Frequently Asked Questions

For Environmental Studies Major and Minor and Animal Studies Minor

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

Declaring

Why should I declare a major in Environmental Studies?

The Environmental Studies major provides students with the breadth of understanding and the skills necessary for resolving environmental questions and creating a sustainable future on scales ranging from local to global. It does so through integrated, problem-oriented study and a broad range of courses across disciplines and schools. It offers opportunities to develop interests in a number of areas, including environmental science; environmental values, policy, and law; earth system science; public health; urban environmental problems; climate change; energy systems; environmental monitoring; environmental justice; and our complex relations with both domesticated and wild nature.

Declaring the major allows us to pair you with a major adviser on the full-time faculty, to grant you first-week access to ES courses, and to invite you to community events like career series and research seminars.

How do I declare an Environmental Studies Major/Minor, Environmental Humanities Minor, or Animal Studies Minor?

Read about the Department of Environmental Studies and the undergraduate degree requirements here. In order to declare an ES Major or Minor, EH Minor, or AS Minor, please fill out this form.

For general questions about the Environmental Studies major and minor, please email environmental.studies.advising@nyu.edu. For general questions about the Environmental Humanities minor, please email environmental.humanities.advising@nyu.edu. And for general questions about the Animal Studies minor, please email animal.studies.advising@nyu.edu.

Once I declare my major, will I still have an academic advisor at my home school?

Yes! While you will be assigned to a faculty advisor in Environmental Studies who will help you with advising and registration clearance, your home school advisor will continue to be a resource for you throughout your four years. We recommend meeting with them to answer any general questions you have that do not relate directly to your major such as CORE, degree progress, graduation, and other requirements.

Environmental Studies Advisers

Requirements/Audits/Courses

What requirements do I need to satisfy to complete a major in Environmental Studies?

A full list of major requirements can be found on the CAS Bulletin. Please click here to view the requirements for the Environmental Studies major. 

What requirements do I need to satisfy to complete a minor in Environmental Studies?

A full list of minor requirements can be found on the CAS Bulletin. Please click here to view the requirements for the Environmental Studies minor. 

What requirements do I need to satisfy to complete a minor in Environmental Humanities?

A full list of minor requirements can be found on the CAS Bulletin. Please click here to view the requirements for the Environmental Humanities minor.

What requirements do I need to satisfy to complete a minor in Animal Studies?

A full list of minor requirements can be found on the CAS Bulletin. Please click here to view the requirements for the Animal Studies minor.

How do I receive honors in Environmental Studies? 

Students looking to graduate with honors must enroll in the Honors Seminar during the spring semester of their final year. Please note that the Honors Seminar does not replace the required Senior Seminar. Both courses must be taken to graduate with honors. 

What do I have to do in order to graduate? How can I check my academic progress toward my major, minors, CORE, and general requirements?

Please consult the deadlines and instructions on how to apply to graduate on this page. As a reminder, in order to graduate you must complete 128 credits, complete all major/minor requirements, as well as any school-specific requirements. We recommend utilizing your Degree Progress Report (found within Albert) to ensure that you are on track to graduate. 

What if my courses don't appear correctly in my Degree Progress Report?

Email your advisor if there are any discrepancies, including the relevant course numbers, your N#, and the requirement in question. Doing so prevents problems with graduation, financial aid, and registration. Your home school advisor can help with any questions unrelated to the ES major or minor, EH minor, or AS minor. 

Do any ENVST courses fulfill CORE requirements?

  • Environmental Quantitative Methods (ENVST-UA 310) fulfills the Quantitative Reasoning requirement in the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry component of the College Core Curriculum. View Quantitative Reasoning exceptions, subsitutions, and proficiency exams here.
  • The ES major fulfills the Societies and the Social Sciences component of the College Core Curriculum. View Societies and the Social Sciences exceptions, substitutions, and proficiency exams here. 

What non-ENVST-UA courses count towards the ES major or minor?

Both ENVST-UA and courses listed here count towards the Environmental Studies major and minor. The courses that will count towards your major will not necessarily show up as ENVST-UA courses in Albert. You can enroll in any of the courses offered on that list, regardless of whether or not it is ENVST-UA, and it will count towards your major or minor. To view offerings by semester visit the ES course schedules page.

