Geography/Social Studies, BA

Introduction

Geography/Social Studies at the College of the Environment provides a breadth of knowledge in Geography, Environmental Studies, History, Economics, Anthropology, and Political Science. As a Geography/Social Studies major you will be prepared to explore a wide variety of career paths. These include planning, education, environmental agencies and NGOs, business, tourism, GIS, government service, transportation, and many more. Majors in this degree program are highly encouraged to include a minor in their plan of study such as: Environmental Studies, GIS, Energy Policy, East Asian or Canadian-American Studies, or areas like a foreign language. In addition, it meets Washington State requirements for a teaching endorsement, Geography/Social Studies can also prepare you for teaching in non-traditional settings with or without the additional certification from Woodring College. Students with a degree in Geography/Social Studies can also go on to graduate work in Geography, Education, or Environmental Education.

Why Consider a Geography/Social Studies Major?

If you are interested in any of the above career paths or you want to teach Geography and Social Studies to children in grades 5-12 in a public or private school setting, this major will provide the subject area requirements. Secondary Education students who wish to be endorsed in Social Studies may choose this major. However, the Geography/Social Studies degree does not require that a student pursue a teaching certificate. Geography/Social Studies majors interested in Secondary certification must apply separately to the certification programs, such as those in Woodring College of Education. Students usually apply to Woodring in their senior year or after they graduate.

To receive a recommendation for state of Washington certification, students must complete the teacher certification program, including the content methods course, SEC 426, which is offered by the Department of Secondary Education as 1) a part of the undergraduate BA degree, or 2) as a post-baccalaureate program, or 3) as part of the Master’s in Education degree. See the Secondary Education  section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teaching certification requirements. Completion of this combined major leads to an endorsement in social studies.

Student Resources

Department website: Environmental Studies

Contact information: 

• College of the Environment Professional Advisor: Kathryn Patrick, Environmental Studies 539, 360-650-3520, Kathryn.Patrick@wwu.edu
• Geography Education Advisors: David Rossiter, Arntzen Hall 232, David.Rossiter@wwu.edu; Patrick Buckley, Arntzen Hall 222, Patrick.Buckley@wwu.edu

Department advising: See the Advising section of the College of the Environment website.

Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.

Career Services Center: Connect major to a career

Sample Careers: Middle or High School Teacher, Planner, Land-Use Analyst, Eco Tourism Consultant, GIS Technician, Community Organizer, Private School Teacher, NGO leader

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Admissions applications with essays and deadlines are no longer required to declare a major in Environmental Studies.

Pathways for Major Declaration in Environmental Studies

There are two pathways to declaring a major within Environmental Studies:

1. Declare a pre-major and then declare a Major upon completion of admission requirements.
2. Declare a major upon completion of admission requirements.

Pre-Major Declaration

Students can declare a pre-major at any time. Upon completion of admission requirements, these students can then declare a major.

Benefits of declaring a pre-major are:

• Receive priority registration for restricted sections of ENVS 203 and ENVS 204, both required for entry into the major, and ENVS 201.
• Assignment of a College of the Environment professional advisor and a faculty advisor.
• Included in the College’s email distribution list of announcements and internships.

To declare as Pre-major:

• Go to the College of the Environment Undergraduate Student Forms webpage
• Click on the link to the Pre-major Declaration Form under the Declaration Forms section.
• Fill in the form with your information, writing in Environmental Studies as your pre-major.
• Submit the form to CENV@wwu.edu.

Processing your pre-major declaration form can take a couple of weeks. Do not wait until registration to submit. 

Upon completion of admission requirements, declare a major using the process  below.

Major Declaration

Students must meet the following requirements to declare a major:

• Confirmed admission to Western Washington University.
• ENVS 203, HNRS 215, or equivalent transfer credit (completion with C- or better).
• ENVS 204 or equivalent transfer credit (completion with C- or better).

To declare as a major:

• Go to the College of the Environment Undergraduate Student Forms webpage.
• Click on the link to the Major Declaration form under the Declaration Forms section.
• Fill in the form with your information, writing in the name of the specific Environmental Studies major you want to declare.
• Submit the form to CENV@wwu.edu.

Note that student must declare as a major for admission into the department and to have access to most upper division ENVS courses. Students who attempt to declare as a major without completing the ENVS 203 and ENVS 204 courses will be admitted as pre-majors.

If you have questions about this process, please set up an appointment with a professional adviser on our Undergrad Academic Advising webpage, visit the College of the Environment Student Support Office in Environmental Studies Building 539, or call 360-650-3520.

Recommended Deadline for Pre-Major and Major Declarations

While students may declare as pre-majors or majors at any time, students are strongly encouraged to declare early in the quarter. Students who submit a declaration form by October 6 will be given priority processing for winter quarter registration. Students who do so by January 15 will be given priority processing for spring quarter registration. Students who submit by April 18 will be given priority processing for summer and fall quarter registration.

Declaring an Environmental Studies pre-major or major does not guarantee you access to all ENVS courses. Some classes have pre-requisites and others are highly sought after by many students. When classes fill and long waitlists develop, we follow the department waitlist priority policy.

Note that extension program degrees and some combined major degrees may have different declaration processes. Review the catalog for the specific declaration process for your desired major.

Advising Tips

ENVS 201 is a requirement for many Environmental Studies courses; students are encouraged to complete this requirement as soon as possible to avoid delaying access to upper division ENVS courses.

Many other General University Requirements provide good foundations for studying the environment. The following courses are particularly encouraged:

• Communications (ACOM, BCOM & CCOM): ENG 101 and courses with COMM, JOUR and ENVS prefixes.
• Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (QSR): ENVS 201 and MATH 112 or MATH 240.
• Natural Sciences (LSCI & SCI): ENVS 203, an LSCI course, and ESCI 225, a SCI course, are required for most Environmental Studies majors. For efficient GUR progress, choose these two courses and one additional LSCI course to complete your natural science GURs.
• Social Sciences (SSC): ENVS 204 is required for most Environmental Studies majors. Other courses to consider are ENVS 115, ECON 101, PLSC 250, UEPP 202, and UEPP 270.
• Additional math and sciences courses, such as MATH 114, CHEM 161 and BIOL 204 are also good GUR choices as these courses will allow enrollment in a broader range of upper division environmental science courses in the College of the Environment.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors. Courses required for a state teaching endorsement must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better.