Mar 19, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Liberal Arts – Environmental Studies Option, Associate of Arts


Environmental Studies, an option of the Associate of Arts degree program, is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Department of Science and Engineering, and other departments at RVCC with environmental interests and applications. This option prepares students for transfer into either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree programs in Environmental Studies and related fields, which leads to a wide range of career opportunities in environmental policy and law, journalism, activism, business and education.

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary major designed to teach students to examine environmental issues from a broad range of perspectives and analytical methods. Approximately half of the coursework will consist of classes in the biological and physical sciences, to learn about the basic patterns and processes that govern the natural world, and the effects of human actions upon it. The other half of classes will consist of courses in the humanities and social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, philosophy, history, economics) in order to better understand the complexities of these human dimensions of contemporary environmental issues. With this broad range of tools and perspectives, students will learn to analyze the human and other causes of modern environmental problems, as well as to devise strategies and solutions to address them. Students will also be encouraged to focus on a particular subject area of his or her interest (e.g., social sciences, humanities, communications and languages, education, fine arts, economics, etc.).

Graduates are able to:

  • apply critical thinking strategies across the disciplines
  • write research-based essays that analyze and synthesize sources to support a thesis
  • organize and deliver effective oral presentations
  • forge a practical linkage between learning in the classroom and applying that learning to real-world problems
  • demonstrate cultural competence by communicating effectively and efficiently in cross-cultural and multicultural situations
  • analyze real-world environmental issues using the concepts and skills learned in the liberal arts and sciences

 

Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities.  Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.

NOTE: Students considering transfer to Rutgers University should choose a Global & Cultural Awareness (GCA) General Education course not replicated elsewhere in their curriculum.  Students who have already fulfilled the GCA requirement for their Associates of Arts (AA) degree should select an additional Social Sciences or Humanities General Education course.

 

 

Curriculum – A.A. Degree


First Semester


Second Semester


Third Semester


Fourth Semester


Total Credits 64 - 66


1 Select a course from the appropriate category of the General Education  list.

2 Mathematics by official placement test. Students must be proficient through MATH 112 Precalculus I . If students are proficient above Precalculus I, it is recommended they take MATH 110 Statistics I .

3 Students who pass the technological competency test (no credit) may take any General Education course.

4 Select one of the following courses: ENVI 103 Energy and the Environment , ENVI 202 Geographic Information Systems , ENVI 203 Organic Agriculture , BIOL 232 Field Botany , GEOL 157 Introduction to Geology ,BIOL 150 Plants, Humans & the Environment , BIOL 249 Ornithology , BIOL 247 Vertebrate Zoology , PHYS 125 Introduction to Meteorology  . It is recommended that students consult with an Environmental Science faculty member.

5 Any college level course except ENVI 101 Environmental Studies  .