Bachelor of Environmental Studies at San Francisco State University

Students may choose elective courses in consultation with an advisor. We suggest the following pathways as models: Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice, Humanities and the Environment, and The Urban Environment. 

B.A. Suggested Emphasis Areas

The Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice emphasis provides students with a theoretical and applied understanding of the issues of sustainability and the connections between social justice and environmental problems and solutions. Students study the roles that values and social, political, and economic structures play in contributing to the environmental crisis. 

The Urban Environment emphasis provides students with a strong interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical understanding for dealing with environmental issues in urban settings. 

The Humanities and the Environment emphasis explores the varied and complex ways that different cultures – past and present – view and communicate about the environment.

1. Demonstrate understanding of the relationships between social justice and environmental problems in local, national and global contexts.
2. Demonstrate understanding of chemical, biological, and social processes related to environmental problems and the ability to integrate these with the understandings and critical evaluations of descriptive statistics commonly used in environmental literature.
3. Communicate clearly and accurately both orally and in writing and be able to conduct research appropriate to area of emphasis.
4. Demonstrate basic understanding of civic activities and processes, and of methods of engagement in those processes.
5. Demonstrate readiness to enter professional job market by preparing/training students in developing appropriate job market skills (e.g., resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, writing well and engagingly, acquiring professional experience via internship).
6. Demonstrate understanding of the interconnections of economy, politics, culture and society, and of potential points of intervention to enhance sustainability and social justice.