UMass Boston

Apply for Admission

Please review the first-year and transfer apply pages for important information about application requirements, deadlines, and application status check.

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process 

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

Major Requirements

Complete at least 46 credits from 18 courses including the core requirement courses (four natural sciences/math area courses, one natural resource area course, one social sciences area course, two humanities area courses, one interdisciplinary/sustainability course, one economics/economic development area course), four electives, three seminars, and a capstone.

GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required from all major courses.
Pass/fail: ;No courses taken pass/fail may be applied toward the major.
Residency: At least five courses from environmental science (except for ENVSCI 114, 124, 134 and first year seminars), ENVSTY (except for ENVSTY 210, 310, and 410), and CDVCTR must be completed at UMass Boston.

Course Requirements

Core Courses (28 Credits)

Natural Sciences/Mathematics Area (10 Credits)

• ENVSCI 120 - Introduction to Environmental Science 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 121 - Introduction to Environmental Science Lab 1 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 260 - Global Environmental Change 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 261 - Statistics for Environmental Science 3 Credit(s)

• or

• MATH 125 - Introductory Statistic 3 Credit(s)

Natural Resources Area (3 Credits)

• ENVSCI 122 - Introduction to Environmental Policy & Management 3< Credit(s)

Social Sciences Area (3 Credits)

• POLSCI 203 - Public Policy (A) 3 Credit(s)

Humanities Area (6 Credits)

Complete two courses from below.

• PHIL 220 - Environmental Ethics 3 Credit(s)
• ANTH 263 - Environmental Anthropolog 3 Credit(s)

• or

• HIST 276 - This Land is Your Land: A Survey of American Environmental History 3 Credit(s)

• or

• ENVSTY 222L - Religion and the Environment: Global Stewardship and Practices of Faith Communities 3 Credit(s)

Interdisciplinary/Sustainability Area (3 Credits)

• ENVSTY 230 - Introduction to Sustainability 3 Credit(s)

Economics/Economic Development Area (3 Credits)

• ECON 345L - Natural Resources & Sustainable Development 3 Credit(s)

• or

• ENVSCI 345L - Natural Resources & Sustainable Development 3 Credit(s)

• or

• ENVSCI 368 - Social-Ecological Systems Dynamics 3 Credit(s)

Electives (12 Credits)

Complete four electives by taking one course in each of the areas below. At least two of the electives must be at the 300-level or higher.

• Natural Resources

• ENVSCI 270 - Cities and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 280 - Global Society and the Environment Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 281 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 Credit(s)
• DNVSCI 324 - Coastal Zone Management 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 340L - Planning and Land Use Law 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 364 - Environmental Management and Sustainability 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 383 - Water Resources Management: Principles, practices, and problems. 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 384 - Climate and Energy: Law, Policy, and Management 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 387 - Climate Change Adaptation Planning 3 Credit(s)

  Social Sciences

• ANTH 317 - Human Epidemiology 3 Credit(s)
• ANTH 346 - Culture, Globalization, and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
• UPCD 201 - History and Theory of Community Development 3 Credit(s)
• UPCD 210 - Community Health and Environment 3 Credit(s)
• UPCD 301 - Introduction to Research Methods and Community Analysis Credit(s)
• UPCD 303 - Quantitative Methods for Community Development 3 Credit(s)
• CONRES 621 Negotiation (M) 3 Credits (see graduate catalog)
• CONRES 623 Introductory Theory 3 Credits (see graduate catalog)
• ENVSTY 351L - Architecture and Human Built Environment Interactions3 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 364L - Environmental Justice 3 Credit(s)

  Humanities

• ASIAN 371 - Environmental Issues in China 3 Credit(s)<
• ENGL 343 - Literature, Culture and Environment em>3 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 371 - Telling the Story: broadcast multi-media communications about natural, built, and human environments 3 Credit(s)
• COMM 340 - Communication and Community Mobilization 3 Credit(s)
• HIST 392 - American Women in Biography3 Credit(s)
• WGS 270 - Native American Women in North America 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 295L - Introduction to Human Rights 3 Credit(s)

  Economics/Economic Development

• UPCD 353L - Community Economic Development in the U.S.: Class, Race, Ethnicity 3 Credit(s)
• UPCD 371 - Organizational Behavior for Public and Nonprofit Organizations 3 Credit(s)
• ECON 349L - Economic Approaches to Environmental Problems 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 331 - Feeding the Next Two Billion: Solutions for Food Security 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 481L - Introduction to Environmental Management and Clean Energy 3 Credit(s)
• MGT 481L - Introduction to Environmental Management and Clean Energy 3 Credit(s)

Seminars (3 Credits)

• ENVSTY 210 - Second-Year Seminar: Conflict and Resolution 1 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 310 - Third-Year Seminar: Professional Development 1 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 410 - Fourth-Year Seminar: Environmental Issues 1 Credit(s)

Capstone (3 Credits)

Complete one course from below. Course must be at least three credits.

• ENVSCI 444 - Cooperative Education Field Experiences 3-6 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 445 - Cooperative Education II 3-9 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 476 - Environmental Science Capstone 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 481 - Capstone Independent Study 3 Credit(s)
• ENVSCI 498 - Honors in Environmental Science 3 Credit(s)<
• ENVSTY 301 - Internship in Environmental Studies 1-3 Credit(s)
• ENVSTY 478 - Independent Study1-3 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Upon completion of the Environmental Studies and Sustainability BA Program:

1. Students will understand key sustainability concepts and become practiced at applying these principles to real world problems.
2. Students will be able to use interdisciplinary and collaborative decision-making processes to devise practical solutions for managing environmental problems.
3. Students will be able to analyze and critique sustainability issues balancing multiple disciplinary perspectives and research approaches (e.g., social, ecological, ethical, philosophical, political, and economic). 
4. Students will demonstrate analytical proficiencies, both quantitative and qualitative, to support data-driven decisions.
5. Students will understand the system interactions and feedbacks between human activities and social institutions and the natural environment.
6. Students will be experienced in communicating their learnings both in writing, visually, and orally, and for specific and general audiences.

Program Contact

For more information contact the director of AASC Elizabeth Boyle (elizabeth.boyle@umb.edu; 617.287.4756).