Major Qualification Courses and Appeal Process
CLASSES REQUIRED TO DECLARE
Students must complete all of the following qualification courses with grades of C or better, to declare one of the department's majors.
Environmental Studies B.A. (with or without a concentration)
- ENVS 23 (or CHEM 3B/L)
- ENVS 24 (or BIOE 20C)
- ENVS 25
- STAT 7 and STAT 7L
Agroecology B.A.
- ENVS 80F
- ENVS 23 (or CHEM 3B/L)
- ENVS 24 (or BIOE 20C)
- ENVS 25
- STAT 7 and STAT 7L
Environmental Studies/Biology Combined B.A.
NOTE: All classes for the ENVS/BIO combined major must be taken for a letter grade.
- CHEM 3B/L
- BIOE 20C
- ENVS 25
- BIOL 20A
- STAT 7 and STAT 7L
Environmental Studies/Economics Combined B.A.
- ENVS 23 (or CHEM 3B/L)
- ENVS 24 (or BIOE 20C)
- ENVS 25
- ECON 1
- AM 11A
- STAT 17 and STAT 17L
Environmental Studies/Earth Sciences Combined B.A.
*This major has been discontinued. Students who entered UCSC Fall 2024 or later are not able to pursue this major.*
- CHEM 3B/L
- ENVS 24 (or BIOE 20C)
- ENVS 25
- STAT 7 and STAT 7L, taken concurrently
NON-PASSING GRADES IN QUALIFICATION COURSES
Students receiving a non-passing grade (NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F) in one of the courses required for admission to the major may only declare once they have passed the same or equivalent course with a grade of C or better.
Students who receive two or more non-passing grades in the qualifying courses are not eligible to declare the major. For purposes of qualification, retaking a course will not erase a failure. Students are eligible to appeal -- see appeal process below.
APPEAL PROCEDURES FOR ENVS MAJORS
Students who are not eligible to declare the major due to more than one non-passing grade in major qualification courses may appeal this decision by submitting an appeal. In the appeal form, students will be asked to provide:
- A reason for the appeal, explaining the circumstances around the non-passing grades and what has changed since then. Students are encouraged to be specific in how they plan to be successful moving forward.
- An unofficial transcript of their college courses, including grades.
Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department advisor will email the student and their college advisors, to notify them of the department's decision. To discuss the appeal process or ask questions, feel free to email envsadvi@ucsc.edu or schedule an appointment with the ENVS advisor.
