The Program
Students in the Environmental Analysis & Policy (EAP) major are trained broadly in the social sciences with a clearly defined specialization in the environmental field. Students receive an extensive introduction to the principle energy, resource, and environmental issues that confront society, and the analytical tools that are used to understand them.
Such tools include cost-benefit analysis, basic computer modeling skills, policy formulation and analysis, technology assessment, and statistics. Students learn about the social and institutional framework in which environmental and natural resource planning, management, and policy making take place. Students take classes in the natural and physical sciences to ensure they understand the biophysical basis of environmental issues. A number of students double-major in related disciplines such as mathematics, economics, political science, international relations, and geography.
There are many career options for students with a degree in Environmental Analysis & Policy. Graduate programs, including the Department’s MA in Energy & Environment, MA in Remote Sensing & Geospatial Sciences, and PhD in Earth & Environment, are available in fields that include resource and environmental economics, law school, resource management, and environmental policy. Students gain a strong set of analytical tools that are in high demand with government agencies, consulting firms, and nonprofit organizations that all deal with a wide range of environmental analysis or energy and policy making.
The EAP curriculum consists of a set of core classes and a specialization area. With the assistance of a faculty advisor, students choose an area of specialization by their junior year that allows them to focus on a particular subfield of environmental analysis and policy.
Degree Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of (a) current environmental issues, and the manner in which they are related to (b) fundamental concepts from social science disciplines (microeconomics as well as one or more of sociology, anthropology, political science/international relations, or law) and (c) fundamental concepts from natural science disciplines (one or more of physics, chemistry, biology).
- Demonstrate knowledge of quantitative and qualitative theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches used to analyze environmental problems and understand the effectiveness of policy interventions.
- Quantitatively analyze data and perform simulation modeling to characterize the effects of anthropogenic stressors (e.g., pollution)—and policy interventions to address them—on human and natural systems.
- Communicate effectively concepts in the natural and social sciences as they relate to environmental issues, both in writing and verbally, and demonstrate understanding of the broader societal impacts of environmental problems and policies.
- Apply a range of analysis methods toward solving qualitative and quantitative problems in the design and implementation of policies to address environmental issues.
Degree Requirements
Introductory Core Courses (3)
- EE 100 Environmental Change & Sustainability
- EE 107 Introduction to Climate & Earth System Science
- EE 270 Data, Models, and Analysis in Earth & Environment
EE 100 and EE 107 may be taken in any order; both must be taken before EE 270. With prior approval, students may substitute MA 213 for EE 270 and EE 105 for EE 107.
Principal Courses (4 courses)
- EE 309 Intermediate Environmental Analysis
- EE 375 Introduction to Quantitative Environmental Modeling
- EE 528 (previously EE 425) U.S. Environmental Policy or EE/IR 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development
- EE 545 (previously EE 420) Environmental Policy Analysis
Required Related Courses (4 courses)
- BI 107 Biology I
- BI 306 Biology of Global Change
- EC 101 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis
- MA 121 Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences I or MA 123 Calculus I
Degree Electives
Students choose five courses from the following list. The topical areas are meant to be suggestive only. With prior approval, students may substitute equivalent courses, including those taken during summer and semester programs abroad or through the Washington Internship Program. All major courses (Principal, Required Related, and Elective) must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
Environmental Modeling
- EE 302 Remote Sensing of the Environment
- EE 365 An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- EE 444 Digital Image Processing—Remote Sensing
- EE 445 Physical Models in Remote Sensing
- EE 446 Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere
- EE 501 Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing
- EE 505 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions
- EE 516 Multivariate Analysis for Geographers
- EE 519 Energy, Society, & the Environment
Economic & Policy Analysis
- EC 201 Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis
- EC 320 Economics of Less-Developed Regions
- EC 337 Economic Analysis of Legal Issues
- EC 371 Environmental Economics
- EC 571 Energy & Environmental Economics
- EE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, & Institutions
- EE/IR 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development (if not taken as a Principal Course)
- EE 460 Resource Economics and Policy
- EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions
- EE 519 Energy, Society, & the Environment
- EE 524 Environmental Justice
- EE 538 Research for Environmental Agencies & Organizations
- EE 555 World Oil Markets
- HI 292 Capitalism in America: Economic History of the U.S.
