Sustainability, Ecology and Policy B.S.

All students must meet the Degree and University Requirements.

All students must meet the Catamount Core Curriculum Requirements.

All students must meet the Rubenstein Core Curriculum Requirements.

Three concentrations are available under the Sustainability, Ecology and Policy major:

Applied Ecology Concentration

Environmental Planning, Policy and Law Concentration 

Integrated Natural Resources Concentration

Dual-Degree Programs: The University of Vermont (UVM) and Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) also offer unique 3+2 and 3+3 dual-degree programs. The dual-degree programs enable highly-focused students to earn both degrees in less time and at less cost from two distinguished institutions. In addition to the dual-degree programs, VLGS offers a guaranteed admission program for UVM graduates.  Students who select the concentration in Environmental Planning, Policy and Law are well-positioned to complete the UVM/VLGS 3+2 and 3+3 programs, and earn a BS in Sustainability, Ecology and Policy and a Juris Doctor (JD) in five or six years. Students who wish to pursue this opportunity should consult with the Director of the Sustainability, Ecology and Policy Program about their academic plans.

Applied Ecology Concentration

The Applied Ecology curriculum explores the biology and ecology of plants and animals in both aquatic and terrestrial systems and allows students to select courses around specific individual interests.  Please note that courses taken for concentrations may NOT be double-counted for distribution requirements.

A total of 120 credits is required for the degree.

Required Courses

Requirement DescriptionCredits
BCOR 1400Exploring Biology 10 or 4
or BIOL 1400 Principles of Biology 1
or BIOL 1000 AP Biology 1
BCOR 1450Exploring Biology 20 or 4
or BIOL 1450 Principles of Biology 2
CHEM 1100Outline: General Chem w/lab4-8
or CHEM 1400
CHEM 1450
General Chemistry 1
and General Chemistry 2
CHEM 1150Outline: Organic & BIOC w/lab4-8
or CHEM 1580 Intro Organic Chemistry w/lab
or CHEM 2580
CHEM 2585
Organic Chemistry 1
and Organic Chemistry 2
FOR 2110Nat Res Ecol and Assessment 14
ENSC 2490Climate Change II 31 or 3
or SEP 2880 Sustainability Science
or NR 2740 CR: Sustainability Theory&Prac
MATH 1212Fundamentals of Calculus I3
NR 2100Environmental Communication3
NR 2400Applied Environ Statistics4
NR 2430Intro to Geog Info Systems3
or NR 2460 Remote Sensing
Students chose at least 9 credits in Strong Ecological Content courses from the following list, in consultation with their advisor.9
Advanced Agroecology
Soil Ecology
Ecology and Evolution
Introduction to Marine Science
Plant-Animal Interactions
Community Ecology
Behavioral Ecology
Evolution
Global Environmental Change
Global Environmental Change
Recovery&Restor Altered Ecosys
Forest Ecosystem Analysis
Forest Ecosystem Health
Environmental Microbiology
Tropical Ecology in CR
Ecological Invasions
Global Change Ecology
Field Ecology Practicum
Landscape Ecology
Ecosystem Ecology
Limnology
Stream Ecology
Wildlife Disease Ecology
Conservation Biology
Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology
Students choose up to 18 credits (to total 27) in courses to Contribute to, or Expand Ecological Understanding, or Strong Ecological Content, in consultation with their advisor. 18
Weed Ecology & Management
Fundamentals of Soil Science
Biological Control
Ecological Landscape Design
Chemistry of Soil & Water
Wildlife Hlth & Consrvation
Vertebrate Zoology
Sociobiology
Mammalogy
Population Genetics
Climate Change II 3
Dendrology
Wildland Fire
Multi-Resource Silviculture
Weather, Climate & Landscapes
Climatology: Concepts & Tools
The Circumpolar Arctic
Environmental Geology
Environmental Geochemistry
Geomorphology
Field Geology
Geochemistry of Natural Waters
Landscape Restor & Leadership
Intro to Geog Info Systems 3
Remote Sensing 3
Landscape Natural History
Adv Geospatial Techniques
Plant Physiology
Morph & Evo of Vascular Plants
Plant Systematics
How Plants Can Save the World
How Plants Can Save the World
Biology of Fungi
Ecuador: Natural History
Biology of Ferns
Plant Systematics in CostaRica
Water as a Natural Resource
Sustainability Science 3
Ecological Design & Living Tec
Adaptation to Climate Change
Ornithology
Field Ornithology
Field Herpetology
Ichthyology
Wildlife Behavior
Additional Options:
Internship 1
Independent Study 1
Undergraduate Research 1
Internship 1
Independent Study 1
Undergraduate Research 1
Honors 2
Honors 2
1

A maximum of 6 credits may count toward either strong ecological content OR expands ecological understanding with the Program Director's approval and with the completion of an Experiential Learning Plan prior to the start of the internship/study/research work.

2

A maximum of 3 credits may count toward either strong ecological content OR expands ecological understanding with the Program Director's approval.

3

May not double count for required courses.

Any course substitution request should be approved prior to the end of the add/drop period for the semester in which the student plans to enroll in the substitute course.

Environmental Planning, Policy and Law Concentration

The Environmental Planning, Policy and Law curriculum explores interactions among individuals, communities, and society with nature, resources, and the environment. It allows students to select courses around specific individual interests such as natural resource planning and community, policy and economic dimensions of resource planning, and international dimensions of resource planning.  Please note that courses taken for concentrations may NOT be double-counted for distribution requirements.

A total of 120 credits is required for the degree.

