Dec 14, 2025  
2024-2025 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
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2024-2025 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Environmental Science and Public Policy (ESP, SUST) Courses

Environmental Science and Policy

Courses

Environmental Science and Policy

  • ES P 101 - The Global Environment

    (3 units)

    Introduction to the Earth’s principal human-environmental relationships and biogeographic processes with a focus on how human actions impact the geography of living things from the local to the global scale.

    Both grading options. Same course as GEOG 101 . Not open for credit to students with credit in GEOG 101.

    General Education: Lower Division B - Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning

  • ES P 200 - California Environmental Issues

    (3 units)

    Corequisite(s): (ERTH 102 , ERTH 104  OR GEOG 140  OR GEOG 130  OR ES P/GEOG 101 ) AND (BIOL 200  OR BIOL 211  OR ECON 101 ); OR instructor consent.
    Prerequisites/Corequisites: (ERTH 102 , ERTH 104  OR GEOG 140  or GEOG 130  OR ES P/GEOG 101 ) and (BIOL 200  or BIOL 211  or ECON 101 ); or instructor consent.

    Introduction to the history, nature, status, and future of a major environmental issue in California. Biological, physical, and societal aspects will be examined and integrated with the goal of developing a plan to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

    Letter grade only (A-F). (Lecture 2 hrs., discussion 1 hr., and field trips.)

  • ES P 300 - Environmental Law and Policy

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: ES P 200  and upper division standing; or consent of instructor.
    Property rights, federal and state roles in decision-making, rights and limits of both private parties and the broad public interest. Emphasis on science in decision-making, choices between regulations and incentives, and role of bureaucracy.

    Letter grade only (A-F). (2 hrs lecture, 1 hr discussion).

  • ES P 330 - California Ecosystems

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GEOG 101 or GEOG 130  or GEOG 140  or ES P/GEOG 101  or ES P 200 ; AND GEOG 200  or BIOL 260 ; or instructor consent.
    Introduction to the ecology and biogeography of natural California landscapes, including field examination of habitats, collection and analysis of environmental data, and reporting of field or laboratory findings.

    Letter grade only (A-F). (2 hours lecture/activity, 2 hours field/laboratory) Same course as GEOG 330 . Not open for credit to students with credit in GEOG 330.

  • ES P 350 - Environmental Politics

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: ES P 200  
    Co-requisite: ES P 300  
    This course examines how government agencies, historical land uses, social activism and politics, science, multinational corporations, and cultural institutions have influenced and formed U.S. environmental policy past and present.

    Letter grade only (A-F).

  • ES P 392 - Climate Action and Sustainability at CSULB

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Completion of entire GE Foundation curriculum along with one or more GE Explorations courses and upper-division standing.
    Students join CSULB’s efforts to achieve climate neutrality (zero net greenhouse gas emissions) and sustainability through service learning assignments working with staff, faculty and community partners. Provides opportunities for all majors to apply and develop skills through hands-on experience.

    Both grading options. 6 hours activity. Same course as GEOG 392 . Not open for credit to students with credit in GEOG 392 .

    General Education: Upper Division B - Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning

  • ES P 400 - Environmental Science and Policy Capstone Project

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: BIOL 350  or ES P 330 ; ECON 306  or ECON 462  or C E 406 ; ES P 300 ; GEOG 481  or GEOG 473 ; ERTH 300 ; AND department consent. Open to Environmental Science and Policy majors only. In addition, students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for GWAR.
    An interdisciplinary evaluation of the physical, biological, social, economic, and legal dimensions of a local environmental issue. Examples include policies to control surface water run-off, policies for marine protected areas, dredging harbors, and developing, preserving, restoring wetlands and estuaries. Requires a grade of “C” or better to pass.

    Letter grade only (A-F). (2 hrs lecture, 3 hr laboratory-field work).

    F-Writing

  • ES P 450 - Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Upper division standing
    An interdisciplinary, project-based examination of environmental sustainability challenges and social justice issues. Using various methodological and theoretical approaches, course topics will include climate justice, social movements, resilience, public health, air quality, transportation, food/water security, sea level rise, and industrial contamination.

