Society and Environment

Social and environmental problems are deeply intertwined. This major introduces students to the main approaches and theories in environmental social sciences, including how social science theories and tools can be applied to understand and solve environmental problems. At the upper-division level, students select courses from three Thematic Areas aligned with their interests: US Environmental Policy and Management, Global Environmental Politics, and Justice and Sustainability.

Society and Environment graduates are well-prepared for careers in fields such as environmental consulting, education, health, or law; community, urban, or regional planning; and other related areas of environmentalism in public agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, and private companies. Graduates are well-qualified for a variety of graduate programs, including law school.

Admission to the Major

Advice on admission for freshmen and transfer students can be found on the Rausser College of Natural Resources Admissions Guide page or the Prospective Student website. Freshman students may apply directly to the major, or they may select the Rausser College undeclared option and declare the major by the end of their fourth semester. Transfer students may apply directly to the major through the UC application.

Information for current Berkeley students who would like to declare the major after admission, including information on a change of major or change of college, please see chapter 6 of the Rausser College Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Honors Program

Students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher may enroll in the Rausser College of Natural Resources honors program (H196) once they have reached upper-division standing. To fulfill the program requirements, students design, conduct, and report on an individual research project working with a faculty sponsor. For further information on the honors program, please see the Rausser website, https://nature.berkeley.edu/honors.