Bachelor of Environment and Society

The world faces urgent environmental challenges. Tackling them calls for collaboration across multiple perspectives. The Bachelor of Environment and Society prepares you to understand and address environmental issues from a range of viewpoints. At the same time, it deepens your expertise in a specialist subject.

This three-year degree builds your understanding of both the social and the biophysical dimensions of environmental change. You’ll learn to think critically about the causes and effects of environmental problems, based on a firm grasp of the physical processes shaping our world.

Through the BEnvSoc, you’ll explore key concepts like sustainability and justice. You’ll ask how Indigenous environmental knowledge can guide our approach to environmental problems. And you’ll apply your knowledge across a range of scales—from local issues in environmental management to global issues of climate change and inequality.

With this degree, you’ll gain the skills to make a meaningful difference and turn your passion into action.

Interested in the degree but not sure which major provides the perfect path? We’ve created a short quiz to give you some insight into each major, and help you decide which one is right for you. Take the quiz.

For this degree, you'll need to:

Complete 360 points, including the following core courses:

Five courses at 100 level:

GEOG 112

GEOG 114

GEOS 101

MAOR 126 (See ‘Important information below’)

and one course from:

EHUM 101

GEOG 115

SARC 122

STAT 193

QUAN 102

Two courses at 200 level:

GEOG 214

and one course from:

DSDN 221

EHUM 201

GEOG 217

LAND 221

MGMT 211

SCIS 213

Two courses at 300 level:

GEOG 326

GEOG 327

You also need to complete the requirements of at least one major subject (see below).

IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.0 with no sub-score below 5.5

TOEFL: minimum overall score of 80 (internet-based test)

Pearson Test of English: minimum score of 50 (with a 'Communicative score' of not less than 42)

Victoria University of Wellington English for Academic Purpose (EAP) programme: minimum final scores of 4,4,4,3

Cambridge English Qualifications: C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 169 or higher, with each skill score no less than 162

New Zealand Certificates in English Language (NZCEL): Level 4 (Academic)

NZAPA: English New Zealand Accredited Pathway Assessment Level 2 (with no skill lower than Level 1)