape communities and how scientists test hypotheses.
Emphasis on critical reading of primary literature. Letter grading.
151A. Tropical Ecology. (4) Lecture, one hour; discussion, two hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Broad
introduction to biodiversity, community structure, and dynamics and ecosystem function of range of
tropical forest habitats. Discussion of such themes as biogeography, forest structure, plant growth forms,
animal communities, herbivory, forest dynamics, and disturbance regimes. P/NP or letter grading.
153. Physics and Chemistry of Biotic Environments. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one
hour. Requisites: Chemistry 14A, 14B, and 14BL (or 20A, 20B, and 20L), Life Sciences 1. Recommended:
Life Sciences 2, 3, 4, 23L, Physics 6A. Chemical and physical principles that are critical to functional
responses by organisms to their habitats. Focus is integrative, providing comprehensive training in basic
sciences of physics and chemistry as applied to environmental processes, and consequences of these
processes for individual performance, populations, and communities. Covers variety of topics in applied
chemistry, including proton pumps, carbonate biogeochemistry and ocean acidification, and allometric
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scaling of metabolism and effects of temperature on physiological function. Fundamentals of boundary-
layer physics and their role in organism’s life history. Physics as natural life process, including how
organisms are mechanically structures to avoid, resist, or comply to fluid (air and water) motion. P/NP or
letter grading.
154. California Ecosystems. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory or field trip, four hours. Requisite:
Life Sciences 1. Recommended: course 100. Introduction to structure, biodiversity, and dynamics of
California ecosystems, with focus on Southern California, and impact of human activities on these
systems. P/NP or letter grading.
C174. Comparative Biology and Macroevolution. (4) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three
hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1. Recommended: one introductory statistics course. Modern comparative
biology provides framework for studying broad questions in evolution – How do body shapes evolve?
What are dynamics of evolutionary arms race? Why are there so many species in tropics? Why are there
so many beetles and so few crocodiles? Did dinosaurs put brakes on diversification of mammals?
Examination of why tree of life is essential to understanding patterns of biological diversity and how
phylogenetic comparative methods are used to test macroevolutionary hypotheses. Concurrently
scheduled with course C230. Letter grading.
176. Ecological Ethics. (4) Seminar, four hours. Requisite: Life Sciences 1 or 7B. Debates and
discussions on current ethical considerations relevant to fields of ecology, evolution, conservation, and
behavior. Letter grading.
180A. Seminar: Biology and Society. (2) Seminar, two hours. Investigations and discussions of
current socially important issues involving substantial biological considerations, either or both as
background for policy and as consequences of policy. May be repeated once for credit with instructor
change. Letter grading.
180B. Seminar: Biology and Society. (4) Seminar, four hours. Investigations and discussions of
current socially important issues involving substantial biological considerations, either or both as
background for policy and as consequences of policy. May be repeated once for credit with instructor
change. Letter grading.
Geography
M102. Soils and Environment. (4) (Same as Ecology and Evolutionary Biology M127 and
Environment M102.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; field trips. General treatment of soils and
environmental implications: soil development, morphology, and worldwide distribution of soil orders;
physical, chemical, hydrologic, and biological properties; water use, erosion, and pollution; management
of soils as related to plant growth and distribution. P/NP or letter grading.
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M103. Soil and Water Conservation. (4) (Same as Environment M103.) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: course 1 or 2 or Life Sciences 1 or 3. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Systematic study of processes of and hazards posed by erosion, sedimentation,
development, and pollution and techniques needed to conserve soil and maintain environmental quality.
Scope includes agriculture, forestry, mining, and other rural uses of land. P/NP or letter grading.
106. World Vegetation. (4) (Formerly numbered 108.) Lecture, three hours; reading period,
one hour. Limited to juniors/seniors. Characteristics, distribution, environmental and cultural
relationships of world's principal vegetation patterns. P/NP or letter grading.
107. Forest Ecosystems. (4) (Formerly numbered 111.) Lecture, three hours; field trips.
Requisite: course 2 or Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Evaluation of ecological
principles as they apply to forests. Emphasis on constraints of physical environment, biotic
interactions, succession, disturbances, and long-term environmental change. P/NP or letter
grading.
116. Climatology. (4) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Examination of many relations between climate and world of man. Application of basic energy budget
concepts to microclimates of relevance to ecosystems of agriculture, animals, man, and urban places.
P/NP or letter grading.
117. Tropical Climatology. (4) Lecture, three hours. In-depth exploration of development of tropical
climate, with special reference to hurricanes, ENSO, and monsoons. Examination of human interaction
with tropical climate processes and human-induced climate change in tropics. Use of climatological
information to foster sound environmental management of climate-related resources in tropics. P/NP or
letter grading.
M118. Applied Climatology: Principles of Climate Impact on Natural
Environment. (4)(Formerly numbered M106.) (Same as Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
M106.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Exploration of
knowledge and tools to solve complex problems in contemporary applied climatology, including
current practices, influence of climate on environment, and human influence on changing
climates. P/NP or letter grading.
M125. Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future. (4) (Same as Environment M125 and
Urban Planning M165.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exploration of history and origin of
major environmental ideas, movements or countermovements they spawned, and new and changing
nature of modern environmentalism. Introduction to early ideas of environment, how rise of modern
sciences reshaped environmental thought, and how this was later transformed by 19th-century ideas and
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rise of American conservation movements. Review of politics of American environmental thought and
contemporary environmental questions as they relate to broader set of questions about nature of
development, sustainability, and equity in environmental debate. Exploration of issues in broad context,
including global climate change, rise of pandemics, deforestation, and environmental justice impacts of
war. Letter grading.
M126. Environmental Change. (4) (Same as Environment M126.) Lecture, three hours; reading
period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of natural forces producing environmental
changes over past two million years. How present landscape reflects past conditions. Effects of
environmental change on people. Increasing importance of human activity in environmental
modification. Focus on impact of natural and anthropogenic changes on forests. P/NP or letter grading.
M131. Human Impact on Biophysical Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered M109.) (Same as
Environment M131.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Examination of history, mechanisms, and consequences of interactions between humans and
environment. Exploration in depth of three thematic topics (deforestation, desertification, and
greenhouse gas increase and ozone depletion) and four major subjects (soil, biodiversity, water, and
landforms). P/NP or letter grading.
133. Humid Tropics. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 2 or 5 or Life Sciences 1. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Examination of humid tropics, with emphasis on rainforests, their ecological principles,
and forms of land use. Letter grading.
Environmental Engineering Minor
About the Minor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, HSSEAS
The Environmental Engineering minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major course
of study with an exposure to engineering methods applied to key environmental problems facing modern
society in developed and developing countries. The minor also provides students with a brief experience
and understanding of the roles that environmental engineering methods play in solving environmental
problems. Research in environmental engineering focuses on the understanding and management of
physical, chemical, and biological processes in the environment and in engineering systems. Primarily
focuses on water issues, with key coursework in chemical fate and transport in aquatic environments,
wastewater management, hydrology, environmental/chemical remediation, and related topics.
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Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Computer Vision Research Scientist - Descartes Labs
● Data Analyst - California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA
● Water Resources Engineer and Project Manager - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
● Climate Change Risk and Resilience Consultant - Arup (Environmental Consulting)
● Engineering Associate - LA County Sanitation District
● Engineering Technician - Hazen and Sawyer (Engineering/Environmental Consulting)
● Research Support - Executive Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations
● Senior Research and Policy Analyst - Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, New York
● Project Manager - Ceres Imaging (Remote Sensing)
● Assistant Water Resource Specialist - Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Graduate Programs
● MS in Environmental Engineering - UC Berkeley
● MESM - UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
● Ph.D. in Hydrologic Sciences - UC Davis
● MA in Climate and Society - Columbia University
● MS in Civil Engineering - Stanford & Fulbright Scholar
● Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering - Princeton University
Contact Information/To Declare the Minor
To enter the minor, students must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or better) and file a petition in
the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall. Applications are processed in batches, so
expect a delay between the date you apply and the minor taking effect.
To schedule an appointment:
(310) 825–9580
or go in person to
6426 Boelter Hall
http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/
Course Requirements
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NOTE: C&EE will be revising the minor requirements, with the new requirements expected to go
into effect in spring quarter 2020. Some course options will therefore change from what is listed in
this handbook. See the C&EE website page for the most up-to-date requirements.
https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/curricular-requirements-department-information/
Additional Preparatory Courses Required: One course
• Mathematics 3C or 32A
Required Upper Division Courses (24 units minimum):
Civil and Environmental Engineering 153
Five electives from:
Civil andEnvironmental Engineering 110, 150, 151, 152,154, 155, 156A, 156B, 157A, 157B, 157C, 157L, C159,
163, 164, M165, M166, Chemical Engineering 102A, C118; Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering 103,
105A,
*Credit for both MECH&AE 105A and CH ENGR 102A will not be granted.
A minimum of 20 units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units applied
toward major requirements or another minor, and at least 16 units applied toward the minor must be
taken in residence at UCLA. Transfer credit for any of the above is subject to departmental approval;
consult the undergraduate counselors before enrolling in any non-UCLA courses for the minor.
Each minor course must be taken for a letter grade, and students must have a minimum grade of C (2.0)
in each and an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Successful completion of the minor is
indicated on the transcript and diploma.
Additional Guidance for the Environmental Engineering Minor
General Comments
This minor was originally conceived as a component of the BS in Environmental Science, offered by the
Institute of the Environment, but may be of interest to students from other programs.
There are no prerequisite “traps” in the list of courses. The required course CEE 153 has only a
recommended prerequisite of MAE 103, but more than a decade of experience has shown that students
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can achieve well in CEE 153 without having taken MAE 103. All other courses used to satisfy the minor
have at most CEE 153 as a prerequisite. However, EHS C125 and C164 do recommend additional
chemistry courses.
Unless the twenty unique unit requirement for a minor is lifted, students in HSSEAS majors can use this
minor to satisfy only two of the TBR requirements in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The requirement for a minimum grade of C in each course may be appealed in the case of a C-, but
generally not in the case of any D grade. Consideration of appeals in the case of a C- grade will take into
account the student’s overall academic record.
Course Descriptions
Civil and Environmental Engineering
110. Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Engineers. (4) Lecture, four hours; outside
study, eight hours. Requisites: course 15, Mathematics 32A, 33A. Introduction to fundamental concepts
and applications of probability and statistics in civil engineering, with focus on how these concepts are
used in experimental design and sampling, data analysis, risk and reliability analysis, and project design
under uncertainty. Topics include basic probability concepts, random variables and analytical probability
distributions, functions of random variables, estimating parameters from observational data, regression,
hypothesis testing, and Bayesian concepts. Letter grading.
150. Introduction to Hydrology. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six
hours. Requisite: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103. Recommended: course 15. Study of
hydrologic cycle and relevant atmospheric processes, water and energy balance, radiation, precipitation
formation, infiltration, evaporation, vegetation transpiration, groundwater flow, storm runoff, and flood
processes. Letter grading.
151. Introduction to Water Resources Engineering. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two
hours; outside study, six hours. Recommended requisite: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103.
Principles of hydraulics, flow of water in open channels and pressure conduits, reservoirs and dams,
hydraulic machinery, hydroelectric power. Introduction to system analysis and design applied to water
resources engineering. Letter grading.
152. Hydraulic and Hydrologic Design. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside
study, six hours. Enforced requisites: courses 150, 151. Analysis and design of hydraulic and hydrologic
systems, including stormwater management systems, potable and recycled water distribution systems,
wastewater collection systems, and constructed wetlands. Emphasis on practical design components,
including reading/interpreting professional drawings and documents, environmental impact reports,
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permitting, agency coordination, and engineering ethics. Project-based course includes analysis of
alternative designs, use of engineering economics, and preparation of written engineering reports. Letter
grading.
153. Introduction to Environmental Engineering Science. (4) Lecture, four hours; outside study,
eight hours. Recommended requisite: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103. Water, air, and soil
pollution: sources, transformations, effects, and processes for removal of contaminants. Water quality,
water and wastewater treatment, waste disposal, air pollution, global environmental problems. Field trip.
Letter grading.
154. Chemical Fate and Transport in Aquatic Environments. (4) Lecture, four hours; outside
study, eight hours. Recommended requisite: course 153. Fundamental physical, chemical, and biological
principles governing movement and fate of chemicals in surface waters and groundwater. Topics include
physical transport in various aquatic environments, air-water exchange, acid-base equilibria, oxidation-
reduction chemistry, chemical sorption, biodegradation, and bioaccumulation. Practical quantitative
problems solved considering both reaction and transport of chemicals in environment. Letter grading.
155. Unit Operations and Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment. (4) Lecture, four
hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Requisite: course 153. Biological, chemical, and
physical methods used to modify water quality. Fundamentals of phenomena governing design of
engineered systems for water and wastewater treatment systems. Field trip. Letter grading.
156A. Environmental Chemistry Laboratory. (4) Lecture, four hours; laboratory, four hours;
outside study, four hours. Requisites: course 153 (may be taken concurrently), Chemistry 20A, 20B. Basic
laboratory techniques in analytical chemistry related to water and wastewater analysis. Selected
experiments include gravimetric analysis, titrimetry spectrophotometry, redox systems, pH and electrical
conductivity. Concepts to be applied to analysis of ‘real’ water samples in course 156B. Letter grading.
156B. Environmental Engineering Unit Operations and Processes Laboratory. (4)
Laboratory, six hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, four hours. Requisites: Chemistry 20A, 20B.
Characterization and analysis of typical natural waters and wastewaters for inorganic and organic
constituents. Selected experiments include analysis of solids, nitrogen species, oxygen demand, and
chlorine residual, that are used in unit operation experiments that include reactor dynamics, aeration, gas
stripping, coagulation/flocculation, and membrane separation. Letter grading.
157A. Hydrologic Modeling. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours.
Enforced requisite: course 150 or 151. Introduction to hydrologic modeling. Topics selected from areas of
(1) open-channel flow, including one-dimensional steady flow and unsteady flow, (2) pipe flow and water
distribution systems, (3) rainfall-runoff modeling, and (4) groundwater flow and contaminant transport
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modeling, with focus on use of industry and/or research standard models with locally relevant
applications. Letter grading.
