College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Environmental Policy and Planning B.A. & B.S.
We as a society depend on and value the environment for basic services such as food production, climate regulation, and recreation. In turn, societies have a significant impact on the environment, which in turn, can have significant economic and quality of life impacts. However, environmental problems are often difficult to resolve because they are embedded in a complex mesh of economics, politics, culture, and behavior. In order to address environmental problems in the future, we will need citizens who understand the human dimensions of these issues. The purpose of this new major in Environmental Policy and Planning is to provide students with an opportunity to concentrate on the related social science and policy dimensions of environmental problems.
The major integrates a group of courses to comprise a coherent approach to the study of the human dimensions of environmental problems. The major provides a recognizable, meaningful label to a concentration of courses that are customized by the student, thus making graduates viable as potential employees or candidates for graduate education. The major is managed by the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences.
The Environmental Policy and Planning major is offered as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Requirements
Students will take a common core of courses in anthropology, economics, geographical and sustainability sciences, and political science. Then, students choose between the Planning and Policy tracks. Each track has one course required for all and a selection of courses from which students pick an additional three. The Planning track has courses primarily in geographical and sustainability sciences and in urban and regional planning. The Policy track has courses primarily in political science and geographical and sustainability sciences.
Students who earn a second major in anthropology, geography, political science, or history must complete a minimum of 12 s.h. of course work in the second major that they do not also count toward the major in environmental policy and planning. The 12 s.h. of courses must be offered by the second major's administrative home: anthropology (prefix ANTH), geographical and sustainability sciences (prefix GEOG), or political science (prefix POLI). This requirement applies whether students earn the same degree (B.A. or B.S.) with both majors or earn a B.A. with one major and a B.S. with the other. However, honors students in environmental policy and planning may count their honors thesis credit toward this 12 s.h. requirement.
Students may not use a course to satisfy more than one requirement of the major.
EPPL majors: How to get a minor in Geography
EPPL majors: How to get a minor in Geographical Information Science (GISci)
The B.A. with a major in environmental policy and planning requires the following course work:
| Introductory Courses | 17-18 |
| Intermediate Courses | 12 |
| Methods Courses | 7-8 |
| Capstone Course/Research Project | 1-4 |
| Track Courses | 12 |
| Total Hours | 49-56 |
The B.S. with a major in environmental policy and planning requires the following course work:
| Introductory Courses | 17-18 |
| Intermediate Courses | 12 |
| Methods Courses | 13-14 |
| Capstone Course/Research Project | 1-4 |
| Track Courses | 12 |
| Total Hours | 55-62 |
Introductory Courses (B.A. and B.S.)
| All of these: | ||
| ECON:1100 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| ENVS:2010 | Interdisciplinary Environmental Seminar | 1 |
| GEOG:1070 | Contemporary Environmental Issues | 3 |
| GEOG:2013/BUS:2013/URP:2013 | Introduction to Sustainability | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| GEOG:1046/ANTH:1046/GWSS:1046 | Environmental Politics in India | 3 |
| ANTH:2261 | Human Impacts on the Environment | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| EES:1080/ENVS:1080 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3-4 |
| EES:1085/ENVS:1085 | Fundamentals of Environmental Science | 4 |
| GEOG:1020 | The Global Environment | 3 |
Intermediate Courses (B.A. and B.S.)
| Two of these: | ||
| POLI:1400 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3111 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| GEOG:3400 | Iowa Environmental Policy in Practice | 3 |
| GEOG:3780/GHS:3780 | U.S. Energy Policy in Global Context | 3 |
| HIST:3230 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| ANTH:3103 | Environment and Culture | 3 |
| GEOG:3300 | Envisioning Future Worlds: Sustainable Development and Its Alternatives | 3 |
| NAIS:1290 | Native American Foods and Foodways | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| CNW:2740 | The Art and Craft of Writing about the Environment | 3 |
| JMC:1800 | Environmental Communication | 3 |
| PBAF:3560 | Public Policy and Persuasion | 3 |
| RHET:3700 | Advocacy and Sustainability: Crafting Stories of People, Place, and Resilience | 3 |
Methods Courses (B.A. only)
| This course: | ||
| GEOG:2050 | Foundations of GIS | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| GEOG:1065 | Introduction to Spatial Analysis: Patterns and Processes | 3 |
| STAT:1020/PSQF:1020 | Elementary Statistics and Inference | 3 |
| STAT:1030 | Statistics for Business | 4 |
| STAT:2010 | Statistical Methods and Computing | 3 |
| STAT:2020 | Probability and Statistics for the Engineering and Physical Sciences | 3 |
| STAT:3510 | Biostatics | 3 |
| STAT:4143/PSQF:4143 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
Methods Courses (B.S. only)
| All of these: | ||
| GEOG:2050 | Foundations of GIS | 3 |
| GEOG:3520 | GIS for Environmental Studies | 3 |
| STAT:2010 | Statistical Methods and Computing | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| STAT:3120/IGPI:3120 | Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| POLI:3000 | Analyzing Political Data | 3 |
| ANTH:5110 | Anthropological Data Analysis | 3 |
| STAT:4143/PSQF:4143 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
Capstone Course/Research Project (B.A. and B.S.)
