Undergraduate Programs

The Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences offers interdisciplinary programs of study leading to a bachelor of science in environmental science or environmental studies. These programs provide students with the intellectual foundation they will need to address crucial environmental challenges of the 21st century such as human population growth, urban sprawl, deforestation, global climate change, waste disposal, air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and the need for renewable energy.

The Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Department at Santa Clara University strives to educate civil engineers who have the breadth and depth required to plan, design, and construct sustainable, resilient civil infrastructure necessary to support society's complex needs, such as urbanization and climate change. The Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering undergraduate curriculum focuses on the application of state-of-the-art skills, a sound understanding of engineering principles, the ability to communicate and artic­ulate ideas, and preparation for lifelong learning. At the completion of the undergraduate program, graduates are well-equipped to enter the practice or pursue advanced studies in any of the civil engineering disciplines.

Students pursuing a sustainability minor will become better educated about the environment, social equity, and economic issues. The sustainability minor offers students new dimensions to existing local, regional, and global SCU partnerships, through academics, plus opportunities to assist organizations in increasing their commitment to sustainability. Students will also be part of a cohort of empowered individuals with the skills to collaborate for effective change. This minor is easily accessible to all SCU undergraduates as it incorporates existing classes from multiple schools.

The Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences offers an interdisciplinary minor in environmental studies. The minor provides students with the intellectual foundation they will need in addressing crucial environmental challenges of the 21st century such as human population growth, urban sprawl, deforestation, global climate change, waste disposal, air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and the need for renewable energy.

Sustainability is most often defined as meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The recognition that sustainability is an imperative that must be met stems from the fact that humans are using the earth’s resources and degrading its ecosystems in ways that compromise the health and well-being of future generations and the planet. The Sustainability Pathway will allow students to learn about sustainability from multiple disciplinary perspectives and in interdisciplinary ways. This will help our students integrate the interconnected ideals of viable ecological integrity, viable economies, and equity and justice.

The Feeding the World Pathway focuses on the complex interrelationships among food production, food consumption, hunger, poverty, and the environment. Students in the pathway will explore how the production, consumption, and distribution of food resources are impacted by a variety of factors, including the availability of resources, income levels, and environmental degradation. The production of food in fragile environments and the sustainability of subsistence food systems will be explored, including the role of agricultural development in reducing hunger and poverty throughout the world.

The Global Health Pathway will explore human health and the biological, environmental, psychological, and social factors that impact it, with particular attention to global issues, such as infectious disease, chronic disease, healthcare, mental health, pollution and environmental degradation, agriculture and nutrition, and poverty and social inequalities that affect human well-being. All courses included in this Pathway will include discussion of the social context of health issues, and issues germane to resource-poor regions of the world.

The variety of associated courses in the Human Rights in a Global World Pathway reflects the importance of theories of universal human rights and their applications to a multitude of issues involving oppressed and disadvantaged human groups around the globe. Most current debates focus on historical or contemporary cases of discrimination based on racial identity, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and age, which have produced deep social and economic inequalities, often given rise to violence, and occasionally led to ethnic cleansing and mass murder. At the same time, critics of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 also debate whether its definition of human rights exceeds what individuals can fairly demand from society and the state. Enforcing laws based on a concept of human rights often produces controversy.