157B. Design of Water Treatment Plants. (4) Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours; laboratory,
four hours; other, four hours. Requisite: course 155. Water quality standards and regulations, overview of
water treatment plants, design of unit operations, predesign of water treatment plants, hydraulics of
plants, process control, and cost estimation. Letter grading.
157C. Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants. (4) Lecture, four hours; outside study, eight hours.
Requisite: course 155. Process design of wastewater treatment plants, including primary and secondary
treatment, detailed design review of existing plants, process control, and economics. Letter grading.
157L. Hydrologic Analysis. (4) Lecture, two hours; laboratory, four hours; outside study, six hours.
Requisite: course 150. Collection, compilation, and interpretation of data for quantification of
components of hydrologic cycle, including precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, and runoff. Use of
hydrologic variables and parameters for development, construction, and application of analytical models
for selected problems in hydrology and water resources. Letter grading.
157M. Hydrology of Mountain Watersheds. (4) Fieldwork, three hours; laboratory, two hours;
outside study, one hour; one field trip. Requisite: course 150 or 157L. Advanced field-based course with
focus on study of catchment processes in snow-dominated and mountainous regions. Students measure
and quantify snowpack properties and watershed fluxes, investigate geochemical properties of surface and
groundwater systems, and classify mountain streams and flooding potential. Letter grading.
C159. Green Infrastructure (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours.
Requisites: courses 150, 153. Overview of fundamental science, engineering, and ecological principles to
designing green infrastructure for stormwater management. Students design green infrastructure based
on current practices, perform engineering calculations to calculate its performance, and develop critical
thinking skills needed to design innovative or futuristic green infrastructures that would not only mitigate
adverse impact of climate change, but also remain resilient under extreme weather conditions expected
during climate change. Concurrently scheduled with course C259. Letter grading.
163. Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution. (4) Lecture, four hours; outside
study, eight hours. Requisites: course 153, Chemistry 20A, 20B, Mathematics 31A, 31B, Physics 1A, 1B.
Description of processes affecting chemical composition of troposphere: air pollutant
concentrations/standards, urban and regional ozone, aerosol pollution, formation/deposition of acid
precipitation, fate of anthropogenic/toxic/natural organic and inorganic compounds, selected global
chemical cycle(s). Control technologies. Letter grading.
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164. Sustainable Waste Management (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study,
six hours. Requisite: course 153. Introduction to environmental engineering. Management of solid wastes,
some of which are hazardous, is integral part of infrastructure development, and it is required to achieve
environmental sustainability. Study of all aspects of hazardous and municipal solid waste management
technologies with particular emphasis on reuse of some wastes for alternative applications or energy
production. Students are expected to integrate economic, environmental, regulatory, policy, and technical
considerations into development of engineering designs of sustainable waste management. Student teams
design sustainable remediation or waste management plans. Letter grading.
M165. Environmental Nanotechnology: Implications and Applications. (4) (Same as
Engineering M103.) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Recommended
requisite: Engineering M101. Introduction to potential implications of nanotechnology to environmental
systems as well as potential application of nanotechnology to environmental protection. Technical
contents include three multidisciplinary areas: (1) physical, chemical, and biological properties of
nanomaterials, (2) transport, reactivity, and toxicity of nanoscale materials in natural environmental
systems, and (3) use of nanotechnology for energy and water production, plus environmental protection,
monitoring, and remediation. Letter grading.
M166. Environmental Microbiology. (4) (Same as Environmental Health Sciences M166.) Lecture,
four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Recommended requisite: course 153.
Microbial cell and its metabolic capabilities, microbial genetics and its potentials, growth of microbes and
kinetics of growth, microbial ecology and diversity, microbiology of wastewater treatment, probing of
microbes, public health microbiology, pathogen control. Letter grading.
Chemical Engineering
102A. Thermodynamics I. (4) (Formerly numbered M105A.) Lecture, four hours; discussion, one
hour; outside study, seven hours. Requisites: Mathematics 33A, 33B. Introduction to thermodynamics of
chemical and biological processes. Work, energy, heat, and first law of thermodynamics. Second law,
extremum principles, entropy, and free energy. Ideal and real gases, property evaluation.
Thermodynamics of flow systems. Applications of first and second laws in biological processes and living
organisms. Letter grading.
C118. Multimedia Environmental Assessment. (4) Lecture, four hours; preparation, two hours;
outside study, six hours. Recommended requisites: courses 101C, 102B. Pollutant sources, estimation of
source releases, waste minimization, transport and fate of chemical pollutants in environment, intermedia
transfers of pollutants, multimedia modeling of chemical partitioning in environment, exposure
assessment and fundamentals of risk assessment, risk reduction strategies. Concurrently scheduled with
course C218. Letter grading.
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Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
103. Elementary Fluid Mechanics. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six
hours. Requisites: Mathematics 32B, 33A, Physics 1B. Introductory course dealing with application of
principles of mechanics to flow of compressible and incompressible fluids. Letter grading.
105A. Introduction to Engineering Thermodynamics. (4) (Formerly numbered M105A.) Lecture,
four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Requisites: Chemistry 20B, Mathematics 32B.
Phenomenological thermodynamics. Concepts of equilibrium, temperature, and reversibility. First law
and concept of energy; second law and concept of entropy. Equations of state and thermodynamic
properties. Engineering applications of these principles in analysis and design of closed and open systems.
Letter grading.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Environmental Engineering
Students interested in participating in research in the area of environmental engineering are encouraged
to contact directly the faculty instructors of the environmental engineering courses to see what research
opportunities may be available.
Graduate Study in Environmental Engineering
Students wishing to enter a graduate program in environmental engineering should plan to take several
additional courses. The following are the required preparatory courses for admission to the
Environmental Engineering Masters Degree program at UCLA:
Chemistry and Biochemistry 20A, 20B, 20L; Mathematics 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; Physics 1A/4AL, 1B;
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103, 105A; Civil and Environmental Engineering 151 or 153. The
Chemistry and Biochemistry 14 A/B/BL series, and the Physics 6 A/B series are also acceptable, but the
Mathematics 3 A/B series does not lead to the differential equations course 33B, so students are advised
to take the 31 A/B series. Any course that includes thermodynamics is acceptable in place of MAE 105A.
Note that MAE 103 and 105A, and CEE 151 and 153 are all acceptable requirements for the Environmental
Engineering Minor.
Environmental Engineering Masters degree programs at universities other than UCLA should have
entrance requirements similar to those of UCLA, but students are encouraged to obtain information
specific to the schools to which they plan to apply.
Students interested in environmental engineering careers should also take the Fundamentals of
Engineering Exam (previously called the Engineer-in-Training Exam) - see http://ncees.org/exams/fe-
exam/. Students without an accredited Bachelor’s Degree can take this exam (in spite of what the website
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implies). Once the Master’s Degree is completed there is no issue about a non-engineering Bachelor’s
Degree and students can eventually proceed to obtain the Professional Engineers license.
Earth and Environmental Science Minor
About the Minor
Department of Earth Planetary and Space Sciences
In the Earth and Environmental Science minor students study the interaction of the solid Earth, oceans,
and atmosphere with human activities. The minor provides background in Earth sciences that is
especially appropriate for students intending to become K through 12 teachers in Earth, physical, or life
sciences. It may also be of interest to students who plan careers in business, dentistry, environmental
sciences, government, journalism, law, medicine, or public health.
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Staff Geologist - EGA Consultants
● Environmental Analyst - Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
● Senior Staff Scientist - Geosyntec Consultants (Engineering and Environmental Consulting)
● Account Supervisor - Havas (Analytics and Brand Marketing)
● Research and Development Laboratory Coordinator - StemGenex
Graduate Programs
● MS in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography - University of Washington
● MS in Watershed Science - Cal State Monterey Bay
Department Contact Information/To Declare
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Lauri Holbrook
Student Affairs Officer
Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences
3683 Geology Building
310–825–3917
Course Requirements
Entry Requirements
To enter the minor, students must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better. A minimum of 20
upper division units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units applied toward
major or minor requirements in another department or program. Each minor course must be taken for a
letter grade, and students must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better.
Additional preparation required: One course
● Mathematics 3C or 32A OR
● Physics 6C or5B or 1C OR
● Chemistry 14C or 30A
Minor requirements (7 courses, 28 units, two course overlap permitted)
● Earth and Space Sciences 1, one course from 5, 13, 15, or 61.
● Choose five from: Earth and Space Sciences 101, 112, C113, 139, 150, 153. Consult with the EPS Sci
Department for other applicable courses.
Course Descriptions
Earth Planetary and Space Sciences
1. Introduction to Earth Science. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours; field days. Not
open to students with credit for or currently enrolled in course 100. Elements of Earth science; study of
Earth materials; nature and interpretation of geologic evidence; study of geologic processes; historical
aspects of geology. Mandatory field trips introduce students to solving of geologic problems in field. P/NP
or letter grading.
5. Environmental Geology of Los Angeles. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours; field
trips. Geologic hazards and natural resources of greater Los Angeles region. Topics include Los Angeles
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geologic hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods; Southern California oil fields; gold and gem
mining in region; local beach processes; and Los Angeles water resource problems. Field trips to San
Andreas fault, California aqueduct, active landslides, and historic gold mines. P/NP or letter grading.
13. Natural Disasters. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; one field day. Global
urbanization together with historical demographic population shift to coastal areas, especially around
Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” are placing increasingly large parts of this planet’s human population at
risk due to earthquakes, volcanos, and tsunamis. Global climate change combines with variety of geologic
processes to create enhanced risks from catastrophic mass movements (e.g., landslides), hurricanes,
floods, and fires. Exploration of physical processes behind natural disasters and discussion of how these
natural events affect quality of human life. P/NP or letter grading.
15. Blue Planet: Introduction to Oceanography. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours.
Not open for credit to students with credit for or currently enrolled in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
25. General introduction to geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes and history of Earth’s
global ocean system. P/NP or letter grading.
61. Geologic Maps. (4) Lecture, two hours; laboratory, three hours; five field days. Enforced requisite:
course 1. Planning, creation, and interpretation of geologic maps, including both practical and
philosophical problems that arise. Topographic and geologic mapping in field. Interpretation of published
maps in laboratory. P/NP or letter grading.
101. Earth’s Energy: Diminishing Fossil Resources and Prospects for Sustainable Future.
(4) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours; two optional field trips. Preparation: one lower-division
atmospheric sciences, chemistry, Earth sciences, or physics course. Earth’s energy resources (fossil fuels
and alternatives) from Earth science and sustainability perspective. P/NP or letter grading.
112. Structural Geology. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, six hours. Requisites: courses 1, 61.
Recommended: course 51. Planar and linear structures at different scales in sedimentary, metamorphic,
and igneous rocks. Faults and folds, their description, classification, and kinematic and dynamic analysis.
Deformation, strength, fracture, and rheological properties of rocks. P/NP or letter grading.
C113. Biological and Environmental Geochemistry. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisites:
Chemistry 14A and 14B (or 20A and 20B), Mathematics 3A, 3B, and 3C (or 31A and 31B). Recommended:
at least one lower-division Earth, planetary, and space sciences course. Intended for junior/senior life and
physical sciences students. Study of chemistry of Earth’s surface environment and interplay between
biology, human activity, and geology. Introduction to origin and composition of Earth, including
atmosphere, crust, and hydrosphere. Examination of how these reservoirs are affected by biological cycles
and feedbacks to biological evolution and diversity. Local and global-scale movements of biologically
90
important elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Concurrently scheduled with course C213.
P/NP or letter grading.
139. Engineering and Environmental Geology. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Requisite: course 1 or 100. Recommended: course 111. Principles and practice of soil mechanics and
foundation engineering in light of geologic conditions, recognition, prediction, and control or abatement
of subsidence, landslides, earthquakes, and other geologic aspects of urban planning and subsurface
disposal of liquids and solid wastes. P/NP or letter grading.
150. Remote Sensing for Earth Sciences. (4) Lecture, three hours. Recommended requisites:
courses 1, 61. Designed for juniors/seniors and graduate students. Remote sensing related to development
of natural resources. Characteristics of electromagnetic spectrum and review of remote sensing devices.
Applicability to land-use classification, soil survey, urban studies, vegetation classification; emphasis on
geologic interpretation of imagery. P/NP or letter grading.
153. Oceans and Atmospheres. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites:
Mathematics 31A, 31B, 32A, Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH). Physics and chemistry of
Earth’s oceans and atmosphere; origin and evolution of planetary atmospheres; biogeochemical cycles,
atmospheric radiation and climate, energetics and dynamics of oceanic and atmospheric circulation
systems. P/NP or letter grading.
Environmental Health Concentration
About the Minor
Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health
Research in Environmental Health Sciences focus on the effects of biological, chemical and physical
hazards in the environment on human and ecosystem health, and the means of managing these hazards.
Coursework in pollutant sources, treatment, fate and management in the environment – soil, air, water,
including urban environments – and the effect these pollutants have on human health is the primary
focus of the coursework in this concentration.
SPECIAL NOTE: Unlike the other concentrations in the Environmental Science major, Environmental
Health Sciences is NOT a minor. Students completing this concentration will NOT receive a notation on
the transcript or diploma. However, students who successfully complete the concentration have been very
successful professionally and especially in turning their experience into graduate school admissions. The
EHS concentration allows only those few in the Environmental Science major to participate in courses
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that are otherwise only available to graduate students in Public Health. A high level of achievement in
these graduate level courses is impressive to graduate schools in Public Health and related fields, and
often yields strong recommendations from the faculty as well. A highly motivated undergraduate who
does well in this concentration will absolutely not be disadvantaged by the lack of a minor on his or her
record.
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this concentration are now:
Jobs
● Assistant Environmental Services Specialist - City of San Jose
● Assistant Specialist of Air Pollution Exposure and Epidemiology - UC Irvine
● Life Scientist - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
● Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Graduate Programs
● MBA, Sustainable Management - Presido Graduate School
● MS in Infectious Disease Epidemiology - Harvard
● MS in Environmental Health - Harvard
● MPH - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Contact Information/To Declare the Concentration
Students declare the concentration at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability SAO
Office.