- HI 589 Nature’s Past: Histories of Environment & Society
- SO 313 Economic Sociology
- SO 448 Culture, Markets, & Inequality
Human Institutions
- EC 320 Economics of Less-Developed Regions
- EE 201 World Regional Geography
- EE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, & Institutions
- EE/IR 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development (if not taken as a Principal Course)
- EE 347 Water Resources & the Environment
- EE 395 and EE 396 Earth House Practicum (2 credits each)
- EE 400 Environment & Development: A Political Ecology Approach
- EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions
- EE 521 Law for Sustainability
- EE 522 The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility
- EE 524 Environmental Justice
- EE 538 Research for Environmental Agencies & Organizations
- EE 555 World Oil Markets
- HI 291 Politics of the American Environment
- HI 351/EE 394 Environmental History of Africa
- HI 525 Development in Historical Perspective
- IR/EE 594 Global Environmental Negotiation and Policy
- SO 277 Technology & Society
- SO 448 Culture, Markets, & Inequality
International Environmental Policy
- EC 320 Economics of Less-Developed Regions
- EE 201 World Regional Geography
- EE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, & Institutions
- EE/IR 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development (if not taken as a Principal Course)
- EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions
- EE 521 Environmental Law & Policy
- EE 524 Environmental Justice
- EE 555 World Oil Markets
- HI 351/EE 394 Environmental History of Africa
- IR 311: Climate Change and Development Policy
- IR 333 Non-State Actors in International Relations
- IR 373 Global Governance & International Organization
- IR 395/PO 328 North-South Relations
- IR 520/PO 550 The State & Public Purpose in Asia
- IR 573 Introduction to Public International Law
- IR/EE 594 Global Environmental Negotiation & Policy
- IR 596/PO 529 Globalization & Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
- IR/EE 597 Development and Environment in Latin America
- IR/EE 599 Science, Politics, & Climate Change
- PO 381/HI 287 History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
- SO/IR 242 Globalization & World Poverty
- SO 320 Political Sociology
Related Programs and Study Abroad
Earth House
Earth House is a sustainable living-learning community for undergraduates at 7 Buswell Street, on south campus. The historic row house and its supporting energy, water, food and waste systems are the principal objects of inquiry for student-residents. Students take part in at least one change or upgrade in sustainability of Earth House during their residential year, while analyzing Earth house and developing a proposal for the single most environmentally- and cost-effective upgrade in the physical plant or resident consumer behavior for implementation in the following year. Co-curricular credit is available through CAS EE 195/196 Earth House Sustainability Practicum. Earth House is advised by faculty in Earth and Environment, College of Engineering, and Questrom School of Management; and staff of Sustainability@BU. Learn more about the Earth House’s projects here.
Boston Area Consortia
Registration in the Boston Area Consortia is a formal agreement between Boston Universityand several local colleges and universities whereby BU students can attend courses at other institutions, and students from other institutions can attend courses at BU. The primary schools in the Cross Registration consortium are Boston College, Brandeis University, Tufts University, and Hebrew College.
Boston University’s Study Abroad and Internship Programs offer several educational opportunities for students pursuing study in the areas of earth and environment. The following are sample programs popular among Earth & Environment students. A full catalogue of programs can be found at BU Global Programs.
Denmark University of Copenhagen Exchange
Boston University students have the opportunity to directly enroll at one of Europe’s top universities, the University of Copenhagen, for a semester or an academic year. This exchange program will be of interest to students in all undergraduate fields, especially political science, history, economics, international relations, psychology, and sociology, among many others. More information about the program is available here.
Sydney, Australia Internship Program
The Sydney Internship program combines coursework at the BU Sydney Academic Center with professional work experience in or near Sydney. The program is offered during the fall, spring, and summer academic semesters. Students live in single bedrooms in fully furnished suites in the BU Sydney Academic center. In the first six weeks of the program, students complete coursework covering Australia’s dynamic history, contemporary culture, and place in the modern world. In the final eight weeks, students enroll in a 4-credit internship program while simultaneously taking a final required elective course on Australian Culture & Society. More information about the program is available here.
Washington, D.C. Internship Program
The Washington, D.C. Internship Program offers students the opportunity to study and intern in one of the world’s most important capital cities. Although known primarily as the capital of American politics, Washington, D.C., plays a pivotal role, both nationally and internationally, in business, law, the sciences, public relations, media, and the arts. The program offers students the opportunity to focus on leadership, public policy, and agenda setting in their area of interest. More information about the program is available here.
Honors in Earth & Environment
Successful completion of a departmental honors program signifies outstanding achievement in undergraduate scholarship. Students who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 are eligible to work toward honors in their respective majors. Requirements include completion of a two-course sequence of independent study (ES/EE 401 and ES/EE 402), original research, and successful composition, oral presentation, and defense of a thesis in the senior year. (Note: GE/EE 401 and GE/EE 402 do not count as electives in the major.) In appropriate circumstances students may apply significant summer research toward the production of a thesis. Each honors student is advised by at least two faculty members, who act as first and second readers of the thesis. Students cannot apply earlier than the first semester of their sophomore year and should apply in the second semester of their junior year. Graduation with honors in the major is a factor in election to Phi Beta Kappa and is noted on the student’s transcript and diploma. Interested students should contact Undergraduate Program Coordinator Sayaka Yamaki.
Application for Honors in Earth & Environment
