The Environmental Studies 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:
- demonstrate and apply knowledge of natural and human dimensions of environmental issues from local to global scales.
- demonstrate and apply skills and concepts from the liberal arts and sciences to analyze environmental issues.
- identify areas of academic specialization, career, and employment opportunities in environmental studies and related fields.
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.