Royce Dieckmann
Student Affairs Officer
rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu
2318 Life Science Building
310-206-9193
Make an appointment.
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Entry requirements
To enter the Environmental Health concentration, students must have earned a B or better in Chemistry
14A, 14B, 14BL, 14C (or 20A, 20B, 20L, 30A) and have an overall 3.0+ GPA in preparatory requirements
for the Environmental Science major.
Course Requirements
Additional preparation required: Choose one
● Chemistry 14C or 30A, or
● Life Science 7C & 23L (or Life Science 3 & 23L)
Concentration Requirements (6 courses, 22-24 units, one course overlap permitted)
● Environmental Health Sciences 100 and C135, or C185A and C185B
● Epidemiology 100
● At least three from: Chemistry and Biochemistry 153A; Environmental Health Sciences C125,
C140, C152D, C157, C164, M166
Course Descriptions
Chemistry & Biochemistry
153A. Biochemistry: Introduction to Structure, Enzymes, and Metabolism. (4) Lecture, four
hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 14D or 30B, with grade of C- or better. Recommended: Life
Sciences 2, 3, 23L. Structure of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids; enzyme catalysis and principles of
metabolism, including glycolysis, citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. P/NP or letter grading.
Environmental Health Sciences
100. Introduction to Environmental Health. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
Preparation: one course each in chemistry and biology. Introduction to environmental health, including
coverage of sanitary principles and chronic and acute health effects of environmental contaminants. P/NP
or letter grading.
C125. Atmospheric Transport and Transformations of Airborne Chemicals. (4) Lecture, four
hours. Preparation: one year of calculus, one course each in physics, organic chemistry, and physical
chemistry. Designed for science, engineering, and public health students. Role of regional or long-range
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transport, and atmospheric lifetimes and fates of airborne chemicals in phenomena such as
photochemical smog, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone depletion, accumulation of greenhouse gases,
and regional and global distribution of volatile toxic compounds. Concurrently scheduled with course
C225. P/NP or letter grading.
C135. Environmental Policy for Science and Engineering. (4) Lecture, four hours. Limited to
senior undergraduate and graduate students. Examination of theoretical underpinnings of several major
types of regulatory policy, as well as practical issues involved in implementing and enforcing each.
Exploration of selection and impact of regulatory forms from variety of disciplines and viewpoints. Focus
on traditional command and control regulation (including self-executing performance standards and
permitting), market-based regulation (such as emissions trading), remediation, and emerging regulatory
approaches such as management-based regulation and alternatives assessment. Issues of compliance and
enforcement. Concurrently scheduled with course C235. P/NP or letter grading.
C140. Fundamentals of Toxicology. (4) Lecture, four hours. Preparation: one course each in biology,
organic chemistry, and biochemistry. Essential aspects of toxicology, with emphasis on human species.
Absorption, distribution, excretion, biotransformation, as well as basic toxicologic processes and organ
systems. Concurrently scheduled with course C240. Letter grading.
C152D. Properties and Measurement of Airborne Particles. (4) Lecture, four hours.
Preparation: one year each of chemistry, physics, and calculus. Basic theory and application of aerosol
science to environmental health, including properties, behavior, sampling, and measurement of aerosols
and quantitative problems. Concurrently scheduled with course C252D. P/NP or letter grading.
C157. Risk Assessment and Standard Setting. (4) Seminar, four hours. Requisites: course C140,
Epidemiology 100. Designed to provide students with opportunity to review scientific basis for association
of selected occupational and environmental exposures with disease. Special emphasis on critical
evaluations of literature. Attention specifically to interface of science and regulatory standards.
Concurrently scheduled with course C257. P/NP or letter grading.
C164. Fate and Transport of Organic Chemicals in Aquatic Environment. (4) Lecture, four
hours. Recommended requisites: Chemistry 14A and 14B, or 20A and 20B. Evaluation of how and where
and in what form and concentration organic pollutants are distributed in aquatic environments. Study of
mass transport mechanisms moving organic chemicals between phases, biological degradation and
accumulation, and chemical reactions. Effect of humic substances on these processes. Concurrently
scheduled with course C264. P/NP or letter grading.
M166. Environmental Microbiology. (4) (Same as Civil Engineering M166.) Lecture, four hours;
discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Recommended requisite: Civil Engineering 153. Microbial
cell and its metabolic capabilities, microbial genetics and its potentials, growth of microbes and kinetics of
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growth, microbial ecology and diversity, microbiology of wastewater treatment, probing of microbes,
public health microbiology, pathogen control. Letter grading.
C185A. Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences. (6) Lecture, six hours. Preparation: one
year of undergraduate biology and chemistry. Introduction to field of environmental health sciences
designed for students pursuing MS degrees. Examination of series of topics relevant to science of
environmental health (e.g., population, agriculture/food, microbiology, energy, climate change, water,
waste, air) by introducing scientific basis from ecological perspective and describing how topics relate to
health on biochemical and molecular basis. Emphasis on scientific aspects of field, with focus on critique
of primary literature and quantitative approaches for examination of topics to provide skills that are
critical to perform research. Concurrently scheduled with course C200A. Letter grading.
C185B. Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences for Public Health Professionals. (6)
Lecture, six hours. Preparation: one year of undergraduate biology and chemistry. Introduction to field of
environmental health sciences designed for students pursuing M.P.H. degree in Environmental Health
Sciences. Examination of series of topics that cover scientific principles of field, as well as translation of
science to environmental health practice. Topics include physical, chemical, and biological hazards, as
well as risk assessment and communication. Acquisition of skills important for public health
professionals, such as application of scientific information to real-world problems and ability to
communicate effectively with different stakeholders. Concurrently scheduled with course C200B. Letter
grading.
Epidemiology
100. Principles of Epidemiology. (4) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours. Preparation: one
full biological sciences course. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 200A, 200B, or 200C.
Introduction to epidemiology, including factors governing health and disease in populations. Letter
grading.
Environmental Systems and Society Minor
About the Minor
Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
The Environmental Systems and Society minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major
program of study with courses addressing the relationships between environmental science and
associated social and political issues. The minor seeks to impart a deeper understanding of environmental
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systems related to air, land, water and biological resources. A main goal of the program is to provide
students with a foundation for sound decision making as a professional and a citizen. Coursework focuses
primarily in three areas: environmental policy and regulations; environmental management, particularly
in the context of economics and business management; and sustainability practices and implementation.
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Facilities Associate - Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
● Co-Founder and CEO - SEED Consulting Group
● Associate, Carbon Projects - 3Degrees Group
● Google Maps Community Manager - Google
● Social and Community Program Manager - YouTube
● Regulatory Analyst - California Public Utilities Commission
● Real Time Asset Manager - Pacific Gas and Electric
● Environmental Scientist - SWAPE (Environmental Consulting)
● Energy Engineer - ARUP (Environmental Consulting)
Graduate Programs
● MS in Global Medicine - USC
● MBA - UC Irvine
● MBA - Presidio Graduate School
● MPH - Harvard
● J.D. - NYU School of Law
Department Contact Information/To Declare
To enter the Environmental Systems and Society minor, students must be in good academic
standing (2.0 grade-point average) and file a petition at the Institute of the Environment SAO
Office, Life Science 2308. All minor courses must be taken for a letter grade, with an overall
grade-point average of 2.0 or better.
Make an appointment.
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Course Requirements
Note: The courses listed here are a subset of those officially listed for the Minor, Environmental Science
majors must follow these specific course requirements:
Additional preparation required: Choose one
● Chemistry 14C or 30 A, or
● Mathematics 3C or 32A, or
● Physics 6C or 1C, or
● Life Science 3 & 23L or Life Science 7C & 23L, or
● Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 1
Minor requirements (7 courses, 28-30 units, two course overlap permitted)
● Seven courses from Environment M111, 121, M125, M126, M131, M133, 134, 150,
M153,157, C159, 160, M161, 162, 163, M164, 166, M167
● The ESLP 185 series (185A, plus 185B or 185C taken in winter and spring) is an acceptable
substitute for one UD elective.
Course Descriptions
Environment
M111. Earth and Its Environment. (4) (Same as Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M100.) Lecture,
three hours. Overview of Earth as system of distinct, yet intimately related, physical and biological
elements. Origins and characteristics of atmosphere, oceans, and land masses. Survey of history of Earth
and of life on Earth, particularly in relation to evolution of physical world. Consideration of possibility of
technological solutions to global environmental problems using knowledge gained during course. Letter
grading.
121. Conservation of Biodiversity. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Not open for
credit to students with credit for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 116. Examination of interrelation of
natural biotic and human systems. Description of distribution of biodiversity and natural processes that
maintain it. Critical analysis of various levels of threats and multidimensional challenges required for
mitigating threats. Letter grading.
M125. Environmentalism: Past Present and Future. (4) (Formerly numbered M132.) (Same as
Geography M125 and Urban Planning M165.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exploration of
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history and origin of major environmental ideas, movements or countermovements they spawned, and
new and changing nature of modern environmentalism. Introduction to early ideas of environment, how
rise of modern sciences reshaped environmental thought, and how this was later transformed by 19th-
century ideas and rise of American conservation movements. Review of politics of American
environmental thought and contemporary environmental questions as they relate to broader set of
questions about nature of development, sustainability, and equity in environmental debate. Exploration of
issues in broad context, including global climate change, rise of pandemics, deforestation, and
environmental justice impacts of war. Letter grading.
M126. Environmental Change. (4) (Same as Geography M126.) Lecture, three hours; reading period,
one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of natural forces producing environmental changes
over past two million years. How present landscape reflects past conditions. Effects of environmental
change on people. Increasing importance of human activity in environmental modification. Focus on
impact of natural and anthropogenic changes on forests. P/NP or letter grading.
M131. Human Impact on Biophysical Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered M109.) (Same as
Geography M131.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Examination of history, mechanisms, and consequences of interactions between humans and
environment. Exploration in depth of three thematic topics (deforestation, desertification, and
greenhouse gas increase and ozone depletion) and four major subjects (soil, biodiversity, water, and
landforms). P/NP or letter grading.
M133. Environmental Sociology. (4) (Same as Society and Genetics M133 and Sociology M115.)
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Relationship between society and environment. Analysis in
detail of interrelations between social factors (such as class, race, gender, and religion) and environmental
factors (such as pollution, waste disposal, sustainability, and global warming). P/NP or letter grading.
134. Environmental Economics with Data Analysis. (4) (Formerly numbered M134.) Lecture,
three hours. Requisite: one course from Economics 41, Life Sciences 40, Political Science 6,
Statistics 10, 12, 13, or other statistical analysis course approved by instructor. Examination of
challenges of balancing environmental protection with wants and needs of people in economy.
Focus on how to design efficient public policies that meet environmental goals. How to quantify
cause-and-effect relationships, for example, between pollution and infant mortality, using non-
experimental data. P/NP or letter grading.
150. Environmental Journalism, Science Communications, and New Media. (4) Lecture,
three hours. Introduction to environmental journalism, science communications, and new media,
including weekly guest lectures by prominent successful practitioners in wide variety of media. Focus on
technologies, methods, genres, and theories of communicating environmental challenges, exploring
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solutions, and engaging public in newspapers, television, radio, movies, online, on mobile devices, and
through social media. Discussion of possibilities and limitations of different media and importance of
communications for environmental science, policy, public understanding, and individual decision making.
Production by students of environmental communications in variety of media. P/NP or letter grading.
M153. Introduction to Sustainable Architecture and Community Planning. (4) (Same as
Architecture and Urban Design CM153.) Lecture, three hours. Relationship of built environment to
natural environment through whole systems approach, with focus on sustainable design of buildings and
planning of communities. Emphasis on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and appropriate use of
resources, including materials, water, and land. Letter grading.
157. Energy, Environment, and Development. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisites: Mathematics
3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B), Physics 1A and 1B (or 6A and 6B). Introduction to basic energy concepts and
examination of role of various energy sources, energy conversion technologies, and energy policies in
modern life. Analysis of implications of current patterns of energy production and consumption for future
economic and environmental well-being. Integration of concepts and methods from physical and life
sciences, engineering, environmental science, economics, and public policy. Basic quantitative skills
provided to analyze and critique technical, economic, and policy choices to address challenge of balancing
economic growth and environmental sustainability. P/NP or letter grading.
C159. Life-Cycle Assessment. (4) (Formerly numbered 159.) Lecture, three hours. Requisites:
Life Sciences 30A and 30B, or Mathematics 3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B). Public discourse about
current patterns of production and consumption of energy, and goods and services more
broadly, suggest such patterns are environmentally and economically unsustainable.
Introduction to basic concept of life-cycle assessment (LCA), including analytical frameworks
and quantitative techniques for systematically and holistically evaluating environmental trade-
offs presented by different alternatives. Focus on methodology of LCA to compute various
material inputs and environmental releases from all activities associated with life cycle (i.e., raw
material extraction, processing, end use, and disposal) of products or services. Discussion of
strengths and limitations of LCA as tool for decision making. Students perform life-cycle
analysis of one technology, product, or service of their choice. Concurrently scheduled with
course C259. P/NP or letter grading.
160. Topics in Environmental Economics and Policy. (4) Seminar, three hours. Requisite:
Statistics 12 or 13. Examination of intersection of environmental economics and policy, with focus on
testing policy-relevant environmental hypotheses using economics research approach. Invited scholars
present research aimed at yielding policy-relevant results on various topics such as climate change,
pollution, and transportation. P/NP or letter grading.
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M161. Global Environment and World Politics. (4) (Same as Political Science M122B.) Lecture,
three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Recommended requisite: Political Science 20.
Politics and policy of major global environmental issues such as climate change, integrating law, policy,
and political science perspectives. P/NP or letter grading.