Courses that fulfill the Environmental Studies major and minor requirements are listed on our Program of Study. Semester-specific course listings, as well as syllabi, are here.

Courses at NYU’s Global sites that fulfill Environmental Studies major and minor requirements are listed on our Study Abroad page.

What Liberal Studies courses count towards the ES major or minor? 

  • ENVST-UF 101 (Professor Nagle) is equivalent to ENVST-101, Environment and Society
  • ENVST-UF 101 (Professor Douglas) is equivalent to ENVST-UA 250, Topics in Environmental Science
  • ENVST-UF 101 (Professor Naro-Maciel) is equivalent to ENVST-UA 250, Topics in Environmental Science
  • LIVN-UF 101 (Professor Naro-Maciel) is equivalent to ENVST-UA 450, Topics in Environmental Values and Society
  • LIVN-UF 101 (Living in the Anthropocene: A History of Biodiversity and Climate Change) is equivalent to ENVST-UA 250, Topics in Environmental Science

How many courses can I take away from NYU-NY?

At least five courses for the ES major must be taken at NYU-NY. 

If I wanted to enroll in a graduate-level course, how do I get permission, and is an access code needed?

Access to graduate-level courses is at the instructor's discretion. ES, EH, and AS students are encouraged to take appropriate graduate-level courses. To enroll, contact the professor for permission and then reach out to the appropriate department for help with registration. 

Can a course count for the Environmental Studies Major if it is also being used for another major? 

Yes, but no student may double count more than two courses between two majors, as long as both departments approve.

Can a course count for the Environmental Studies Minor, the Environmental Humanities Minor, or the Animal Studies Minor if it is also being used for another minor? 

Yes, but no student may double count more than one course between the ES, EH, or AS minor and another major or minor.

Transfer Students & Liberal Studies Transition

How do I declare the ES Major, ES Minor, EH Minor, or AS Minor as an LS student?

To declare a major or minor, LS students must fill out a cross-school major/minor form via Albert. Keep in mind once you transfer into another school, you may need to re-declare the major/minor so please keep an eye on your degree audit. If you have already transferred into CAS, please fill out the declaration form.

Transfer Credits

How do I get non-NYU courses, including those being transferred from other institutions, considered for academic credit?

In order to have your transfer credits count towards the major/minor, you must send a complete syllabus for each course to your ES advisor for initial approval. Once all your transfer credits have been uploaded to Albert, contact your ES advisor to apply them to your degree.

How many transfer credits can I apply to the major or minor?

Any transfer courses to be applied toward major or minor requirements must be approved by the department and may not exceed one-half of the required coursework for the major or minor. A maximum of 4 transfer courses can be applied to the major, and a maximum of 2 transfer courses can be applied to the ES, EH, and AS minors.

Does AP Environmental Science count towards any ES requirements?

No.

More FAQS

What resources are available for Alumni? 

Our alumni page is frequently updated with job postings, career series events, alumni news, scholarships, and paid and unpaid internship opportunities. Other parts of the page are helpful for graduate school and career opportunities. As an alumni, you will receive access to a private blog.

How can I apply to the BA/MA program?

Undergraduate students who are already enrolled at NYU can pursue a discounted graduate education through the BA/MA Program. For inquiries regarding the application process, please visit NYU BA/MA Program for more information. 

How do I get a letter of recommendation?

  • For Letters of Recommendation by Environmental Studies faculty, please contact individual faculty members directly. 
  • For first time requests, students must provide a month's notice during the semester and longer when school is not in session (Summer/Winter).
  • Please provide written details about what you are applying for. 
  • Provide clear instructions on how to submit the letter.
  • Provide a personal statement or additional details as necessary. 
  • If still unsure about how to submit a request, please see Letters of Recommendation Tip Sheet for reference.

What are the NYU STEM designated programs for F-1 students?

Where can I apply to receive funding for doing research or attending conferences?

  • For funding related to research check out the various funding sources provided by NYU here. For conference specific funding, apply for an NYU conference attendance grant here. 
  • NYU also offers funding for students pursuing unpaid and low-paying internships in qualifying industries in the sustainability field. For more information on the Sustainability Internship Grant, click here.