BA in Interdisciplinary with Emphasis in Environmental Studies
Program is no longer admitting students. Discontinued as of Fall 2025.
Degree Program Description
The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary with an emphasis in Environmental Studies is an individually-designed major for students interested in acquiring a broad understanding of environmental issues and the complex causes underlying them. Students design their major to reflect their own interests and goals in the field. Individualized majors of this kind require a higher level of commitment than is typical of traditional majors because students must do the work of building their own degree. The program prepares students for graduate study and careers in education, law, business, public policy, humanitarian aid, non-profit organizations, and government. The majority of students with the degree work in areas such as advocacy and outreach as well as policy and regulation.
Major Program Requirements
Students in this major must complete 5 specified Core courses to fulfill College of Arts and Science Foundation Requirements and an additional 31 hours minimum for the major. A minimum cumulative GPA in all major coursework is 2.0.
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
- A total of 31 hours is required for the major.
- Students must complete 21 hours numbered 2000 or higher in the major.
- 15 hours numbered 3000 level or higher are required in the major.
- D-range grades are not allowed in the major.
- A minimum grade of C- is required for courses taken for the major.
- Complete 15 hours of coursework in either Natural Dimensions courses or Social-Cultural Dimensions courses.
- The course levels will be determined by the academic advisor.
| Required Core Coursework | ||
| Biological, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences: | ||
| Complete a general education approved Biological Sciences course. The following are recommended. | ||
| BIO_SC 1010 | General Principles and Concepts of Biology | 3-5 |
| or BIO_SC 1200 | General Botany with Laboratory | |
| or BIO_SC 1500 | Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory | |
| Complete a general education approved Geology course. The following are recommended. | ||
| GEOL 1100 | Introduction to the Earth with Laboratory | 4 |
| or GEOL 1200 | Environmental Geology with Laboratory | |
| One lecture with a corresponding laboratory must be completed. | ||
| Laboratories should be taken with the corresponding lecture or after the lecture is completed, but not before completing the corresponding lecture course. | ||
| Social Sciences: | ||
| Complete a general education approved Economics or Agricultural Economics course. The following are recommended. | ||
| ECONOM 1014 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| or ECONOM 1015 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| or ABM 1041 | Applied Microeconomics | |
| or ABM 1042 | Applied Macroeconomics | |
| Complete a general education approved Geography course. The following is recommended. | ||
| GEOG 2660 | Environmental Geography | 3 |
| Major Requirements | ||
| Natural Dimensions: | ||
| ANTHRO 3560 | Plagues and Peoples | 3 |
| ANTHRO 4320 | Ecological and Environmental Anthropology | 3 |
| ATM_SC 3600 | Climates of the World | 3 |
| BIO_SC 2100 | Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| BIO_SC 3650 | General Ecology * | 5 |
| ENV_SC 2600 | Sustainability Foundations: An Introduction to Sustainability | 3 |
| ENV_SC 3330 | Environmental Land Use Management | 3 |
| ENV_SC 4400 | Environmental Law, Policy, and Justice * | 3 |
| ENV_SC 4600 | Sustainability Science Problem Solving | 3 |
| ENV_ST 2070 | Introduction to Ecological Economics | 3 |
| GEOG 2610 | Climate, Landforms and Vegetation: Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 3560 | Native American Geographies | 3 |
| GEOG 3630 | Earth Surface Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 4560 | Resources and Indigenous Peoples | 3 |
| GEOG 4620 | Biogeography: Global Patterns of Life * | 3 |
| GEOL 2400 | Surficial Earth Processes and Products with Laboratory | 4 |
| GEOL 2600 | Mineral and Energy Resources of the Earth | 3 |
| GEOL 3110 | Geology of Missouri | 3 |
| GEOL 4120 | Engineering Geology | 3 |
| NAT_R 1070 | Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
| NAT_R 2160 | Issues in Natural Resources and the Environment | 3 |
| NAT_R 4353 | Natural Resource Policy/Administration | 3 |
| Social-Cultural: | ||
| ANTHRO 3560 | Plagues and Peoples * | 3 |
| ANTHRO 4320 | Ecological and Environmental Anthropology | 3 |
| ARCHST 2100 | Understanding Architecture and the American City | 3 |
| ARCHST 2620 | People, Places and Design | 3 |
| ARCHST 4435 | History of the Designed Environment to 1750 | 3 |
| ART_VS 4051 | Environmental Art | 3 |
| BL_STU 2830 | Environment and Development in Africa | 3 |
| ECONOM 3271 | Introduction to Applied Econometric Practice | 3 |
| ECONOM 4318 | Environmental Economics * | 3 |
| GEOG 2720 | The City | 3 |
| GEOG 3560 | Native American Geographies | 3 |
| GEOG 3570 | Indigenous Peoples of Alaska | 3 |
| GEOG 3580 | Placewriting * | 3 |
| GEOG 4450 | Health, Healthcare Access, and Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 4560 | Resources and Indigenous Peoples * | 3 |
| GEOG 4580 | Decolonizing Methodologies | 3 |
| HIST 2422 | Nature's Nation: Disease, Disaster, and Ecology in American History | 3 |
| HIST 2590 | Epidemics and Society | 3 |
| HIST 4430 | The Great West in American History | 3 |
| HIST 4440 | History of the American Environment | 3 |
| ENV_SC 2600 | Sustainability Foundations: An Introduction to Sustainability | 3 |
| ENV_SC 3330 | Environmental Land Use Management | 3 |
| ENV_SC 4600 | Sustainability Science Problem Solving | 3 |
| ENV_ST 2070 | Introduction to Ecological Economics | 3 |
| NAT_R 4024 | Foundations of Environmental Education | 3 |
