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Environmental Studies - AS

The Field

The future of our planet is uncertain, given expected changes in climate, the human population, and technologies associated with human activities. Problem solvers are needed who are trained in assessing economic, social, ecological, and resource use patterns, and who can go on to develop sustainable solutions to cross-disciplinary problems. Programs like SUNY Delhi's Environmental Studies program provide this training and offer hope for the future of our planet and species.

The Instructional Program

The Environmental Studies A.S. degree program integrates rigorous training in the sciences and public policy with the field and laboratory work needed to advance in this fast-growing field of study. The program is designed primarily for students who wish to transfer to a four-year program in environmental studies, environmental science, or the biological sciences. To this end, SUNY Delhi has established articulation agreements with other SUNY colleges, particularly the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and with Hartwick College. Students who successfully complete the program will have satisfied all of the SUNY General Education requirements and will be well prepared for success at the baccalaureate level. (For more information on this requirement, see the "General Education" section of this catalog.) In addition, students receive a solid grounding in the political and decision-making aspects of environmental affairs.

SUNY Delhi's location within New York City's Catskill watershed provides Environmental Studies students with an outstanding opportunity to begin their academic careers in a unique setting. In addition, Delhi's water-testing laboratory and collaborative biomass, irrigation, and other projects provide students with hands-on experience in a working laboratory and a one-of-a-kind instructional setting.

Curriculum

SUNY Curriculum Code: 2009

First Semester

Second Semester

Third Semester

Fourth Semester

Degree Requirement: 63 credit hours

Notes

¹ General Biology II is required by SUNY ESF. Botany and Zoology may be substituted for General Biology I and II.

² Students should take one course to meet the Arts General Education requirement as their humanities elective.

³ Students must complete MATH 150 Pre-Calculus or MATH 210 Calculus I to satisfy the mathematics requirement at SUNY ESF.

⁴ Students must take CHEM 180 at Delhi for General Chemistry I credit at SUNY ESF.

Admissions Requirements

Prospective students must meet the general admissions requirements for SUNY Delhi and express a desire to explore the field of environmental studies/science. Given the required courses and credit-hour demands of the program, a prospective student must enter with the ability to enroll in college-level mathematics, science, and English courses in order to complete the program in two academic years. Specifically, program applicants' high school records should include three units of Regents-level mathematics and three units of science.

Program Objectives

A graduate of the Environmental Studies A.S. program should be able to: 

1. Effectively communicate scientific ideas, concepts, and issues in both written and oral form.
2. Know and apply the methods and tools of analysis used in scientific inquiry.
3. Understand the relationship between biology and chemistry and the study of the environment.
4. Understand and discuss the interplay between economics, politics, public policy, and contemporary environmental issues.
5. Understand the importance of the political and economic behaviors and institutions that frame environmental policy.
6. Understand and discuss the complex environmental issues facing the world, the nation, and the region.
7. Understand and discuss the environmental issues and opportunities facing the Catskill watershed region.