162. Entrepreneurship and Finance for Environmental Scientists. (4) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Focus on key entrepreneurial and financial concepts, with emphasis on applications
that are vital for implementing environmental solutions in private, public, and nonprofit settings. Topics
include basic elements of finance, project evaluation, financial planning, and marketing. Development of
entrepreneurial skills to recognize opportunity and transfer ideas into viable projects that are better for
environment and that benefit people and communities. Case studies used to equip students with tools
necessary to successfully execute environmental goals and objectives. P/NP or letter grading.
163. Business and Natural Environment. (4) Lecture, three hours. Examination of role of business
in mitigating environmental degradation and incentives to be more environmentally responsive.
Emphasis on corporate strategies that deliver value to shareholders while responding to environmental
concerns. P/NP or letter grading.
M164. Environmental Politics and Governance. (4) (Same as Urban Planning M160.) Lecture,
three hours. Environmental planning is more than simply finding problems and fixing them. Each policy
must be negotiated and implemented within multiple, complex systems of governance. Institutions and
politics matter deeply. Overview of how environmental governance works in practice and how it might be
improved. Letter grading.
166. Leadership in Water Management. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Limited to
juniors/seniors. Examination of water quality and water supply issues, including interactions between
scientific, technological, management, and policy issues. Invited experts, scholars, and practitioners
discuss relevant issues such as pollution, climate change, and water infrastructure. Emphasis on solutions
involving integrated water supply and wastewater systems. Leadership development through writing
instruction and negotiations and media training. P/NP or letter grading.
M167. Environmental Justice through Multiple Lenses. (4) (Same as Urban Planning M167.)
Lecture, three hours. Examination of intersection between race, economic class, and environment in U.S.,
with focus on issues related to social justice. Because environmental inequality is highly complex
phenomenon, multidisciplinary and multipopulation approach taken, using alternative ways of
understanding, interpreting, and taking action. P/NP or letter grading.
185B. Sustainability Action Research. (2) Lecture, two hours; fieldwork, four hours. Investigation
of issues of campus sustainability, including energy efficiency, transportation, waste stream management,
sustainable food practices, and more by student research to generate coalition of student researchers that,
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together with faculty members and UCLA staff, strive to make UCLA more sustainable community. May
be repeated for credit. Letter grading.
185C. Sustainability Action Leaders. (3) Seminar, two hours; fieldwork, six hours. Students lead
research teams to investigate issues of campus sustainability, including energy efficiency, transportation,
waste stream management, sustainable food practices, and more to generate coalition of student
researchers that, together with faculty members and UCLA staff, strive to make UCLA more sustainable
community. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading.
Geography/Environmental Studies Minor
About the Minor
Department of Geography
The Geography/Environmental Studies minor is intended for students interested in environmental issues
and emphasizes a systems approach to gaining a causal understanding of major environmental problems
facing our society and the world at large. The uniqueness of the minor lies in its geographical perspective
on the impact, at various geographical scales, of human activity on natural systems and on the
implications of global environmental change on local, regional, and global human systems.
Where are they now?
Environmental science majors who graduated with this minor are now:
Jobs
● Associate - Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology LLC
● Associate - Environmental Science Associates (Environmental Consulting)
● Researcher - University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences
● Experiential Education Instructor - Oakley School
● Utility Specialist, Origination and Power Supply - San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
● Environmental Scientist/Sustainability Consultant - U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce
● Americorps Watershed Stewards Project Member - CA Department of Fish and Game
● Environmental Planner/Deputy Project Manager - AECOM (Environmental Consulting)
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Graduate Programs
● Law School - UC Hastings College of Law
● MS in Sustainability Management - Columbia University
● MESM - Bren School of Environmental Management
Department Contact Information/To Declare
Upon completion (with a grade of C or higher) of any one Geography course applicable to the minor,
students can declare the minor in person at the Geography Department Advising Office, 1255 Bunche Hall
with the Geography Department SAO.
Jenee Misraje
Student Affairs Officer
Department of Geography
1255 Bunche Hall
310–825–1166
Course Requirements
Entry Requirements
To enter the Geography/Environmental Studies minor, students must have an overall grade-point average
of 2.0 or better and file a petition in the Geography Department Advising Office, 1255 Bunche Hall.
Courses should be selected in consultation with the departmental adviser. At least three of the five upper
division courses must be taken in residence at UCLA. All minor courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Additional preparation required: One course chosen from
● Chemistry 14C or 30 A
● Mathematics 3C or 32A
● Physics 5B or 1C or 6C
● Life Science 7C & 23L or LS 3 & 23L (must take both the primary course & the lab LS23L)
● Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 1
Minor requirements (7 courses, 30 units, two-course overlap possible)
● Geography 5 AND
● Choose one from: Geography 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 AND
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● Choose three from: Geography 101, M102, M103, 106, 107, 108, 109, M110, 116, 117,
M118, 120, M125, M126, M127, 130, M131, 133, 135, 136, 138, 139B, 139C AND
● Two additional upper division Geography courses, excluding those from the preceding list and
courses 190–199. GEOG 191 (Variable Topics) may count towards the minor. For which category,
contact the Academic Counselor. One Independent Research class (Geog 199) may apply towards
the Minor (must be taken as a 4 unit, letter graded course).
Course Descriptions
Geography
1. Earth’s Physical Environment. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Study of Earth’s
physical environment, with particular reference to nature and distribution of landforms and climate and
their significance to people. P/NP or letter grading.
2. Biodiversity in Changing World. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Biogeographic
exploration of plant and animal diversity and conservation issues on continents and islands around world.
Study of physical, biotic, and human factors responsible for evolution, persistence, and extinction of
species and ecological communities. Analysis of effects of human activity. P/NP or letter grading.
3. Cultural Geography. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Introduction to cultural
geography of modern world, with examination of key concepts of space, place, and landscape as these
have shaped and been shaped by connections between societies and their natural environments.
Examples from variety of landscapes and places since 1800 and especially from Los Angeles region. P/NP
or letter grading.
4. Globalization: Regional Development and World Economy. (5) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Economic geography explores spatial distribution of all forms of human productive
activity at number of geographical scales—local, regional, national, and global. Key theme is impact of
increasingly powerful global economic forces on organization of production. P/NP or letter grading.
5. People and Earth’s Ecosystems. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Exploration of
ways in which human activity impacts natural environment and how modification of environment can
eventually have significant consequences for human activity. Examination, using case studies, of real
environmental problems that confront us today. P/NP or letter grading.
6. World Regions: Concepts and Contemporary Issues. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, two
hours. Interdisciplinary and historical approach to modern peoples, their differences in wealth or poverty,
and their local origins of food production. Brief introduction to physical geography and biogeography of
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each region. Discussion of each region’s peoples, languages, foods, prehistories, and histories. Letter
grading.
Upper Division “Environmental Core” courses
101. Principles of Geomorphology. (4) (Formerly numbered 100.) Lecture, three hours; reading
period, one hour. Requisite: course 1. Recommended: course 100A. Study of processes that shape world’s
landforms, with emphasis on weathering, mass movement and fluvial erosion, transport, deposition;
energy and material transfers; space and time considerations. P/NP or letter grading.
M102. Soils and Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered M127.) (Same as Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology M127 and Environment M102.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; field trips. General
treatment of soils and environmental implications: soil development, morphology, and worldwide
distribution of soil orders; physical, chemical, hydrologic, and biological properties; water use, erosion,
and pollution; management of soils as related to plant growth and distribution. P/NP or letter grading.
M103. Soil and Water Conservation. (4) (Formerly numbered M107.) (Same as Environment
M103.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: one course from course 1, 2,
Environment 10, Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Systematic study of processes of and
hazards posed by erosion, sedimentation, development, and pollution and techniques needed to conserve
soil and maintain environmental quality. Scope includes agriculture, forestry, mining, and other rural
uses of land. P/NP or letter grading.
106. World Vegetation. (4) (Formerly numbered 108.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour.
Limited to juniors/seniors. Characteristics, distribution, environmental and cultural relationships of
world's principal vegetation patterns. P/NP or letter grading.
107. Forest Ecosystems. (4) (Formerly numbered 111.) Lecture, three hours; field trips. Requisite:
course 2 or Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Evaluation of ecological principles as they
apply to forests. Emphasis on constraints of physical environment, biotic interactions, succession,
disturbances, and long-term environmental change. P/NP or letter grading.
108. Analytical and Animal Geography. (4) (Formerly numbered 112.) Lecture, three hours.
Requisites: courses 1, 2 or Life Sciences 7B, Statistics 12. Designed for juniors/seniors. Analysis of
processes of expanding and contracting distribution areas. Focus on island biogeography and its
implications for biodiversity trends in natural and anthropogenic environments. P/NP or letter grading.
109. Biogeography of Plant and Animal Invasions. (4) (Formerly numbered 116.) Lecture, three
hours; reading period, one hour. Requisite: course 1 or 2 or 5. Examination of theories and examples of
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invasion of new environments by plants and animals introduced through natural processes or by human
activity. P/NP or letter grading.
M110. Ecosystem Ecology. (4) (Formerly numbered M117.) (Same as Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology M131.) Lecture, three hours; field trips. Requisite: course 1 or Life Sciences 7B. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Development of principles of ecosystem ecology, with focus on understanding links
between ecosystem structure and function. Emphasis on energy and water balances, nutrient cycling,
plant-soil-microbe interactions, landscape heterogeneity, and human disturbance to ecosystems. P/NP or
letter grading.
116. Climatology. (4) (Formerly numbered 104.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour.
Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of many relations between climate and world of man.
Application of basic energy budget concepts to microclimates of relevance to ecosystems of agriculture,
animals, man, and urban places. P/NP or letter grading.
117. Tropical Climatology. (4) (Formerly numbered 102) Lecture, three hours. In-depth exploration
of development of tropical climate, with special reference to hurricanes, ENSO, and monsoons.
Examination of human interaction with tropical climate processes and human-induced climate change in
tropics. Use of climatological information to foster sound environmental management of climate-related
resources in tropics. P/NP or letter grading.
M118. Applied Climatology: Principles of Climate Impact on Natural Environment. (4)
(Formerly numbered M106; same as Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M106.) Lecture, three hours;
discussion, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Exploration of knowledge and tools to solve complex
problems in contemporary applied climatology, including current practices, influence of climate on
environment, and human influence on changing climates. P/NP or letter grading.
120. Hydrology. (4) (Formerly numbered 105) Lecture, three hours. Requisites: course 104, Statistics
12. Role of water in geographic systems: hydrologic phenomena in relation to climate, landforms, soils,
vegetation, and cultural processes and impacts on landscape. Field projects required. P/NP or letter
grading.
M125. Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future. (4) (Formerly numbered M115; same as
Environment M125 and Urban Planning M165.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exploration of
history and origin of major environmental ideas, movements or countermovements they spawned, and
new and changing nature of modern environmentalism. Introduction to early ideas of environment, how
rise of modern sciences reshaped environmental thought, and how this was later transformed by 19th-
century ideas and rise of American conservation movements. Review of politics of American
environmental thought and contemporary environmental questions as they relate to broader set of
questions about nature of development, sustainability, and equity in environmental debate. Exploration of
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issues in broad context, including global climate change, rise of pandemics, deforestation, and
environmental justice impacts of war. Letter grading.
M126. Environmental Change. (4) (Formerly numbered M131; Same as Environment M126.)
Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of natural
forces producing environmental changes over past two million years. How present landscape reflects past
conditions. Effects of environmental change on people. Increasing importance of human activity in
environmental modification. Focus on impact of natural and anthropogenic changes on forests. P/NP or
letter grading.
M127. Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues. (4) (Formerly numbered
M128.) (Same as Urban Planning CM166.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Questions of population, resource use, Third World poverty, and environment. Analysis
of global economic restructuring and its connections to changing organization of production and resulting
environmental impacts. Case studies from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and U.S. P/NP or letter grading.
130. Food and Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered 132.) Lecture, three hours. Designed for
juniors/seniors. Thematic orientation to food systems and their role in environmental and cultural
transformations. P/NP or letter grading.
M131. Human Impact on Biophysical Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered M109.) (Same as
Environment M131.) Lecture, three hours; reading period, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors.
Examination of history, mechanisms, and consequences of interactions between humans and
environment. Exploration in depth of three thematic topics (deforestation, desertification, and
greenhouse gas increase and ozone depletion) and four major subjects (soil, biodiversity, water, and
landforms). P/NP or letter grading.
133. Humid Tropics. (4) (Formerly numbered 113.) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 2 or 5 or
Life Sciences 7B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of humid tropics, with emphasis on
rainforests, their ecological principles, and forms of land use. Letter grading.
135. Africa and African Diaspora in Americas. (4) (Formerly numbered 114.) Lecture, three hours.
Designed for juniors/seniors. Historical-geographical examination of Africa's role in Americas, with
emphasis on environment, agriculture, food systems, and medicinal crops. P/NP or letter grading.
136. Health and Global Environment. (4) (Formerly numbered 125.) Lecture, three hours; reading
period, one hour. Impact of environment and lifestyle on individual health examined from geographical
perspective, with examples from both developed and developing countries. P/NP or letter grading.
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139B. Problems in Geography: Biogeography. (Formerly numbered 159E.) Seminar,
three hours; reading period, one hour. Preparation: completion of three courses in one
concentration. Limited to seniors. Seminar course in which students carry out intensive research
projects developed from courses within one concentration. P/NP or letter grading.
139C. Problems in Geography: Culture and Environment in Modern World.
(Formerly numbered 159C.) Seminar, three hours; reading period, one hour. Preparation:
completion of three courses in one concentration. Limited to seniors. Seminar course in which
students carry out intensive research projects developed from courses within one concentration.
P/NP or letter grading.
For all other Geography Electives, please see the General Catalog or Registrar’s list of
Geography courses here.
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SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DOUBLE MAJORS/MINORS
Special Opportunities
Summer Session
Summer session is a great way to get ahead, catch up, or help manage your schedule by taking courses at
UCLA or elsewhere.
