PDF version of this chapterEnvironmental Studies
Hancock Building 232
(213) 740-7770
FAX: 740-8566
Email: environ@rcf.usc.edu
www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/enviro
Interim Director: Jane M. Cody, Ph.D.
The Environmental Studies Program offers students a range of options for studies related to the environment. Available degree programs in Environmental Studies include a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science, and minors in social sciences, natural sciences and environmental planning and development. A Master of Arts degree in environmental studies and a Master of Science in environmental risk analysis are also awarded.
The Bachelor of Arts program emphasizes studies in the societal aspects of environmental issues, along with a core set of courses in the basic sciences. This option emphasizes studies in the general social sciences, and includes areas of emphasis in business, geography, and public policy and management. Students can also pursue a general social sciences track.
The Bachelor of Science program contains areas of emphasis in biology, chemistry or earth sciences, together with a core set of courses in the social sciences. The three minor degree programs provide students with primary interests in other majors an opportunity to incorporate an environmental theme into their undergraduate studies.
All programs are highly interdisciplinary with faculty and courses drawn from many departments in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Marshall School of Business, School of Engineering and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. A special effort is made to provide students with experience in dealing with actual environmental problems and policies through senior seminars, directed research projects with faculty, internships with government agencies and private corporations, the Santa Catalina Island semester and the School for Field Studies programs abroad.
The Master of Arts degree program in environmental studies is also interdisciplinary and focuses on public policy and its related facets. Those who graduate with an M.A. in environmental studies are well prepared to pursue careers in policy, planning or management in the public, private or nonprofit sector in either this country or abroad. In addition, the curriculum provides students with a foundation for acquiring a Ph.D. in environmental studies or a related field, or a law degree. Individuals who are already employed in the pollution control and remediation field will find the M.A. degree attractive as well. Upon completion of the graduate program, students will possess extensive knowledge of environmental science, environmental statistics and economics, law and regulation, policy and planning, development and economic growth, and global issues and problems.
The Master of Science degree in Environ-mental Risk Analysis focuses on providing advanced professional training for students with a B.S. degree in natural sciences or engineering. Students will pursue a core program encompassing science, engineering and finance supplemented with important skills courses in risk assessment, statistics and computer modeling and simulations. Those who graduate with the M.S. degree will be well prepared to pursue professional careers in business and industry which build on their degrees in the natural sciences. This degree will produce individuals with the analytical and problem-solving skills of natural scientists combined with the necessary training in finance and management needed in the business world.
Catalina Semester
This expanded program is specifically designed for both environmental studies and biological sciences majors and for students in any field who want to minor in environmental studies. The semester is sponsored by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and held at USC’s Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island each fall and spring semester. The courses are taught by USC faculty and are specialized to take advantage of the unique facilities and settings of Catalina Island. Students generally enroll in 16 units.Students will live on Catalina Island for the entire semester (with two breaks). Rates for room and board at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center are comparable to those on campus.
For more information, students should contact their advisor or the USC Wrigley Institute Offices at Alan Hancock Foundation 232 on the University Park campus, (213) 740-6780.