Environmental Science and Sustainability B.S.
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Science and Sustainability
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lower-Division Required Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| COMX 111A | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| or THTR 120A | Introduction to Acting I | |
| ENST 225S | Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| FORS 201 | Forest Biometrics | 3-4 |
| or STAT 216 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| or WILD 240 | Intro to Biostatistics | |
| FORS 250 | Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt | 3 |
| or GPHY 284 | Intro to GIS and Cartography | |
| M 121 | College Algebra (or higher) | 3 |
| NRSM 110 | First Year Seminar in Environmental Science and Sustainability 1 | 1 |
| NRSM 121S | Environmental Science and Sustainability | 3 |
| NRSM 265 | Ecosystem Restoration | 3 |
| or NRSM 281 | Science of Climate Change | |
| Biology | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Principles of Living Systems | ||
| Principles of Biological Diversity | ||
| Introductory Ecology | ||
| Introduction to Botany | ||
| Physical Science | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3-4 | |
| Intro to Physical Geography: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation and Intro to Physical Geography Laboratory: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation | ||
| Soils and Water and Ecology, Physics and Taxonomy of Soils | ||
| Earth Systems Science and Earth Systems Science Lab | ||
| Climate and Water | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Weather and Climate | ||
| Energy and the Environment | ||
| Watershed Hydrology | ||
| Natural Climate Solutions | ||
| Ecosystem Climatology | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Ecosystem Ecology | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Fire Ecology | ||
| Rangeland Ecology | ||
| Restoration Ecology | ||
| Planning and Management | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Fire Management & Environmental Change | ||
| Multiple Resource Silviculture | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Rangeland Management | ||
| Parks & Outdoor Recreation Management | ||
| Recreation Planning | ||
| Policy | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Natural Resources Policy | ||
| Water Policy | ||
| Climate Policy | ||
| Wildlife Policy | ||
| Social Science | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Water and Sustainability | ||
| Climate and Society | ||
| Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions | ||
| Environment & International Development | ||
| Recreation Behavior | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete 12 credits of the following courses: | 12 | |
| Ecosystem Ecology | ||
300- and 400-level Environmental Science (ENSC) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Environmental Studies (ENST) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Earth Systems (ERTH) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Forestry (FORS) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Geoscience (GEO) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Geography (GPHY) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Natural Resource Management (NRSM) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management (PTRM) courses | ||
300- and 400-level Fish, Wildlife Science & Management (WILD) courses | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Complete 3 credits of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Field Work/Practicum (PEAS Farm) | ||
| Introduction to Forestry Field Skills | ||
| Field Methods: Earth, Water, and Climate Science | ||
| Field Techniques | ||
| First Year Seminar in Environmental Science and Sustainability | ||
| Wilderness and Civilization Field Studies | ||
| Yellowstone Studies | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
| Internship | ||
| First Year Seminar in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management | ||
| Wild Sustenance | ||
| Hunter Check Station | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Complete 3 credits of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Ecosystem Ecology | ||
| Climate Change Practicum | ||
| GLI Capstone | ||
| Geography Capstone | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Practicum (QUEST Practicum) | ||
| Climate and Society | ||
| Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions | ||
| Natural Climate Solutions | ||
| Restoration Ecology | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 65-67 | |
- 1
NRSM 110 is not required for students who declare the major after already earning 60+ credits.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Writing in the Discipline for ESS | ||
| To complete the Writing in the Discipline requirement for the ESS major, students must complete at least two of the following courses: | ||
| Ecosystem Ecology | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Water and Sustainability | ||
| Climate and Society | ||
| Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions | ||
| Rangeland Ecology | ||
| Restoration Ecology | ||
| Environment & International Development | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Recreation Behavior | ||
| Wildlife Policy | ||
Four Year Plan
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Hours | |
| NRSM 110 | First Year Seminar in Environmental Science and Sustainability | 1 |
| NRSM 121S | Environmental Science and Sustainability | 3 |
| M 121 | College Algebra | 3 |
| COMX 111A or THTR 120A |
Introduction to Public Speaking or Introduction to Acting I |
3 |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| ENST 225S | Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| NRSM 265 or NRSM 281 |
Ecosystem Restoration or Science of Climate Change |
3 |
| BIOB 160 |
Principles of Living Systems or Principles of Biological Diversity or Introductory Ecology or Introduction to Botany |
3 |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Autumn | ||
| FORS 201 or STAT 216 |
Forest Biometrics or Introduction to Statistics |
3 |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| FORS 250 or GPHY 284 |
Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt or Intro to GIS and Cartography |
3 |
| GPHY 111N & GPHY 112N |
Intro to Physical Geography: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation or Soils and Water and Ecology, Physics and Taxonomy of Soils or Earth Systems Science and Earth Systems Science Lab |
4 |
| 300/400-level Climate and Water Course | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Junior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| 300/400-level Social Science Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Experiential Learning Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Major Elective | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Planning and Management Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Ecology Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Elective or Gen Ed Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Major Elective | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| 300/400-level Policy Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Capstone Course | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Major Elective | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| 300/400-level Major Elective | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| 300/400-level Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective/Gen Ed Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 123 | |
Updated Autumn 2025