Summer at UCLA
UCLA offers two sessions each summer, A and C session, which run from mid-June through July, and
August through mid-September, respectively. Each 6-week session offers a variety of courses, including
some that are tough to enroll in during the academic year but are easier to get into in the summer. All
units, grades, and course credit automatically apply to your program, so there’s no hassle with sending
transcripts or finding compatible equivalent courses, and you can be assured you’ll get the quality
instruction you’ve come to expect at UCLA.
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The official UCLA Summer Sessions schedule is on-line in January and registration for UCLA students
begins in February. Two courses in a session is considered a full-time load due to the condensed nature of
Summer Sessions.
UCLA summer session fees are charged on a per-unit fee basis. The unit maximum for summer is 18 units
total, whether taken in a single session or multiple, although this can be increased with a petition to the
College of L&S at A316 Murphy Hall.
Financial aid is also available in summer; there is a unit minimum (6) and applications start in February,
so don’t wait to apply for aid.
● https://www.summer.ucla.edu/
Summer at a Community College
Taking summer courses at a Community College can be a low-cost and possibly local alternative for
those who will be away from Los Angeles in the summer. Each community college releases its schedule for
summer on different dates and enrollment is specific to the school. Community colleges only offer lower-
division courses, so they can be a great way to complete GE requirements, language, or some lower-div
prep courses, but in all cases you must consult with either the College (for GE/language) or the
department to determine which courses will transfer to fulfill requirements.
Grades do not transfer from community colleges, although you must earn at least a C to get credit. Units
will transfer until you reach 105 total units, after which time you can no longer accrue units from
community college courses. This can be a good thing, as it can help keep your unit count below the
maximum if you intend to take on an ambitious program or have taken many courses already. Course
credit can apply but again, you must consult with the proper office to ensure that the correct course for
the requirement you wish to fulfill is being taken.
Summer at another University
Summer courses can also be taken at another 4-year university. There are thousands of public and
private universities in the United States that offer summer session. All courses taken at any other
university must be approved in advance by petition to the department (for major or minor courses) or the
College (for GE/College requirements).
If taken at any other University of California campus, in addition to course credit, the units and grades
will transfer and affect your UC GPA. If taken at any other university, units and course credit can transfer
but the grades will not affect your UC GPA (although at least a “C” grade is required to earn credit). As
with Community Colleges, a transcript must be sent to UCLA following completion of the courses.
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Study Abroad
The IoES encourages students to explore the many opportunities for study abroad available through
UCLA and other campuses and organizations.
UC Education Abroad Program
UC EAP is a UC-systemwide Education Abroad Program that specializes in semester or year-long study
abroad at foreign universities. You can choose from hundreds of universities located in dozens of
countries across the globe.
When choosing where to go, consider what is unique, special, and intriguing to you about the places you
are considering and think about what sort of experience you want to have. Once you’ve figured that out,
we here at the IoES can work with you and the EAP counselors to find the best fit for you. We can help
figure out courses for you to take, so don’t become preoccupied with that.
For semester-length UC EAP programs, you will go, usually alone, to the foreign university and take the
same courses with the resident population of students. It is an immersive experience in the culture,
climate, and people of the location you choose. This type of cultural immersion is exciting and often a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it also requires maturity on the part of the participant as you will be
away from nearly everything familiar to you for many months.
Because the Practicum occurs throughout senior year, we recommend that students plan for semester
abroad programs like EAP to take place either during the Junior year, or in fall of a 5th year (13th
semester) if that is viable for you. Fall is often favorable because you trade a fall quarter for a fall
semester; spring semesters straddle the UCLA winter and spring quarter. However, this should be only
one factor in your decision, which should also include the climate/season, finances, and other
considerations.
● https://ieo.ucla.edu/uceap
● http://uc.eap.ucop.edu/
Travel Study
Travel Study, like EAP, offers students a unique experience, but usually these programs are shorter, focus
on a specific site or topic of study in a region, and the majority of students and instructors will be from
U.S. universities. Programs as short as one week or as long as a semester are available through travel
study programs.
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UCLA offers some in the summer, although at the moment we do not have any environment-specific
travel study options. UC Davis, on the other hand, has many terrific summer programs that go to a variety
of locales. In addition, other universities offer travel study programs that are open to any students in the
USA and there are also privately run organizations that offer travel study.
Students should check with counselors both in the department appropriate to the field of study and in UC
EAP to help determine transferability of any non-UC program.
● https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy
Field studies in a foreign place
● https://studyabroad.ucdavis.edu/programs/summerabroad/index.html
● http://www.wildlandsstudies.com/
● http://www.fieldstudies.org/
UC Natural Reserve System: California Ecology and Conservation Field
Course
The UC Natural Reserve System is a network of protected natural areas throughout California. Its 39 sites
include more than 756,000 acres, making it the largest university-administered reserve system in the
world. Most major state ecosystems are represented, from coastal tidepools to inland deserts, and lush
wetlands to redwood forests. The reserves also serve as a gateway to more than a million acres of public
lands. Founded in 1965 to provide undisturbed environments for research, education, and public service,
the Natural Reserve System contributes to the understanding and wise stewardship of the earth.
The California Ecology and Conservation course brings together 27 students from across the UC system
for seven weeks of intensive learning at NRS reserves. Guided by experienced field instructors,
undergraduates transform into scientists by conducting independent research studies. Students learn to
notice natural patterns, frame questions into feasible research projects, and practice standard techniques
such as surveys of animal and plant populations. At the conclusion of each project, students analyze their
data and present their findings to the class in oral presentations, posters, and reports. Students hone their
research, public speaking, and scientific writing skills with constant practice and feedback. All the while,
students gain a working familiarity with California’s diverse ecosystems while immersed in the NRS’s
classrooms without walls.
California Ecology and Conservation is open to all University of California undergraduates in good
standing with their home campus who have at least a 2.5 GPA and have passed an introductory ecology or
biology course prior to applying for the program. Students receive 19 units of credit for the term; consult
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with your major and/or minor department for applicability of credit for your program. The program is
offered in spring, summer, and fall.
● http://www.ucnrs.org/teaching/cec.html
Double Majors
Students wishing to double major are best served by identifying the two majors as early as possible in
one’s academic career. The key to successfully double-majoring is planning in order to make sure the
course load is manageable and to ensure completion within a reasonable time-to-degree, since nearly all
double majors will exceed the unit maximum.
Double majors with BS in environmental science are always subject to approval by the College of L&S
(and if in another school at UCLA, such as HSSEAS or AA, approval by that school as well).
There is a process to declaring a double major. The first step is to devise a plan that accommodates all the
courses necessary to complete both majors as well as the other requirements of the school to which you
belong. This plan should be vetted by the SAOs from each department in which you will major.
To officially declare a double major, you must complete all preparatory courses for both majors, and at
least two unique upper-division courses for each, prior to declaring. At that point you will have both
departments review and sign-off on your course plan and then submit that to the College (and if
applicable to the school to which you belong) for approval.
Up to 5 upper-division courses may overlap between the requirements for the majors involved. There is
no limit on lower-division course overlap. The rules for minors still apply: 20 total units must be unique
to any minor.
https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Majors/lsmajor.htm
Other Minors
In addition to the minor required of all environmental science majors, students are welcome to pursue
any other minor offered at UCLA. The procedure for declaring a minor varies by department, so always
check with relevant SAO. One requirement is universal to all minors: 20 units must be unique to the
minor (not overlapping with one’s major or another minor).
http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/majors/lsminor.htm
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RESEARCH, GRANTS, AND OTHER RESOURCES
Research Opportunities
Beyond the Practicum
All environmental science students participate in the Senior Practicum, the year-long capstone program
that pairs teams of seniors with real-world clients to deliver science-based solutions for pressing
environmental issues (see, Practicum). As exceptional as that experience is, some students choose to go
beyond the Practicum by getting directly involved in research being conducted by UCLA’s world-class
faculty. We encourage you to explore different possibilities available on campus.
A multitude of research possibilities are open to you as undergraduates, but to get involved takes some
initiative and legwork. Often, professors and researchers doing work that would be of interest to you have
smaller labs than those in more traditional disciplines like biology, psychology, or medical fields. The PIs
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(Primary Investigators, or lead faculty members) are interested in mentoring students who have some
background in the field already, and this generally means students who have taken their course(s). First
and second year students should not despair, however! There are programs at UCLA that are tailored to
getting you involved in research.
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Undergraduate Research Centers
There are two Undergraduate Research Centers, one for the Sciences and one for Humanities/Social
Sciences:
http://www.ugresearchsci.ucla.edu
http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/urhass/default.htm
Both of these centers post open research opportunities. While these opportunities may not directly relate
to environmental science, they can be invaluable experiences that introduce you to lab procedures and
safety, collaborative work, specific research skills, and exposure to the professional research environment
that can serve you well when looking for opportunities later. Researchers prefer to take on students with
experience in these areas, so even if you start off doing something unrelated to your professional or
academic goals, the experience you gain in these labs can make a huge difference.
Sustainable LA Grand Challenges Research Program
There is also a unique opportunity to get involved in faculty-driven sustainability research, through the
Sustainable LA Grand Challenges Research Program. Designed to get students in the early stages of their
education, particularly 2nd & 3rd years, involved in faculty research, this program pairs students with
faculty researchers working on projects to develop the technologies, policies, and strategies to make LA
County sustainable by 2050. You must apply to the program in the spring; the program begins in fall and
is an annual commitment. If accepted, you will be assisted in finding a PI/mentor and you will also attend
a course each quarter that will provide additional instruction and mentoring.
https://grandchallenges.ucla.edu/sustainable-la/
Apply here: https://www3.research.ucla.edu/GC/student-immersion
IoES Faculty Research
If you are more certain of your academic goals, we encourage you to directly approach faculty with whom
you are interested in pursuing research. Many faculty are willing to take on undergraduate research
assistants and/or place you with a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher working in their lab who
needs assistance.
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The best way to get to know faculty is to take a class, if possible, and be an active participant. Ask relevant
questions in class, go to office hours to discuss your interest in the material, and of course, do well in the
class. Most faculty find their undergraduate research assistants from the students they know. If it’s not
possible to take a class with a faculty member, do your research on their research. You can look up a lot
of information online. IoES has an extensive “People” section with useful biographies, descriptions of
research interests, and links to faculty CVs and publications.
Above all, if you are seeking a research position, don’t be too shy to ask! Don’t worryfaculty expect to be
approached about their research and opportunities they might have for students. Be prepared when you
do approach them - do not go in and ask “what research do you do?”, read their website and papers for
yourself and go in with enthusiasm for what they do. Ask them at least one really good question about
their work, or even better, pitch a new idea. Yes, you will have ideas they have not thought of! And even if
they have thought of it, they will be impressed.
Not sure where to start? Take a look at the IoES research centers or extensive network of other
sustainability-related UCLA research centers to find faculty working in an area of your greatest interest.
Sustainability Action Research
For a more student-centered research opportunity, the Sustainability Action Research (SAR) program
might be a great fit. SAR is a student-initiated, student-designed, and student-facilitated research
program offered through IoES. In the winter and spring quarters of each academic year, students on SAR
teams are partnered with a campus stakeholder to research, rethink, investigate, and tackle UCLA’s
greatest sustainability issues. Applications are due in the fall.
https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/sar
99/199 Research Units
Students pursuing lower-division research opportunities typically do so through the Undergraduate
Research Centers and enroll in Student Research Program (SRP) 99 units with the assistance of the
Undergraduate Research Center (URC).
Students pursuing research in their field of study, such as with an IoES faculty researcher, can do so either
on a volunteer basis or it may be useful to you as a student to pursue an independent study course,
particularly if you are pursuing your own original research under the guidance of a faculty member or
have a significant role in the research being undertaken by the faculty member. In these cases, you can
enroll in Environment 199 - Independent Study as a contract course. In consultation with the faculty
advisor and the department SAO, you will design the course of study and create a unique contract course
through the Contract Course function on MyUCLA. This contract is then signed by the faculty member
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and then brought to the SAO Royce Dieckmann to approve the contract and enroll you in the course. This
should be done no later than the end of the 2nd week of the quarter in which the contract course will be
taken.
Honors in Environmental Science
The Honors Program in environmental science is intended to provide exceptional students the
opportunity for advanced research and study, under the guidance of a faculty member, leading to the
completion of an honors thesis. To qualify for graduation with honors, students must complete all
requirements for the major, have a cumulative grade‐point average of 3.5 or better in upper division
course work in the major, have an overall grade‐point average of 3.0 or better, complete at least eight
units of Environment 198 taken over at least two quarters, and produce a completed, satisfactory honors
thesis paper. The honors thesis requirements are in addition to the requirement of a completed Practicum
in Environmental Science project.
See the complete Guidelines for Departmental Honors in Environmental Science in the Appendix.
Glickfeld Excellence in Environmental Research Grant
Annual grants exclusively awarded to Environmental Science students each year.
The funds will be used to pay the salary of a student working as a research assistant under supervision of a
faculty member at UCLA.
With gratitude to Madelyn and Bruce Glickfeld, the IoES is pleased to offer the undergraduate Glickfeld
Excellence in Environmental Research Grant.
The $4000 annual grant will be given to one Environmental Science student per year. The funds will be
used to pay the salary for a student to work as a research assistant under supervision of a faculty member
at UCLA. The benefits of the research grant are many:
The student will gain valuable training and experience, whether in a laboratory or other research setting.
This experience will translate into job skills and impressive resume/cv items, and make the student more
competitive for graduate programs or future job opportunities.
The award will cover up to three quarters of research work, assuming $15/hour and 7–8 hours of research
per week. However, it will be up to the student and faculty advisor to determine hours and length of study.
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Faculty will be more willing to take the supported student on as a research assistant. The award will
assure the student’s commitment and reliability to faculty and will make the student a desirable hire. We
will assist students in finding a faculty member whose research is of interest and value to the student.
Junior or sophomore awardees may have the opportunity to continue with their project which could result
in an Honor’s Thesis and/or publication.
Qualifications:
● Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
● Students in all years of the program are eligible to apply but ideally should have three terms (can
include summer) remaining prior to graduation.
Who Should Apply?
Environmental Science B.S. Majors…
● who are currently doing research and would like to continue for the next year.