| NAT_R 4353 | Natural Resource Policy/Administration | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3560 | Public Health and Environmental Justice | 3 |
| PHIL 2900 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| POL_SC 4550 | Environmental Conflict | 3 |
| REL_ST 2100 | Indigenous Religions | 3 |
| REL_ST 3230 | Buddhism and Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| SOCIOL 1120 | Population, Environment and Sustainability | 3 |
| SOCIOL 1500 | Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies | 3 |
| SOCIOL 2281 | Nuclear Weapons: Environmental, Health and Social Effects | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3330 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3720 | Settler Colonialism and Native American/Indigenous Communities | 3 |
| T_A_M 2400 | Global Consumers | 3 |
| T_A_M 2500 | Social Psychology of Dress and Fashion | 3 |
| T_A_M 2520 | History of Western Dress * | 3 |
| T_A_M 3520 | 19th and 20th Century Western Dress | 3 |
Capstone Experience
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Complete 3 hours of Service Learning, Internships, & Readings, or 3 hours of 4000-level coursework.
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The Capstone must be completed in the final 45 hours of coursework.
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Students must earn a C- or higher to fulfill the Capstone requirement.
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Students must have a Capstone approved by their academic advisor.
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Students may complete an Internship or Readings that is not used as a Capstone.
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Students may not earn retroactive credit for internships.
Internships 4940
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Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to apply for approval of an internship project.
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Students must not have any active Student Conduct holds.
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Students may not complete an internship at an existing position.
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Students must work 50 hours for each credit hour earned.
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During the Internship period, students must submit the following assignments:
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a well-written proposal outlining the details of the internship must accompany the application
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a carefully-prepared factual report about the internship which addresses the questions outlined in the student’s internship proposal
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a résumé which includes the student’s internship experience and documents the tangible skills they attained while working
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an interpretative essay in which students connect what they have learned from their internship experience with their academic work in their individualized major
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Internship supervisors must submit a performance evaluation.
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Internships receive a grade of S or U (pass/fail).
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The Office of Multidisciplinary Degrees reserves the right to deny internship project approval to any student it believes will not be a good representative of the University.
Readings 4960
Students work independently with MU faculty on research and/or professional projects. A student finds a campus professor with whom to work. Together, they create concrete objectives for a meaningful project. The professor guides and supervises the student towards completion of the project and is responsible for awarding a letter grade for the course.
Service-Learning 4970
Service-Learning provides hands-on experience in service experiences that are coordinated in collaboration with MU and the community. Service-Learning experiences create valuable learning environments for students as they connect with the community in partnerships that provide effective and far-reaching assistance to those in need. To apply, students must have a 2.5 GPA or higher.
Semester Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Math and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | ENGLSH 1000 | 3 |
| Missouri State Law Requirement: Social Science from Arts and Science | 3 | Approved Biological Science course for major | 3 |
| GEOL 1200 | 4 | ECONOM 1014 (Arts and Science Diversity Requirement) | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Behavioral Science | 3 |
| GEOG 2660 | 3 | ||
| 13 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | Second Language Requirement | 4 |
| Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 | Humanities from Arts and Science | 3 |
| Behavioral Science, 2000+ level | 3 | Social Science, 2000+ level | 3 |
| Environmental Studies major core course, 2000+ level | 3 | Environmental Studies major core course, 3000+ level | 3 |
| First Writing Intensive | 3 | Biological or Physical Science lab | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | Environmental Studies major core course, 3000+ level | 3 |
| Environmental Studies major core course, 3000+l level | 3 | Humanities, 2000+ level | 3 |
| Environmental Studies major core course, 3000+ level | 3 | Social Science | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Environmental Studies major core course, 3000+ level | 3 | Environmental Studies major capstone course | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Electiive | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 3 | Second Major, Minor, Certificate, or Elective | 2 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.