Course Planning for New and Exploring Students
Students who are interested in pursuing an environmental science major should get started with ENST 150: Introduction to Environmental Science and ENST 151: Introduction to Environmental Policy. It’s fine to take both courses in the same year, but this is not mandatory.
In addition to these gateway courses, students who are early in the process of completing an Environmental Science major should consider taking the other courses listed as Foundational Concepts and Quantitative Tools, including CHEM 116: Principles of Chemistry; either GEOS 220: Remote Sensing and GIS or BIOL 420: Geography of Life; and a statistics course from the list of major requirements in the catalog. New students should not take more than one natural science laboratory course per term.
In their first or second year, environmental science majors will also want to begin making progress on Section 3 (Scientific Perspectives on the Nature of Nature) and Section 4 (Science Focus) from the catalog description of the major. These sections include a wide range of course options in ecology, environmental chemistry, natural systems, biology, geosciences, and physics. In consultation with their major advisor, students can think about how to group their environmental science course into a thematic cluster such as sustainable agriculture, climate change, or aquatic ecology.
AP Credit
- Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP Environmental Science exam will receive credit for the equivalent of ENST 150: Introduction to Environmental Science.
- Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam will receive credit for the equivalent of STAT 107: Principles of Statistics.
- Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam who pass the online chemistry placement exam can skip CHEM 115: Principles of Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity and begin with CHEM 116: Principles of Chemistry: Energetics and Dynamics.
Declare a Major/Minor
All students are expected to declare a major before the end of sophomore year. Ideally, sophomore students will declare a major (and switch to an advisor in the major) before advance registration advising begins in spring term.
Major Advising
All students will transition to a major advisor upon declaration. The major advisor will help students plan their coursework to satisfy requirements for the major, select courses in other areas to complement the major or satisfy personal interests, and prepare for their Senior Experience. Prospective environmental science majors can consult with any of the following affiliated faculty about serving as a major advisor:
- Marcia Bjornerud, Walter Schober Professor of Environmental Studies and Professor of Geosciences
- Jason Brozek, Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs and Associate Professor of Government
- Jeffrey Clark, Professor of Geosciences
- Deanna Donohoue, Associate Professor of Chemistry
- Bart De Stasio, Dennis and Charlot Nelson Singleton Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Biology
- Alyssa Hakes, Associate Professor of Biology
- Andrew Knudsen, Professor of Geosciences
- Relena Ribbons, Assistant Professor of Geosciences
- Jodi Sedlock, Professor of Biology
Add a Major Advisor
Need help identifying an advisor in the major? Students can contact advising@lawrence.edu for assistance with advisor matching.
If you still have questions about advising support related to the environmental science program, we invite you to contact the program director.