● who want to do research and know what they want to do and with which faculty member they
want to work.
● who want to do research but need some guidance about where to go and who to ask.
● who want to do research and have an idea about what they want to do, but need guidance on how
to get started.
In short, ANY ES Major who has a desire to get involved in research can apply! Don’t be shy – your goals
and desire to participate in research will be major factors in our decision!
Application period is in spring to begin research in either summer or fall the following academic year.
To Apply:
Send an email to rdiec[email protected] with the following information in an attached document
(word or pdf preferred):
1. Your name
2. Your UID #
3. Faculty advisor name and contact information (if known)If you are currently doing or have done
research, supply your faculty advisor’s name and contact information, and your direct supervisor
if other than the faculty member (such as a postdoc or graduate student with whom you work
closely).If you have never done research before or want to try something new, please list faculty
members with whom you would like to work.
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4. Tell us about your specific research question and goals. Please include your reasons for wanting to
pursue a research position. (600 words max.)
Application deadline: TBD. Check website for updates: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/envisci/scholarships/
Questions? Email Royce Dieckmann, IoES SAO: rd[email protected]a.edu
Getting Involved
When school is in session, UCLA effectively becomes a city of 80,000 people. With its commitment to
health and sustainability, the campus has become a living laboratory, taking on issues from renewable
energy to water reuse to food sourcing to biodiversity to creating a healthy workforce and more.
The diverse population of greater L.A. is at 18.68 million and growing, yet there is a wealth of nature all
around. From the Santa Monica Mountains to the tide pools of Palos Verdes, Los Angeles represents the
frontier of urban humanity’s interaction with nature. Water, food supply, energy, pollution and
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environmental justice are all part of the equation. Many UCLA students engage off campus by
volunteering with community groups, teaching LA’s youth about sustainability and the environment, or
simply getting out in nature. There are many ways to get involved. Sign up, try it out, make friends, find
your passion!
On Campus
Environmental Student Network
The Environmental Student Network (ESN) is a UCLA campus student organization dedicated to
providing networking opportunities for Environmental Science majors and anyone who wants to be
involved in the environmental field in general. ESN additionally provides a setting for environmentally
conscious students to come together; ESN holds volunteer events, socials, and hikes throughout the year
in an effort to provide students opportunities to become further involved. All majors are welcome—all
that’s necessary to participate is a passion for the environment and a desire to help!
2019-20 C0-Presidents: Morgan Barnes & Jacqueline Zhang
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uclaESN/
Website: https://uclaesn.wixsite.com/uclaesn
Contact ESN: uc[email protected]
Sustainability Talks
Sustainability Talks is a student-led speaker series offered each Fall quarter as Environment 185A, a 1-
unit, pass/no pass course. Student Co-Directors line-up professionals, academics, and activists in
sustainable fields such as energy, climate change, air quality, environmental justice, food, transportation,
fashion, entertainment, public health technology, film and more. This course is a great way to meet other
students, hear from people at the cutting edge of sustainability, and to get ideas for volunteer and
internship opportunities.
2019 Co-Directors: David Scolari & Mingyi Chen
This course is required for the Sustainability Talks and may be applied toward the Colloquium
requirement for students on the pre-2018 program. Together with Sustainability Action Research (below)
the courses (Environment 185 A/B/C) may be applied toward the Environmental Systems and Society
minor.
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Sustainability Action Research Program
Sustainability Action Research (SAR) is a student-initiated, student-designed, and student-facilitated
research program offered through the IoES. In a two-quarter sequence of classes in winter and spring
(Environment 185 B/C), students on SAR teams are partnered with a campus stakeholder to research,
rethink, investigate, and tackle UCLA’s greatest sustainability issues. This program is a great way to get
involved in real-world research and is kind of like the Practicum, but with UCLA as the client. The
program is open to anyone and you enroll by applying to be a team member (185B) or a team leader
(185C). Each year there are 7–8 teams of 5–7 students working with Facilities, Housing, Health System,
Transportation, Dining, and others. Enrollment may be competitive depending on demand.
https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/sar
2020 Leadership: Lea Le Rouzo, [email protected]m & Brooke Shimasaki,
shimasaki.brooke@gmail.com
Together with Sustainability Talks, the courses (Environment 185 A/B/C) may be applied toward the
Environmental Systems and Society minor.
Center for Diverse Leadership in Science
Climate disruption, water scarcity, and loss of nature take something away from every human on
the planet. Inclusive science helps solve these problems.
We grow and nurture diverse leaders who solve environmental problems and create pathways to
sustainability.
“We create opportunities for underrepresented people to gain education and experience that
empower them to become the leaders we need now and in the future, and to address problems in
their communities.”
Are you a student, researcher, faculty member, or community member interested
in working with us? Please contact Aradhna Tripati, Director of the Center for Diverse
Leadership in Science: [email protected]cla.edu.
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UCLA Sustainability Office Internships
The UCLA Sustainability Office has an ongoing, open call for student volunteers wanting to get involved in
campus projects. Opportunities range from one-time activities to short term or term projects. You may be
able to work directly with Nurit Katz, UCLA Chief Sustainability Officer, or Bonny Bentzin, Deputy Chief
Sustainability Officer. Both are wonderful women and are great resources, especially if you are thinking of
a career in sustainability.
https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/get-involved/volunteer
The Green Initiative Fund
Have your own ideas about improving sustainability on campus? You can apply for funding to make them
happen through The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), a grant-making fund for sustainability projects on
UCLA’s campus. Roughly, $200,000 per year is available for student-initiated sustainability projects on
campus. Projects are selected by a committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff in which students
have the majority vote. TGIF is funded by a $4 per quarter student fee.
The goal of TGIF is to enable and empower students to take an active role in making UCLA a leader in
sustainability. TGIF provides much needed funding for projects that reduce UCLA’s negative impact on
the environment. Past projects have varied from solar panels on Ackerman to hydration stations, student
events, and more.
http://tgif.ucla.edu
Student Organizations
Among the hundreds of UCLA student groups, there are over 25 dedicated to environmental issues. Some
are listed here on the UCLA Sustainability website: https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/our-initiatives/student-
organizations For a full list, check out the “Environmental“ category on the USAC page:
https://sa.ucla.edu/RCO/public/search.
Whether you want to garden, visit high school classrooms, run the UCLA Farmer’s Market, advocate for
fossil-Free UCLA or fair-trade products, run for USAC officer positions, or just about anything else you
can imagine - there is a student group oust there for you. And if there isn’t one? Start one! Student groups
are a great way to meet people and to get involved in activities on and off campus.
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USAC and ASUCLA
Both the Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC) and the Associated Students of UCLA
(ASUCLA) have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability. USAC made sustainability a key area of
concentration and has begun to promote sustainability efforts in the residence halls, as well as throughout
the undergraduate student government offices. ASUCLA, the largest student-run student union in the
country, agreed to develop a policy on sustainability as well as sustainability plan, all because of student
efforts. To learn more about ASUCLA’s sustainability efforts visit http://asucla.ucla.edu/about-
asucla/target-zero-waste
Off Campus
The City of Los Angeles is home to an almost dizzying array of environmental organizations and agencies–
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Heal the Bay, the Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC), Center for Biological Diversity; local, state, and Federal agencies including the City of Los
Angeles and City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality
Control Board, and National Park Service; as well as initiatives like the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
(LACI) and private companies and consulting firms that all employ scientists, sustainability experts, and
policy researchers. Below are some possible paths for getting involved with organizations beyond UCLA.
Volunteer
One of the best ways to gain invaluable experience while at the same time exploring areas of research or
possible career paths that might interest you is through volunteering. A number of environmental non-
profit organizations and government agencies, at the local, state, and federal level, provide opportunities
for students to join in part-time roles to carry out work ranging from substantive research, to
environmental restoration efforts, to assistance with educational and outreach initiatives. For more
information on possible volunteer opportunities, or to connect with students and alumni that may have
volunteered for organizations that interest you, please contact Noah Garrison ([email protected].edu)
or Royce Dieckmann (rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu).
Internships
Similar to volunteer opportunities, internships are valuable for students seeking experience in a specific
field or type of organization, and can certainly be useful for networking purposes when seeking
employment upon graduation. The goal of any internship is that the student be provided with a learning
opportunity about the type of work the organization does and ideally will be involved in many aspects of
the positions available at the organization. NGOs, government agencies, public utilities, private
companies and corporations - students can intern almost anywhere. There are two main types of
internships - paid or unpaid - and a different set of regulations that cover them.
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Paid internships are the most desirable for obvious reasons. Students are employed on a temporary basis
and paid for the work that they do while also learning the ropes of the organization. If you are fortunate
enough to land a paid internship, there is no requirement that you must also earn college credit (although
you still can if you so desire).
Unpaid internships are again subdivided due to California labor laws for the purposes of the logistics you
may encounter. If you intern at a for-profit organization, you will need to earn college credit for the
internship. We make that easy with our Environment 195 Internship course, and there are other ways to
also earn credit for an internship at UCLA, detailed below. If you intern at a non-profit or government
agency, it is not strictly speaking required that you earn credit, although many such organizations prefer
that you do.
Most UCLA departments offer a course that can provide internship credit, usually 2 or 4 units depending
on how many hours per week a student works at the internship. There is also an office on campus, called
the Center for Community Learning, that will help arrange the course credit and manage the student’s
experience, if that is desired.
For internships with an environmental or sustainability aspect we recommend that students enroll
through our Environment 195 Internship course for credit. We will assist you in finding a faculty
member to oversee the internship course and assist you with enrolling. However, some faculty may prefer
that students enroll in the course through the faculty member’s home department. In these cases the
process of filling out the contract is the same but the completed contract will be taken to that
department’s SAO for approval and enrollment.
Summer internships can create a small complication. During the academic year (fall/winter/spring),
because fees are on a flat basis, there is no additional charge for enrolling in an internship course.
However, many students find summer internships. In these cases, the per-unit summer fee basis is used
to charge the student for the internship course. This is a University policy, and one that the department is
not fond of. In these cases, sometimes the employer might cover the fee, but often not. If you find that this
expense creates difficulty for you, please consult with Royce Dieckmann as there is sometimes a loophole
that we can use that might save you considerable expense.
How to find an internship
Internship in the environmental sector opportunities come up frequently and will be posted to the IoES
Undergraduate message board through the IoES Undergraduate Advising board hosted by Piazza.
Associated departments, such as your minor department, will also send out notices about internship
opportunities. In addition, opportunities are often posted on BruinView. However, the best way to find an
internship in line with your interests and goals is to identify organizations for whom you would like to
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work, research their opportunities, and send a resume and statement of interest to their HR department
or other appropriate contact. This link is a good start to finding environmental organizations:
http://laalmanac.com/environment/ev10.php
Also, many IoES faculty and staff have connections to various groups and agencies, so ask us. We may be
able to help introduce you.
Course, Academic, Health, and Other Student Resources
Course Information
Schedule of Classes
Searchable list of all courses offered in a particular term with up-to-date enrollment.
● https://sa.ucla.edu/ro/public/soc
Course Descriptions
All UCLA courses (searchable by department)
● http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Academics/Course-Descriptions
IoES Environment courses
● http://catalog.registrar.ucla.edu/ucla-catalog2017–428.html
UCLA Catalog Major & Minor Description/Requirements
● http://catalog.registrar.ucla.edu/ucla-catalog2017–426.html
Academic Calendars
Never miss that first day of class or forget about a holiday again:
● http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Calendars/Overview
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Campus Student Services
College Academic Counseling (CAC)
Murphy Hall A316
College Academic Counseling (CAC) helps students plan and shape their undergraduate career at UCLA
and assists in engaging students in a broader dialogue to clarify academic and personal goals. CAC
advising includes degree requirement, general education requirement, credit transfers, and other services
to ensure that you are on the right track towards graduation. College Academic Counseling is solely for the
majors within the College of Letters and Sciences.
Academic Advancement Program (AAP)
1232 Campbell Hall
The Academic Advancement Program (AAP), a multiracial program, represents the best of what United
States society aspires to: access, equity, opportunity, and excellence. Built on principles of social justice,
AAP has a threefold mission:
1. to advocate and facilitate the access, academic success, and graduation of students who have been
historically underrepresented in higher education;
2. inform and prepare students for graduate and professional schools; and
3. to develop the academic, scientific, political, economic, and community leadership necessary to
transform society.
Honors
Murphy Hall A311
UCLA Honors provides diverse, high-achieving students the framework for a unique undergraduate
educational experience—one that is dynamic, innovative, interdisciplinary, student-oriented, rich in
research, and centered on active, participatory learning.
We educate, one student at a time, by delivering exceptional experiences that cultivate intellectual
inquiry; inspire passion for creative discovery, expression, and application; and empower students to
shape the future. Each Honors experience can be individually tailored based on the choices students make
in fulfilling their coursework commitments. Honors programs provide exceptional undergraduate
students an opportunity to pursue individual excellence.
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Student Athletics
Academic & Student Services supports the unique needs of each student-athlete by providing strategic
services and programming in the areas of academic support, academic counseling, student-athlete
development, and student services. Our student-centered approach empowers student-athletes to
maximize their educational experience as they pursue their academic and personal goals. It is our mission
to graduate self-sufficient learners who are able to successfully embark on life after college.
UCLA International Education Office - Education Abroad Program
B–300 Murphy Hall, (310) 825–4995
The International Education Office provides information about various study abroad programs, both UC
and non-UC sponsored, including the UC-wide Education Abroad Program (EAP). Students seeking study
abroad opportunities usually coordinate with this office and the major or minor department to evaluate
potential coursework abroad.
Career Center
Strathmore Building, 501 Westwood Plaza, (310) 825–2981
The UCLA Career Center provides career planning, pre-professional advising and employment assistance
to current UCLA students. Most services are free; some are fee-based. The Career Center holds
workshops, fairs, and other events for a multitude of careers and graduate school possibilities. It also has
an extensive career and graduate program library, the Bruinview site that features job and internship
opportunities, and individual counseling and assessment.