    Letter grade only (A-F). Same course as GEOG 450.

  • ES P 490 - Selected Topics in Environmental Science and Policy

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Topics of current interest in environmental science and policy selected for intensive development.

    Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics in different semesters. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

  • ES P 492 - Applied Internship

    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Upper division standing. Open to Environmental Science and Policy and Geography majors only.
    Practical experience in an appropriate business, government or community-based organization to enhance professional development. Students find their own internships and instructor must approve all placements. Students will work under faculty supervision. Course includes academic activities to enhance career readiness.

    Letter grade only (A-F). Same course as GEOG 492 . May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units; a second semester experience shall differ substantially from first semester experience.

  • ES P 499 - Environmental Science and Policy Directed Study

    (1-3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Independent study under the supervision of a faculty member.

    Both grading options. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in different semesters.

  • SUST 601 - Sustainability & Society

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Introduction to sustainability using a transdisciplinary foundation based on social sciences and natural sciences. The focus is on developing the skills to integrate material from diverse disciplines to understand the human dimension.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 602 - Sustainability Science

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    This course will provide a comprehensive compilation of conceptual perspectives, methodological approaches and empirical insights of inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability science. Developed and taught by a transdisciplinary team of faculty, it will offer perspectives and topics focused on the development, integration, and application of knowledge about Earth systems.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 603 - Sustainability Case Studies

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Examines the science of climate change and the prospect of global, regional, and local sustainability within the context of a warming planet. Uses contemporary case studies to examine climate impacts on natural and human systems and to evaluate climate-change policies.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 604 - Data Analytics and Sustainability

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    The course explores how data analytics applied to the area of sustainability can help managers enhance economics, environmental impacts, and social performance.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 605 - Sustainability and Organization Theory

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Explore the core organization elements for building highly sustainable organizations that can achieve both business and environmental objectives. Identify the business issues related to sustainability. Develop analytical tools for assessing and designing organization structures and processes to achieve high sustainability.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 606 - Environmental Law, Politics, and Ethics

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Focuses on the law and politics that govern, manage, and change the relationships between human activities and the environment.  Examine how those policies are created, how people respond, and the underlying ethical debates.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 607 - Decision Making and Uncertainty

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    This course provides tools that allow decision makers to make better choices when uncertainty exists.  Tools may include decision trees, determining risk tolerance, identifying subjective and objective probabilities, and other techniques.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 608 - Benefit Cost Analysis

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    This course introduces how and when to use the tools of benefit cost analysis while considering issues of sustainability. Content includes identification of both private and social costs and benefits used to evaluate projects and policies within the context of sustainability.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 609 - Environmental Economics and Policy

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Economic analysis of environmental problems that lead to market failure.  Analysis of policy options to provide incentive compatible mechanisms to correct for market failure from externalities, the tragedy of the commons, and information inefficiencies.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 610 - Sustainability and Strategic Management

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: MS Graduate Standing.
    Examine the strategic sustainability issues confronting contemporary organizations. Explore strategy formulation and implementation process for creating sustainable organizations that can achieve both business and environmental objectives. Integrate sustainability into the business value chain to create sustainable competitive advantage.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 699A - Project Orientation and Support

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: SUST 601  , SUST 602  , SUST 603  , SUST 604  , SUST 605  , SUST 606  , SUST 607  , SUST 608  , SUST 609  , SUST 610  , SUST 610   or Advisor Consent.
    Develop skills necessary to complete an applied project. Specific focus on proposal development and writing. Review of research methods and project deliverables. A grade of C or better is required for students to progress to SUST 699B.

    Letter grade only (A-F)

  • SUST 699B - Applied Professional Project

    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: SUST 699A   with a “C” or better.
    Complete an applied project. Specific focus on proposal development and writing. Give an oral presentation and produce a written report.  A grade of “C” or better is required for students to pass.

    Letter grade only (A-F)