Required Courses

Requirement DescriptionCredits
ANTH 1100Cultural Anthropology3
or GEOG 1760 Global Environments & Cultures
ENSC 2490Climate Change II1 or 3
or SEP 2880 Sustainability Science
or NR 2740 CR: Sustainability Theory&Prac
CDAE 1020World Food,Pop & Develop3-4
or ENVS 1510 Solutions in Enviro Studies
ECON 1400Principles of Macroeconomics3
or ECON 1450 Principles of Microeconomics
or CDAE 1610 Principles of Comm Dev Econ
NR 2100Environmental Communication3
NR 2400Applied Environ Statistics0 or 4
or NR 2401 Intro Environmental Statistics
or STAT 1050 Stat & Social Justice
or STAT 1110 Elements of Statistics
or STAT 1410 Basic Statistical Methods 1
POLS 1300US Political System3
or POLS 1700 Comparative World Politics
or POLS 1500 Intro International Relations
PHIL 1600Ethics3
or PHIL 1635 Ethics of Eating
or PHIL 1630 Environmental Ethics
or CDAE 3080 Agricultural Policy and Ethics
SOC 1500Introduction to Sociology3
or SOC 1100 Social Problems
Students choose 21 credits in Content Courses from the following list in consultation with their advisor.21
Environmental Anthropology
Environmental Anthropology
Zoos, Exotics & Endang Species
Adv Top:Zoo,Exotic,Endang Spec
Sustainable Community Dev
Community Develpmt:St Lucia I
The Real Cost of Food
Agricultural Policy and Ethics 3
Community Org & Development
Economics of Sustainability
Contemp Policy Iss:Comm Dev
Smart Resilient Communities
Economics of Climate Change
Econ of Environmental Policy
Econ of Environmental Policy
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism
Gender, Space & Environment
Gender, Space & Environment
Gender, Space & Environment
Restoration Cultures
Restoration Cultures
Rural Geography
Rural Geography
Gender, Space & Environment
Political Ecology
Urban Geography
Rural Lives in Global World
Human Ecology & Health-Arctic
Topics in Environmental Ethics
Topics in Environmental Ethics
US Environmental Politics
US Environmental Politics
Int'l Environmental Governance
Int'l Environmental Governance
Tourism Planning
Ecotourism
Outdoor Recreation Planning
Environmental Interpretation 4
Water as a Natural Resource
Environmental Justice
Intro to Ecological Economics
Intro to Environmental Policy
Women's Health and Environment
Arctic Env, Society & Politics
Environmental Law
Legal Aspects of Envi Planning
Energy and Climate Law
Environmental Education
Population, Environment & Soc
Sociology of Disaster
Adv Environmental Sociology
C Ross Env Pb Srv Practicum 4
Students choose 6 credits in Tools Courses from the following list, in consultation with their advisor.6
Landscape Design Fundamentals
Landscape Design Fundamentals
Landscape Design Fundamentals
Ecological Landscape Design
Ethnographic Field Methods
Media-Policy-Action
Communicating Climate Crises
Project Development & Planning
Global Environmental Assessmnt
Geog Info:Cncpts & Applic
Intro to Geog Info Systems
Remote Sensing
Adv Geospatial Techniques
C Ross Env Pb Srv Practicum 4
GIS Practicum
Social Research Methods
Social Research Methods
Environmental Interpretation 4
Kincentric Ecology
Ecological Design & Living Tec
Environmental Education
Debating Global Issues
6 credits of a modern foreign language
Additional Options:
Internship 1
Independent Study 1
Undergraduate Research 1
Internship 1
Independent Study 1
Undergraduate Research 1
Honors 2
Honors 2
1

A maximum of 6 credits may count toward either content courses OR tools courses with the Program Director's approval and with the completion of an Experiential Learning Plan prior to the start of the internship/study/research work.

2

A maximum of 3 credits may count toward either content courses OR tools courses with the Program Director's approval.

3

May not double count for both required courses and option electives.

4

May be counted as either content or tools but may NOT be double counted.

Any course substitution request should be approved prior to the end of the add/drop period for the semester in which the student plans to enroll in the substitute course.

Integrated Natural Resources Concentration

Integrated Natural Resources (INR) is a self-designed major. INR is the right choice for students who have strong interests in natural resources and the environment, clear academic direction, and the motivation to develop a well-focused, personally meaningful course of study. Working closely with a faculty advisor, the student builds on a solid foundation of natural resources courses to create an individualized program that combines course work from disciplines within and outside the school.

A total of 120 credits is required for the degree.

Required courses

(minimum nine credits)

Requirement DescriptionCredits
Environmental Communication
Applied Environ Statistics
Intro Environmental Statistics
Stat & Social Justice
Elements of Statistics
Basic Statistical Methods 1
Special Topics (When topic is INR Planning))
Students select from a list of approved courses, at least one course in each of three areas:
Biology/ecology
NR courses in social sciences
Quantitative and analytical methods
These courses are in addition to those taken to fulfill RSENR's general education requirements. The list of approved courses is available on the RSENR website.

Individualized Program of Study

(minimum 39 credits)

The student develops an Individualized Program of Study composed primarily of intermediate level RSENR courses (ENSC, FOR, NR, SEP, PRT or WFB prefix). This must include at least 24 credits inside the school and no more than 6 credits below the 2000-level. With careful selection of courses, students develop concentrations such as Environmental Education, Sustainable Resource Management, Environmental Health, and Spatial Analysis of Natural Resources. All programs of study must be endorsed by the advisor, then approved by the faculty. If not approved, the student may not continue in the INR concentration and must seek another major. The program of study is to be approved by the end of the sophomore year (sixty credits). Transfer students with more than sixty credits must have a program of study approved as part of the transfer application. It is expected that transfer students will be active in the program for at least 2 years (4 semesters) after transferring into the INR concentration. Any course substitution request should be approved prior to the end of the add/drop period for the semester in which the student plans to enroll in the substitute course.