Financial Aid
A–129J Murphy Hall, (310) 206–0400
The Financial Aid Office provides financial aid counseling and information to students who apply and are
qualified to receive need-based aid, including grants, loans, work study, etc.
Registrar’s Office
1113 Murphy Hall, (310) 825–1091
As custodian of student records, the Registrar’s Office is responsible for services including enrollment,
degrees, classes, transcripts, grades, official publications, and more.
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Scholarship Resource Center
233 Covel Commons, (310) 206–2875
The Scholarship Resource Center provides help for students in search of scholarship information,
resources, and support services, regardless of financial aid eligibility and at no charge.
UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
John Wooden Center West, (310) 825–0768
Provides confidential, one-on-one therapy services and other programs designed to promote the
emotional and mental well-being to the UCLA community, including the Wellness Skills Programs and
Workshops across campus and the Wellness Self-Help Lab at John Wooden Center West. 24-hour Help
Access Line available. (www.counseling.ucla.edu)
UCLA PEER Helpline
(310) 825-HELP (4357)
Provides crisis intervention and referral hotline staffed by UCLA students and staff members.
Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center
221 Westwood Plaza, (310) 825–4073
The Ashe Center provides outpatient services for UCLA students; most services are prepaid by registration
fees. A current Bruin Card is required for service.
Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars
106 Bradley Hall, (310) 825–1681
The Dashew Center assists international students with questions about immigration, employment,
government regulations, visas, financial aid, academic and administrative procedures, cultural
adjustment and personal matters.
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Center for Accessible Education (CAE)
A–255 Murphy Hall, (310) 825–1501
Formerly known as the Office for Students with Disabilities, the UCLA Center for Accessible Education
facilitates academic accommodations for regularly enrolled, matriculating students with documented
permanent and temporary disabilities. Accommodations are designed to promote successful engagement
in the UCLA academic experience.
Office of the Dean of Students
1206 Murphy Hall, (310) 825–3871
The Office of the Dean of Students is concerned with matters of disciplinary action including academic
integrity (cheating, plagarism); student conduct; sexual harassment; UC policies regarding campus
activities, organizations and students; Dean’s Certification; among others.
Office of Ombuds Services
Strathmore Building, 501 Westwood Plaza, (310) 825–7627
The Office of Ombuds Services is a place where members of the UCLA community–students, faculty, staff
and administrators–can go for assistance in resolving conflicts, disputes or complaints on an informal
basis. In order to afford visitors the greatest freedom in using its services, the Office is independent,
neutral and confidential.
Student Legal Services
70 Dodd Hall, (310) 825–9894
Student Legal Services provides confidential legal counseling and assistance from attorneys and/or law
students (under direct supervision by attorneys) regarding a wide range of legal issues to currently
registered and enrolled students.
Research Grants, Scholarships & Financial Aid
IoES Exclusive Research Grants & Scholarships
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The IoES administers a grant and scholarship for undergraduate students to support their work at the
IoES.
The Glickfeld Excellence in Environmental Research Grant
A $4,000 annual grant is awarded to one Environmental Science student each year. The funds will be
used to pay the salary of a student working as a research assistant under supervision of a faculty member
at UCLA. (See additional detail in section on Glickfeld Research Grant, above.)
The Greenspan Family Scholarship
In 2018–19, we are pleased to offer once again a $2,000 Greenspan Family Scholarship exclusive for IoES
Environmental Science majors.
Please visit the IoES website for deadlines and applications.
UCLA Financial Aid
UCLA offers a variety of financial aid options to students, including grants, fee waivers, scholarships,
work-study, subsidized and unsubsidized loans. More information on UCLA financial aid can be found
here.
Eligibility for most forms of financial aid requires the filing of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA). You can file a FAFSA here.
There are thousands of scholarships available to students. The sheer number of scholarships and
eligibility requirements can be overwhelming. Luckily, UCLA has an office dedicated to helping students
find scholarships – the Scholarship Resource Center.
UCLA Scholarship Resource Center
The Scholarship Resource Center (SRC) was established at UCLA in 1996 to provide scholarship
information, resources, and support services to all UCLA students, regardless of financial eligibility. It
offers free resources to help you find scholarships:
● Departmental Scholarships
● UCLA Scholarships
● Scholarship Search Databases
● National and International Scholarships
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● SRC Group on my.ucla.edu
● Tips for Scholarship Applicants and for Parents
● Library of scholarship books, many of which contain listings not on the web
● Bulletin boards displaying a wide range of up-to-date opportunities
It offers free resources to help students apply for scholarships:
● Individual Counseling by appointment for scholarship-related questions
● One-on-one Writing Assistance by appointment for scholarship essays and personal statements
● Workshops, such as How to Find Scholarships, Writing Personal Statements, How to Get Letters
of Recommendation, and others
223 Covel Commons
(310) 206–2875
http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/src
SRC hours are 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the academic year and 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the
summer.
Other UCLA Student Services Links
MyUCLA Student Services Directory:
1. ADA/504 Compliance Office
2. Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center
3. Bruin Resource Center
4. Career Center
5. Center for Accessible Education
6. Community Programs Office
7. Counseling and Psychological Services
8. Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars
9. Dean of Student Offices
10. Emergency Preparedness
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11. First Year Experience
12. Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life
13. Global Citizens Fellowship
14. Graduate Student Resource Center
15. Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Campus Resource Center
16. Office Technology Center
17. Parent and Family Program
18. Recreation
19. Registrar’s Office
20. Residential Life
21. Silk Road to the Future
22. Student Affairs Information & Research Office
23. Student Affairs Information Technology
24. Student Legal Services
25. Student Loan Services and Collections
26. Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement
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APPENDIX
Environmental Science Official Catalog Description
Capstone Major
The Environmental Science major is a designated capstone major. In collaboration with a local
agency or nonprofit institution, students work individually and in groups to complete projects
that require them to integrate many of the skills, principles, theories, and concepts they have
learned throughout the curriculum and apply them to real systems. Students are expected to
contribute meaningfully to the analysis and solution of particular environmental science issues
involving multiple disciplines and stakeholders with different perspectives. Those completing
the major should possess critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and familiarity with
essential computational, data collection, and analysis skills, as well as demonstrate effective oral
and written communication skills. Graduates should also be able to identify key ethical issues
and analyze the consequences of various professional dilemmas, as well as work productively as
part of a team.
The Environmental Science BS program represents strong collaboration between the Institute of
the Environment and Sustainability and the departments of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences;
Civil and Environmental Engineering; Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences; Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology; Environmental Health Sciences; and Geography. The program is designed
for students who are deeply interested in the study of environmental science. There are two
components to the program, and both must be completed to receive the degree. The first
component, the Environmental Science major, requires completion of lower-division
requirements grounded in basic natural sciences, a five-course upper-division environmental
science requirement reflecting the disciplinary breadth of environmental science, three social
sciences/humanities courses, participation in a sustainability-focused speaker series, and
completion of an environmental science practicum. The second component is a minor or
concentration in one of seven environmental science areas, each associated with a particular
department. With assistance from IoES staff, students must formally apply to and be accepted
by the associated department to receive the minor.
2
Learning Outcomes
The Environmental Science major has the following learning outcomes:
• Ability to apply theories or concepts from coursework to analysis of issues in the field
•
• Ability to make meaningful contribution to analysis and solution of particular issues
involving multiple disciplines and stakeholders with different perspectives
•
• Critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and familiarity with computational and
data collection and analysis procedures essential to the field
•
• Ability to identify ethical issues raised by a particular issue
•
• Ability to analyze the consequences of various professional dilemmas
•
• Ability to work productively with others as part of a team
•
3
• Effective oral and written communication skills
•
Preparation for the Major
Required: Chemistry 14A, 14B, and 14BL (or 20A, 20B, and 20L), Environment 10, Geography 7,
Life Sciences 7A, 7B, Mathematics 3A and 3B (or 31A and 31B, or Life Sciences 30A and 30B),
Physics 5A and 5C (or 1A and 1B), Statistics 12 or 13 (or Life Sciences 40).
For the atmospheric and oceanic sciences minor, Chemistry and Biochemistry 14C (or
30A) or Mathematics 3C (or 32A) or Physics 1C (or 5B) is also required.
For the conservation biology minor, Chemistry and Biochemistry 14C (or 30A) or Life
Sciences 7C and 23L is also required.
For the Earth and environmental science minor, Chemistry and Biochemistry 14C (or
30A) or Mathematics 3C (or 32A) or Physics 1C (or 5B), Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 1,
and one course from 5, 13, 15, or 61 are also required.
For the environmental engineering minor, Mathematics 3C (or 32A) is also required.
For the environmental health concentration, Chemistry and Biochemistry 14C (or 30A) is
also required.
4
For the environmental systems and society minor, one course from Chemistry and
Biochemistry 14C (or 30A), Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 1, Life Sciences 7C (and 23L),
Mathematics 3C (or 32A), and Physics 5B (or 1C) is also required.
For the geography/environmental studies minor, one course from Chemistry and
Biochemistry 14C (or 30A), Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 1, Life Sciences 7C (and 23L),
Mathematics 3C (or 32A), and Physics 5B (or 1C), plus Geography 5 and one course from 1, 2, 3,
4, or 6 are also required. Students should take these courses before enrolling in upper-division
courses.
Each course applied toward requirements for preparation for the major must be passed with a
grade of C- or better. Students receiving a grade below C- in two courses, either in separate
courses or repetitions of the same course, are subject to dismissal from the major.
Transfer Students
Transfer applicants to the Environmental Science major with 90 or more units must complete as
many of the following introductory courses as possible prior to admission to UCLA: two general
chemistry courses with laboratory for majors, two general biology courses with laboratory for
majors, two calculus courses, and two calculus-based physics courses.
Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer
selection for admission.
5
The Major
The major consists of four requirements: physical and life science, social science and
humanities, practicum/sustainability talks, and minor or concentration, as follows:
Physical and Life Sciences Requirements
Required: Environment 175 and four additional courses from the following physical and life
sciences areas. No more than two courses may be from any one department. Atmospheric and
Oceanic Sciences 101, 102, 103, 104, M105, 107, 112, 130, 141, Chemical Engineering C118, Civil
Engineering 153, 154, M166, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 101, C113, 119, 139, 150, 153,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100, 109, 116, 151A, 154, Environment 121, 157,
Environmental Health Sciences 100, C125, C152D, C164, Geography 101, M102, M103, 107, 116,
117, M118, 120, M126, 133.
Social Sciences and Humanities Requirements
Required: Environment 140 and two courses from Environment M125, M133, 150, M153, 157,
C159, 160, M161, 162, 163, M164, 166, M167, Geography M127, 160, M142, 171C, Philosophy 125,
Public Policy C115.
Practicum/Sustainability Talks Requirements
Required: Environment 180A, 180B, 180C, and two terms of 185A.
6
Minor and Concentration Requirements
A minimum of 20 units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units
applied toward major requirements or another minor. Successful completion of a minor is
indicated on the transcript and diploma.
For the atmospheric and oceanic sciences minor, seven 4-unit courses, including (1) three
from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences M100, 101, 102, 103, 104, M105, M106, 107, C110, C115,
M120, 130, 141, C144, 145, 150, 155, C160, C170, 180 and (2) four additional courses, two of
which must be upper-division, from any of the above atmospheric and oceanic sciences courses
beyond the minimum four required or from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 1, 2, 3, 186
(must be taken twice), Chemistry and Biochemistry 103, 110A, 110B, 113A, C113B, 114, Earth,
Planetary, and Space Sciences 15, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 109, C119A, 122, 123A or
123B, 147, 148, Mathematics 115A, 115B, 132, 135, 136, 146, 170A, 170B, Physics 110A, 110B, 112,
M122, 131, 132. Other relevant courses from related disciplines may be substituted with prior
approval of the department. At least five courses approved for the minor must be upper-
division. One course may be taken on a Passed/Not Passed basis.
For the conservation biology minor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 100, 116 (or
Environment 121), and four to six courses from 100L, 101, 103, 105, 109, 109L, 111, 112, 114A,
114B, C119A, C119B, 122, M127, 129, M131, 142, 151A, 152, 153, 154, 155, 162, 162L, C174, 176,
180A, 180B, any courses associated with the Field Biology Quarter or the Marine Biology
Quarter or approved equivalent, Geography M103, 116, 117, M125, M126, 133 (a maximum of
two Geography courses may be applied to the minor) are required.
For the Earth and environmental science minor, five courses from Earth, Planetary, and
Space Sciences 101, 112, C113, 139, 150, 153 are required.
7
For the environmental engineering minor, Civil Engineering 153 and five courses from
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 141, Chemical Engineering 100, 101A, 101B, 101C 102A,
102B, 106, 113, C118, C119, C140, Civil Engineering 110, 150, 151, 152, 154, 155, 156A, 156B, 157A,
157B, 157C, 157L, M165, M166, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 101, C113, Environment
M103, 134, M153, 157, C159, 166, Environmental Health Sciences C125, C152D, C164,
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103, 105A, 105D, 133A, 136, 150A, 174, 182B, 182C are
required. Credit for both Chemical Engineering 102A and Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering 105A is not allowed.
For the environmental health concentration, Epidemiology 100, two courses from
Environmental Health Sciences 100, C135, C185A, C185B, and three courses from Chemistry
and Biochemistry 153A, Environmental Health Sciences C125, C140, C152D, C157, C164, 203 are
required.
For the environmental systems and society minor, seven courses from Environment
M111, 121, M125, M126, M131, M133, 134, 150, M153, 157, C159, 160, M161, 162, 163, M164, 166,
M167, 186 are required.
For the geography/environmental studies minor, three courses from Geography M102,
M103, 109, M118, M125, M126, M127, 130, M131, 133, 136, 138, 139B, 139C, and any two
additional upper-division geography courses (except those from the preceding list and courses
194 through 199) are required.
Each course applied toward requirements for the major, except Environment 185A, must be
taken for a letter grade. Students must maintain an overall grade-point average of 2.0 (C) or
better in all courses applied toward the major.
