CAS: Earth & Environmental Sciences
Sample Pathway
Below is an example of a four-year plan of a College of General Studies student pursuing a degree in earth & environmental sciences. Students will work with their CGS academic advisors and the earth and environment department to plan their own pathway to an earth & environmental sciences degree.
| Gap Semester | Recommended external course: Calculus I (equivalent to CAS MA 123). Note: Prior approval must be granted for all external coursework. | |
| Semester I | Semester II | |
| Freshman Year | CGS RH 103 CGS SS 103 CAS EE 107 CAS MA 124 |
CGS Required Courses (London or Boston-New England semester) |
| Sophomore Year | CGS HU 201 CGS NS 201 CAS CH 171 or CH 101 or CH 109 or CH 111 CAS EE 100 |
CGS HU 202 CGS SS 202 CAS EE 270* CAS BI 108** |
| Summer Term | Environmental Internship | |
| Junior Year | CAS PY 251 or CAS PY 211 Principal Elective Course Principal Elective Course Second Language (if needed) |
Principal Elective Course Principal Elective Course Elective*** Second Language (if needed) |
| Summer Term | Environmental Internship | |
| Senior Year | Principal Elective Course Different Track Elective Elective*** Second Language (if needed) |
Different Track Elective Elective*** Elective*** Second Language (if needed) |
Note: Earth & environment majors may petition to have MA115, MA213 or EC203 count for EE270. Please consult with Sayaka Yamaki in the earth and environment department.
*Please contact Sayaka Yamaki to request permission to add the class.
**One of: CAS BI 108; CH 102 or 110 or 112 or 172; or PY 212 or 252
***Choose your non-major electives carefully to fulfill any remaining BU Hub requirements. You will find a list of all of the courses that carry Hub units on the University’s BU Hub website. External courses are not eligible for Hub general education credit.
Earth & environment courses by HUB Unit can be found on the Earth & Environment Department webpage.
College of General Studies Program Requirements
- Two rhetoric courses: CGS RH 103 and CGS RH 104
- CGS RH 104 is taken during the London semester
- Two natural science courses: CGS NS 201 and CGS NS 202
- CGS NS 201 fulfills the CAS BI 107 requirement. Earth & environmental sciences majors should take CAS BI 108 or another required science course in place of NS 202. CGS NS 202 will not count towards the major.
- Three social science courses:
- CGS SS 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
- Students select at least two additional SS courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection
- Three humanities courses:
- CGS HU 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
- Students select at least two additional HU courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection
Note: Students who are exempt from CGS NS 202 must enroll in at least one CGS course in semester II of sophomore year.
Major Requirements
The major in earth & environmental sciences requires a total of 16 courses, all completed with a grade of ‘C’ or higher. Those 16 courses comprise three required core introductory courses; six required related mathematics and science courses; and seven approved principal electives, five of which must come from a single group (Ecosystems, Earth & Climate, or Earth Observations), and the remaining two of which must be chosen from outside that group. For required courses, please see the CAS Bulletin.
Please consult with Sayaka Yamaki in the earth and environment department for course planning and advice. For more information about the major, please see the Earth & Environment Department webpage.
If you have Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or other external credit, please see the Advanced Credit Guide.
Continuation Requirements
- Completion of the CGS required courses and appropriate electives
- Cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00
Graduation Requirements
Boston University students completing a degree in CAS must also complete the following requirements.
- BU Hub requirements
- Students who take the specific CGS courses noted on the pathway above will fulfill all BU Hub requirements except the units listed below. These remaining Hub units will be fulfilled through the following courses:
- Quantitative Reasoning II (1 unit) fulfilled by CAS MA 124
- Teamwork/Collaboration (2 units) fulfilled by CAS BI 108 and CAS PY 251/211
- You will fulfill the remaining Hub units – Creativity/Innovation (1 unit), Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy (1 unit), and Writing-Intensive Course (1 unit) – through the courses you take for your CAS major and/or other electives
- CAS requirements:
- Earth & environmental sciences major requirements
- CAS requires a minimum of 128 credits, excluding PDP, ROTC, and CAS FY and SY courses.
This is a sample pathway to be used in consultation with your CGS Academic Advisor.
It is subject to change according to course availability and individual circumstances.
Last revised: 04/04/2024