Major & Minor

Walden Pond, Concord MA

Requirements for the Environmental Studies Major

A 10-course major:

The environmental studies major includes two components: a set of core requirements and a set of electives. The core requirements provide students with an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. The electives allow students to pursue either a general approach to environmental studies or an area of focus that reflects their particular interests. For a full list of ES courses, visit the ES course catalog, and view the current list of Additional Courses for Credit Towards the Major.

1. Two required core courses:
     a. ES 102 
     b. ES 214 

2. Two science courses (with at least one lab): 

     a. One introductory environmental science course, from among this list of courses:

     - ES 100 
     - ES 101 w Lab
     - BISC 108 w Lab
     - BISC 111/113 w Lab
     - CHEM 103 
     - GEOS 101 w Lab

     b. One additional NPS designated course from the list of Environmental Studies Courses or Additional Courses for Credit Towards the ES Major. If the introductory science course taken didn't have a lab, the additional NPS course must. Includes 100-level courses but not both ES 100 and ES 101. 

3. One environmental studies course which satisfies the Historical Studies, Language and Literature, or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy distribution requirement.

4. Four electives from the list of Environmental Studies courses or courses for credit toward the major.  The electives must add up to at least 4 units of academic credit. Independent study courses and partial-credit courses count toward the requirement, although at least two electives must be full-unit, non-independent study courses, one of which must be at the 300-level (a 350 independent study does not meet the 300-level elective requirement).

In addition to all courses offered by or cross-listed with the ES department, the following courses may be used as electives (courses from the list of Environmental Studies Courses or Additional Courses for Credit Toward the Major) Note, that this list may not reflect courses recently added to the college curriculum. If you are taking or have taken another ES-related course that doesn’t appear on the list, please petition the chair to count it toward your major or minor.

5. One capstone course: ES 300 or ES 399

Other guidance regarding the major:

Students will, in consultation with their advisors, choose one or more focus areas to lend depth and coherence to the major and can guide course choices.

Note: All courses that count for the ES major can be taken as electives, but no single course can fulfill two requirements for the major.

Students who have taken a core ES required course for another major or minor can substitute an ES elective (200-level or above) instead of taking an additional core ES course to fulfill the same requirement.

Partial unit courses can be combined to fulfill the science or humanities requirements or count toward the elective requirement.

A student may petition to count a course not listed in the Courses for Credit Toward the Major list. Students should contact the Chair for approval, and the Chair will use their discretion in seeking guidance from the ES Advisory Faculty.

Credit from Outside Courses: Students may count three courses taken from outside of Wellesley toward the environmental studies major. Courses from abroad cannot be substituted for ES 102, ES 214, or the 300-level elective requirement. Students may petition the Chair to count more than three courses from outside Wellesley. Such petitions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Courses should be approved by the Chair prior to enrollment. Courses at MIT and Olin, as well as EXTD courses, count as Wellesley courses rather than as courses taken off campus, but specific courses must be approved by the student's advisor to count toward the major. AP credit in Environmental Science cannot be used to replace any Environmental Studies requirements. - top -

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Requirements for the Environmental Studies Minor

A 5-course minor:

The environmental studies minor includes two components: a set of core requirements and a set of electives. Similar to the major, the core requirements provide students with a shared foundation in environmental studies and the electives allow them to pursue topics of interest to them in environmental studies. 

1. Two required core courses:

  1. ES 102
  2. ES 214

2. Three electives from Environmental Studies courses or the list of Courses for Credit Toward the Major. 

Introductory, core, and capstone courses may also count as electives, but no single course can fulfill two requirements for the minor. A student may petition to count a course not listed in the Courses for Credit Toward the Major list. Students should contact the Chair for approval, and the Chair will use their discretion in seeking guidance from the ES Advisory Faculty.

Independent study courses and partial-credit courses can count toward the elective requirement, although at least two electives must be full-unit, non-independent study courses.

Students who have taken a core ES required course for another major or minor can substitute an ES elective (200-level or above) instead of taking an additional core ES course to fulfill the same requirement.

Students may count no more than one course taken away from Wellesley towards the environmental studies minor. This course should be approved by the Chair prior to enrollment. Courses from abroad cannot be substituted for ES 102 or ES 214. Courses at MIT and Olin, as well as EXTD courses, count as Wellesley courses rather than as courses taken off campus, but specific courses must be approved by the student's advisor to count towards the minor. AP credit in Environmental Science cannot be used to replace any Environmental Studies requirements.

For a full list of ES courses, visit the ES course catalog, and for a current list of non ES-listed Courses for Credit Towards the ES minor, visit this page. - top -