--------------------------------------------------
8
Honors Program
The honors program provides exceptional students an opportunity for advanced research and study,
under the guidance of a faculty member, that leads to the completion of an honors thesis or research
project. To qualify for graduation with honors, students must (1) complete all requirements for the major,
(2) have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or better in upper-division coursework in the major and
an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, (3) complete at least 8 units of Environment 198 taken over at least two
terms, and (4) produce a completed satisfactory honors thesis. The honors thesis or research project is in
addition to the requirement of the completed practicum in environmental science project. Contact the
student affairs officer for further information.
Guidelines for Environmental Science Departmental Honors Program
I. REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY
A. Junior class standing (≥ 90 completed units of university-level course work – do not consider AP or IB
units when calculating)
B. Cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.0 in all university-level course work (including courses required as preparation
for the major)
C. Cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.5 in course work required in the major (excluding courses required as
preparation for the major)
D. At the discretion of the Environmental Science Program, prior completion of one or more specified
courses
NOTE: The above are the minimum GPA requirements to earn Departmental Honors at graduation.
Students who have a realistic chance of attaining the GPA minimums by their Degree Expected Term but
who do not yet qualify at the time of application may be allowed, upon review and approval by the IoES
Honors Committee, to pursue Departmental Honors.
II. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
A. Selection and agreement of a faculty sponsor (generally a participating faculty member in the Institute
of the Environment and Sustainability who should also be a member of the UCLA Academic Senate. If a
non-Academic Senate is the primary advisor, a Senate member should act as a secondary sponsor and co-
signer.)
B. Selection of a suitable thesis topic.
9
C. Completion and submission to the Environmental Science Honors Committee of a complete application
form, Degree Progress Report, and Prospectus (see Application and Prospectus Guidelines below)
III. ENROLLMENT IN DEPARTMENTAL HONORS PROGRAM
All Departmental Honors students are required to enroll in two to three quarters of Environment 198 for a
total of 8 units. Students wishing to pursue Departmental Honors must also complete the Senior
Practicum (180ABC) series; Departmental Honors cannot substitute for the Senior Practicum, nor can it
be used as a substitute for any other major or minor/concentration requirement.
IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINUATION (“MINIMUM PROGRESS”)
A. Acceptable progress towards completion of required Environmental Science Honors course work,
monitored quarterly by the faculty sponsor
B. Acceptable progress towards completion of an Environmental Science Honors Thesis, monitored
quarterly or more frequently by the faculty sponsor
C. At the discretion of the Environmental Science Program, participation of the student in additional
“enrichment experiences,” monitored quarterly by the faculty sponsor
V. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH DEPARTMENTAL “HONORS” OR “HIGHEST
HONORS”
A. Completion of all requirements for the major
B. Cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.0 in all university-level course work
C. Cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.5 in upper division course work in the Major
D. Completion of required Honors course work (Environment 198)
E. Completion and acceptance by the Environmental Science Honors Committee of the Honors Thesis.
Application and Prospectus Guidelines
1. The prospectus should be 2–3 pages with references, and include the following components:
2. Background: What is the motivation and context for the thesis topic? Place the problem in its
broader scientific, environmental, and policy (if applicable) context, and include a summary of
what is known about the problem already.
10
3. Explain who the audience is: Who will find this thesis topic important? What agency or group
would be interested in the results?
4. Clearly state your objectives. What question are you asking?
5. Include a clear timeline showing the steps you will take to complete the thesis and your
approximate time of completion for each. A condensed version of this timeline should be provided
on the contract you submit to your advisor.
6. Specifics regarding the thesis: What kind of data are you collecting? What methods are you using?
Where will the research take place (e.g. field site)? What type of analysis will you be using? What
are your expected results?
7. A brief summary of the support you have or will need to carry out the thesis work. This includes
who your advisor is, and your access to the tools you need to get your thesis done.
8. References
9. The thesis must have some depth and measure of completion. Merely assisting on projects in a lab
or a research group will not suffice. We expect products (below) focused on one topic.
10. Progress Report: Students must submit a progress report at the end of each quarter for the
duration of their enrollment in the Environment 198 Honors Program. This can focus on skills
learned and measurements made, as well as preliminary results and if necessary, changes in your
research plan. This is a formal requirement, and should be 2–3 pages submitted to the IoES and
to your advisor.
11. In order for the honors thesis to be accepted for satisfaction of the Environmental Science
Departmental Honors Program, it will need to satisfy the following criteria:
12. You must submit an acceptable written final thesis paper that describes the results of independent
research based on an investigation of the literature about the topic, fieldwork, or lab results and
data. The thesis should be approximately 20 to 30 pages, but remember, quantity is not a
substitute for quality. You must also make an acceptable oral presentation of your results. The
thesis paper and presentation should be complete, and include a motivation and background
section that covers its broader context, methods, results, conclusions, and suggestions for further
work. The work should be placed in a broader context that includes environmental impacts as
well as the implications for specific policy, regulatory, economic and/or social issues where
applicable.
13. The oral presentation will normally be made before or after the presentations made by the
180B/C students, typically during the final Environmental Science Colloquium class meeting in
spring quarter. It must present your thesis results delivered in a clear, well-crafted and
professional manner.
14. The prospectus and thesis should be approved by your advisor, and the thesis should be
accompanied by a short statement from your advisor stating the final grade for the project and his
or her recommendation for level of honors. It is critical that your advisor understand the
commitment they are making to you and your project; the Honors project goes well beyond the
expectations of a normal 199 independent study.
11
15. The Environmental Science Faculty Advisory Committee will determine, with consideration of the
advising faculty member’s recommendation, the level of Honors to be granted. If for some reason
you are unable to complete the thesis or satisfy these criteria, you will still earn the units and the
grades for completion of Environment 198 courses, but no other credit will be given.
Deadlines and important information for pursuing the Environmental Science Honors Program:
Application and Prospectus Deadline:
You must submit the attached application and a satisfactory prospectus (proposal of your thesis topic) to
the IoES Honors Faculty Committee and to your proposed advisor no later than two weeks before the end
of the term prior to the term in which you will enroll for the first time in Environment 198. It is generally
advisable to begin the project during fall or winter quarter, but students starting in spring can complete it
if enrolled in Environment 198 during summer or the subsequent fall, if eligible to continue at UCLA.
Submit these materials, via email attachments, to rdieckman[email protected].edu.
Contract Course Deadline: Friday of week two (fall, winter & spring)
Upon acceptance to the Environmental Science Departmental Honors Program, you will need to submit a
copy of the Environment 198 enrollment contract signed by your project advisor at the beginning (or
earlier) of each quarter for which you will enroll in Environment 198. The strict deadline for contract
course enrollment is before the end of week 2 of each quarter in which you will enroll. You will create the
Environment 198 course on your MyUCLA site, by clicking on “contract courses” and following the step-
by-step instructions found there. The 198 course is variable units per quarter, with a mandatory grade
basis (not P/NP). You will need to submit a course contract to enroll in the 198 units for each quarter
prior to completing the project. Bring the contract in person to the IoES SAO (Royce Dieckmann) in Life
Science 2308.
PRACTICUM VS. HONORS: An independent practicum project is NOT a departmental honors project.
The two are separate, and completing the Departmental Honors Program does not exempt one from, or
substitute for, the Senior Practicum.
ALTERNATIVES: Any student contemplating pursuing the Honors Program with faculty outside of
UCLA or that will take place at another institution must consult with and gain the prior written approval
of the IoES Faculty Honors Committee prior to undertaking any such project.
Questions: Email Royce Dieckmann, IoES SAO at rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu
Application For Departmental Honors Program In Environmental Science
12
Complete this application and submit it to the Environmental Science Honors Committee by emailing to
rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu.
Name: _____
SID# _____
Date _____
Minor/Concentration: _____
As of _____(date), I have completed _____(number of units) of university-level course work. My
cumulative GPA in this course work is _____(GPA).
My cumulative GPA in courses required for the Major (but excluding those courses listed as preparation
for the Major) is: _____ (GPA)
Proposed Title of Honors Thesis:
Name of Faculty Sponsor (Academic Senate Member):
Department of Faculty Sponsor:
Signature of Faculty Sponsor:
Additional Faculty Sponsor(s):
Prospectus of Proposed Project: Attach (as a Word document) a brief summary of the nature of the
topic to be investigated, the techniques, materials, to be used in this investigation, and the results
anticipated; include reference citations or relevant bibliographies as appropriate. Please see the attached
prospectus guidelines when preparing this document.
Degree Progress Report: Attach a current copy of your degree progress report (available via URSA).
Practicum substitution requests guidelines
Students wishing to pursue an independent research project in lieu of participating on a
Practicum team should contact the IoES Practicum Director, Noah Garrison at
13
1. Students wishing to pursue an independent project for the practicum must enroll in Environment
180A in fall quarter of the academic year in which you will graduate. There is no substitute
available for 180A. This is a stand-alone course that provides a variety of important skills that are
not provided elsewhere.
2. You must be in good academic standing, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or better in the major.
3. You must submit a satisfactory prospectus (proposal of your project) to the IoES faculty
committee and to your proposed advisor by [date varies based on date group projects will be
assigned]. The prospectus should be 2–3 pages with references, and include the following
components:
4. Background: What is the motivation and context for the project? Place the problem in its broader
scientific, environmental, and policy (if applicable) context, and include a summary of what is
known about the problem already.
5. Explain who the audience is: Who will find this project important? What agency or group would
be interested in the project results?
6. Clearly state your objectives. What question are you asking?
7. Include a clear timeline showing the steps you will take to complete the project and your
approximate time of completion for each. A condensed version of this timeline should be provided
on the contract you submit to your advisor.
8. Specifics regarding the project: What kind of data are you collecting? What methods are you
using? Where will the research take place (e.g. field site)? What type of analysis will you be using?
What are your expected results?
9. A brief summary of the support you have or will need to carry out the project. This includes who
your advisor is, and your access to the tools you need to get your project done.
10. References
11. The project must have some depth and measure of completion. Merely assisting on projects in a
lab or similar will not suffice, and although you can help with more than one project, we expect
products (below) focused on one project.
12. Progress Report: For projects lasting longer than one quarter (the most common situation), you
will need to submit a progress report before the end of the first quarter. This can focus on skills
learned and measurements made, as well as preliminary results and if necessary, changes in your
research plan. This is a formal requirement, and should be 2–3 pages submitted to the
department and to your advisor. Students who fail to submit an acceptable progress report will
not be permitted to enroll in the second term of Environment 199 until the progress report has
been submitted.
13. In order for the project to be accepted as a substitution for Environment 180B and C to fulfill the
Practicum component of the Environmental Science major, it will need to satisfy the following
criteria:
14. You must submit an acceptable written final project report, and make an acceptable oral
presentation of your results. The paper and presentation should be complete, and include a
motivation and background section that covers its broader context, methods, results, conclusions,
14
and suggestions for further work. The work should be placed in a broader context that includes
environmental impacts as well as the implications for specific policy, regulatory, economic and/or
social issues where applicable.
15. The oral presentation will normally be made before or after the presentations made by the
180B/C students, typically during the final Environmental Science Colloquium class meeting in
spring quarter. It must be a scientific presentation of your project results delivered in a clear, well
crafted and professional manner that is on time (does not go over the allotted time limit, and uses
at least 90% of the allotted time). If your presentation does not pass, you will have one more
chance to make an oral presentation in front of one or more appropriate faculty.
16. The prospectus and final paper should be approved by your advisor, and the final paper should be
accompanied by a short statement from your advisor certifying that you performed work at least
equivalent to 10 units of independent research. It is critical that your advisor read and understand
the commitment they are making to you and your project; the practicum project goes well beyond
the expectations of a normal 199 independent study.
17. The Environmental Science Faculty Advisory Committee will determine whether the final project
is a satisfactory substitution for the Practicum. If for some reason you are unable to complete the
project and satisfy these criteria for course substitution, you may still be eligible to apply the unit
credit towards upper division credit for your major by petition.
Deadlines and important information for pursuing an independent project for the Practicum:
Prospectus Deadline:
You will need to have your prospectus document completed by [the week that group projects are
assigned]. The deadline to submit a final, polished prospectus to the faculty committee of the IoES will be
the end of [the week that group projects are assigned] and you must secure a faculty advisor by that time.
This is accomplished much more easily with a strong prospectus. Email a copy to
rdieckmann@ioes.ucla.edu to distribute to the faculty committee.
Contract Course Deadline: Friday of week two (winter & spring)
You will need to submit a signed copy of the following contract with your project advisor at the beginning
of winter quarter or earlier, along with your course enrollment contract, before the end of week 2 of winter
quarter to the IoES SAO (Royce) in Life Science 2308. You will create the Environment 199 course on
15
your MyUCLA site, by choosing the link for “contract courses” and following the step-by-step instructions
found there. The 199 is 4 units per quarter, with a mandatory grade basis (not P/NP). You will need to
also submit a course contract to enroll in the 199 units for spring quarter.
● Honors: An independent practicum project is NOT a departmental honors project. However, if
you are enrolled with College Honors, the 180A/B/C courses already automatically grant units
with College Honors. Students who qualify to apply for the Departmental Honors Program will be
contacted with guidelines and instructions for applying to that program.
● Alternatives: Students interested in the Field Biology Quarter or the Marine Biology Quarter
should consult with Royce Dieckmann, SAO in the IoES, prior to the deadline for independent
project prospectuses, and with the counselors in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department
regarding availability and admission to those programs. Any student contemplating a project with
faculty outside of UCLA or that will take place at another institution must consult with the IoES
prior to undertaking any such project and before the week 4 deadline for independent project
prospectus.
Students whose proposals are rejected by the IoES faculty committee will be placed with 180B/C groups.
-----------------------------------
Policies & Procedures
Below you will find the College Academic Counseling website, which has information on just about any
academic regulation that applies to undergraduates. Also included here are their quick-reference guides
for the most frequently-accessed information.
http://cac.ucla.edu/
Informational Guides & Links
● Calculating GPA
● Departmental Counselor Directory
● Dismissal Appeal
● Expected Cumulative Progress (ECP)
