Environmental Science and Policy, Bachelor of Science

(Students who plan to transfer a completed Associate's degree should review the Environmental Science and Policy Completion Degree information below.)

A Degree for the Future

The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy is classified as a STEM program. This interdisciplinary degree will draw upon undergraduate course offerings from the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Colleges of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Technology, and Business. The expertise to preserve and protect our very limited and fragile natural resources is expected to be a continuously valuable skill set, both nationally and in the state of Delaware. The ES&P degree will provide students with the skills they need to tackle such challenges.

Program Philosophy and Objectives

Students in this program will be exposed to a variety of concepts and activities that address many science and policy related competencies including but not limited to oral communication and the delivery of professional presentations, scholarly writing, critical thinking strategies, and the use of scientific and digital tools to solve problems.

This ES&P degree is practical and career-oriented, though adaptable enough to be used as a step towards graduate education. Environmental science is inherently an applied study, while the policy aspect extends the practical nature of this degree. Aligning with the University's mission of exemplary career-oriented degrees, graduates of this degree can market themselves to local, state, and federal agencies, private and non-profit organizations, as well as academia, for a range of environmental positions. Courses will be offered at a variety of locations and times, and students will have the option to complete the full degree face-to-face, online, or a combination of the two.

Program Competencies

In addition to the University’s undergraduate graduation competencies, students will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities related to:

Hi-Tech Literacy

Use technology to effectively locate and communicate information.

Social Responsibility

Demonstrate an increase in personal commitment to, and understanding of, one's role in a global society.

Environmental Science and Policy Program Competencies

Identify cellular structure and function.

Apply the concepts of cell division and heredity to examine the evolutionary process.

Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts in environmental science and biodiversity including animal and plant structure and function, ecological interactions, and human impacts on the environment.

Demonstrate competency in basic laboratory skills.

Apply quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.

Demonstrate knowledge of how science is both used and impacted by policy.

Curriculum

General Education Requirements (39 Credits)

A minimum passing grade of "C" is required for ENG 121, ENG 122, ENG 131, MAT 205, and ENV 310.

CTA 206Computer Applications

3

ECO 105Fundamentals of Economics

3

ENG 121English Composition I

3

ENG 122English Composition II

3

ENG 131Public Speaking

3

ENV 310Environmental Science

3

HIS 315The Green Revolution: History of the Environmental Movement in America

3

HIS 381Contemporary Global Issues

3

MAT 205Introductory Survey of Mathematics

3

PHI 100Introduction to Critical Thinking

3

PHI 300Ethics for Life

3

POL 403Writing for Public Policy

3

SOC 101Introduction to Sociology

3

Environmental Science Core (35-36 Credits)

BIO, CHE, ENV, PHY and SCI courses in the Environmental Science Core require a minimum passing grade of a "C." A minimum passing grade of a "C-" is required for MAT 308.

GIS 300Geographic Information Systems Science & Technology

3

OR

CTA 326Integrating Excel into Business Problem Solving

3

OR

ENV 448Environmental Informatics

3

MAT 200Pre-Calculus

3

MAT 308Inferential Statistics

3

BIO 251Biology I (with Lab)

4

BIO 252Biology II (with Lab)

4

BIO 338Ecology (with Lab)

4

ENV 305Earth Science (with Lab)

4

OR

ENV 303Climate Dynamics

3

SCI 312Physics (with Lab)

4

OR

PHY 272Physics I (with Lab)

4

SCI 315Applied Chemistry (with Lab)

4

OR

CHE 261Chemistry I (with Lab)

4

SCI 495Science Major Senior Seminar

3

Public Policy Core (18 Credits)

Public Policy Core courses require a minimum passing grade of a "C."

DTA 447Data Science

3

OR

MAT 310Calculus I

3

OR

SEC 290Introduction to Programming with Python

3

OR

CSC 420Intro to Artificial Intelligence

3

LES 216Environmental Compliance

3

POL 300American Politics

3

POL 370Energy and Environmental Policy

3

ENV 205Marine Science and Policy

3

ENV 215Environmental Planning

3

Core Electives (Choose 9-12 credits from the following options)

BIO 336Microbiology (with Lab)

4

CHE 261Chemistry I (with Lab)

4

CHE 262Chemistry II (with Lab)

4

CHE 363Organic Chemistry I (with Lab)

4

CHE 364Organic Chemistry II (with Lab)

4

ENV 303Climate Dynamics

3

HIS 320Global Civilizations

3

HLT 378Our Environment, Our Health

3

MAT 310Calculus I

3

POL 360Education Policy

3

POL 413/LES 217Food and Drug Law and Policy

3

PSY 334The Biological Basis of Behavior

3

SCI 335Human Anatomy and Physiology (with Lab)

4

SOC 306Cultural Anthropology

3

SOC 353Environmental Sociology

3

Cooperative Education Core (6 credits)

Field experience should be considered for the student who is not already working in the ES&P field. A 15 credit semester would cover the 6 credit requirement for Co-op and 9 credits of Free Electives.

SCI 441Co-op Education Experience for Science

3

SCI 442Co-op Education Experience for Science

3

Free Electives (9-13 credits)

Students must complete a minimum of 120 credits to earn a Bachelor's degree in ES&P. Students with less than 16 transfer credits are required to take FYE 101 as one of their electives. Because of the mixture of 3 and 4 credit courses, students must be diligent and seek advice as they work through the program.

Environmental Science and Policy Completion Degree

What is a Completion Degree?

A completion degree is a personalized version of a bachelor's degree created exclusively for students who have completed an associate's degree at an accredited institution. (Students who have not completed an associate's degree should return to the full Environmental Science and Policy, Bachelor of Science degree information.) Completion degrees are available for most Wilmington University Bachelor of Science degrees. A student who expects to transfer a completed associate's degree should communicate with a Wilmington University academic advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by Wilmington University to confirm eligibility.


Environmental Science and Policy Completion Degree Requirements (47-48 credits)

A minimum passing grade of "C" is required for courses with prefixes: BIO, ENV, LES, and POL.  MAT 308 requires a minimum passing grade of "C-."

BIO 252Biology II (with Lab)

4

BIO 338Ecology (with Lab)

4

ENV 205Marine Science and Policy

3

ENV 303Climate Dynamics

3

OR

ENV 305Earth Science (with Lab)

4

ENV 310Environmental Science

3

ENV 215Environmental Planning

3

HIS 381Contemporary Global Issues

3

LES 216Environmental Compliance

3

MAT 308Inferential Statistics

3

PHI 300Ethics for Life

3

POL 370Energy and Environmental Policy

3

POL 403Writing for Public Policy

3

SCI 441Co-op Education Experience for Science

3

SCI 442Co-op Education Experience for Science

3

SCI 495Science Major Senior Seminar

3

Additional course work as needed to meet 120 credits for graduation.

The following courses or their equivalents are pre-requisites for the Environmental Science and Policy completion degree. If you have transfer credits that do not include equivalents to the classes below, you are expected to complete them prior to taking the core course for which they are pre-requisites.

ENG 121 English Composition I

ENG 122 English Composition II

ENG 131 Public Speaking

MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics

MAT 200 Pre-Calculus

BIO 251 Biology I (or SCI 251)

SCI 312 Physics (with lab) or PHY 272 Physics I

SCI 315 Applied Chemistry (with lab) or CHE 261 Chemistry I

POL 300 American Politics