Students complete a capstone course or research project requirement. Capstone or research project courses are typically taken by students during their senior year. Students who choose GEOG:3992 Undergraduate Research must make arrangements with a faculty advisor.
| One of these: | ||
| ENVS:3010/EES:3010/GEOG:3003 | Interdisciplinary Environmental Seminar | 1 |
| GEOG:3992 | Undergraduate Research (consult advisor) | 1 |
| Honors students choose from the following options: | ||
| One of these: | ||
| GEOG:4995 | Honors Thesis | 3 |
| POLI:4601 | Honors Senior Thesis | 3 |
| ANTH:4995 | Honors Research Seminar | 2 |
| Or, both of these: | ||
| HIST:3995 | History Honors Research Seminar | 3 |
| HIST:3996 | Honors Thesis | 3 |
Tracks (B.A. and B.S.)
Students choose either the Planning Track or the Policy Track and complete their track's required course work.
Planning Track
The planning track requires 12 s.h. Some of these courses have prerequisites; students must complete all of a course's prerequisites before they may register for the course or seek permission of the instructor.
| One of these: | ||
| ECON:3625/URP:3135 | Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
| GEOG:3800 | Environmental Economics and Policy | 3 |
| Three of these: | ||
| ECON:3640/URP:3134 | Regional and Urban Economics | 3 |
| GEOG:2410 | Environment and Development | 3 |
| GEOG:2930 | Water Resources | 3 |
| GEOG:3210/OEH:3210 | Health, Work, and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOG:3315 | Ecosystem Ecology | 3 |
| GEOG:3340 | Ecosystem Services: Human Dependence on Natural Systems | 3 |
| GEOG:3350 | Urban Ecology | 3 |
| GEOG:3400 | Iowa Environmental Policy in Practice | 3 |
| GEOG:3760/GHS:3760 | Hazards and Society | 3 |
| GEOG:4770 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| NAIS:1290/AMST:1290/GHS:1290/HIST:1290 | Native American Foods and Foodways | 3 |
| URP:3001/GEOG:3920 | Planning Livable Cities | 3 |
| URP:3350/ECON:3750/GEOG:3940 | Transportation Economics | 3 |
Policy Track
The policy track requires 12 s.h. Some of these courses have prerequisites; students must complete all of a course's prerequisites before they may register for the course.
| One of these: | ||
| GEOG:4750 | Environmental Impact Analysis | 3 |
| POLI:2417 | Comparative Environmental Policy | 3 |
| Three of these: | ||
| ANTH:3237/MUSM:3237 | Politics of the Archeological Past | 3 |
| ANTH:3240 | Cultural Resources Management Archeology: Practice and Practicalities | 3 |
| CPH:3400/GEOG:3210 | Health, Work, and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOG:2331 | Human Dimensions of Climate | 3 |
| GEOG:3400 | Iowa Environmental Policy in Practice | 3 |
| HIST:3128 | Topics in Global Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST:3230 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| NAIS:1290/AMST:1290/GHS:1290/HIST:1290 | Native American Foods and Foodways | 3 |
| POLI:3100 | American State Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3102 | The U.S. Congress | 3 |
| POLI:3110 | Local Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3111 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| POLI:3117 | Bureaucratic Politics and Public Administration | 3 |
| POLI:3118 | Interest Groups | 3 |
| POLI:3123 | State Politics in Iowa (section EXW) | 3 |
| POLI:3126 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POLI:3128 | Politics of the U.S. National Parks System | 3 |
| POLI:3204/SOC:3525 | Public Opinion | 3 |
| POLI:3424 | Global Development | 3 |
| POLI:3408 | Chinese Politics and Society | 3 |
The course POLI:3125 Perspectives on Contemporary Iowa must be taken concurrently with POLI:3124 Political Science Des Moines Internship Program. Credit from POLI:3124 does not count toward the major.
Courses may not be used to satisfy more than one requirement. * For the policy electives, the course POLI:3125 Perspectives on Contemporary Iowa must be taken concurrently with POLI:3124 Political Science Des Moines Internship Program. Credit from POLI:3124 does not count toward the major
Majors in Environmental Policy & Planning may minor in Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, or Geographic Information Science (among others); no more than 6 sh can count toward both the major and the minor.
Honors in the Major
Students have the opportunity to graduate with honors in the major. Honors students in the program must maintain a cumulative UI g.p.a. of at least 3.33 and a g.p.a. of at least 3.33 in all work for the major. They must be admitted to the major's honors program by the first semester of their senior year or earlier.
Honors students pursue study beyond the typical undergraduate level. They work under the direction of a faculty member to conduct original research and then prepare and present an honors thesis based on their research. The thesis is reviewed by a committee of at least three faculty members. Students earn credit for the thesis by registering for GEOG:4995 Honors Thesis or POLI:4601 Honors Senior Thesis, or for both ANTH:4995 Honors Research Seminar and ANTH:4996 Honors Research.