Majors and Coursework
Undergraduate majors with strong sustainability and environmental focus:
- Environmental Systems Science (B.S.) – core environmental major focused on Earth processes, ecosystems, climate, and sustainability solutions
- Environmental Engineering (B.S.) – engineering approaches to sustainable infrastructure, water, energy, and environmental problem‑solving
- Environmental Humanities (B.A.) – explores human and cultural perspectives on environment and sustainability
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (B.S.) – science of biological diversity and conservation strategies
- Earth Systems Science extensions (e.g., Earth and Climate Science, Ecosystem Science) within ESS
- Management of Innovation, Sustainability & Technology (MIST) — includes sustainability management pathways
Minors Supporting Sustainability Interests
- Environmental Science and Sustainability Minor – interdisciplinary coursework on environment, sustainability science, and societal solutions.
- Other relevant minors that often connect to sustainability themes (depending on course selection):
- Environmental Humanities
- Geospatial Technology
- Data Science & Analytics with environmental data focus options
- Public Health (environmental health topics)
Coursework
Sustainability is one of the “Intellectual Experience Badge” requirements in the UC Merced GE program. Every student must complete a set of intellectual experience badges, and Sustainability is one of them that students must satisfy through coursework that explores how humans affect and are affected by the natural world.
Some examples include:
- BIO113 — Sustainability in the Anthropocene
- CEE160 — Sustainable Energy
- ESS 043 — Biodiversity and Conservation
- PHIL 122 — Bioethics
For a complete list of courses that fulfill the sustainability badge, click HERE
