Environmental sociology teaches you how to address contemporary issues and why that matters at multiple scales – from individuals, to communities, to nations. Our students develop tools to better understand the sources of and create systems-based solutions to vital social and environmental problems. Our faculty teach courses that address issues like environmental inequalities, natural resource conservation, and food justice. Moreover, our undergraduate program provides students with a strong theoretical foundation in sociology, research methods, data collection, and analysis. These are all essential skills for a wide variety of careers associated with environment, natural resources, policy, justice, or advocacy—as well as strong preparation for graduate or law school.
Our unique mentoring program models how to transfer students’ sociological skill sets to meaningful employment after graduation. We can’t wait to guide you through a life-changing major!
The Environmental Sociology concentration is also offered through CSU Online.
Visit the department website for details. To change your major to Sociology, you can either call the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center at 970-491-3117, or send them an email.
Effective Fall 2026
Each course used to satisfy requirements of the concentration requires a minimum grade of C (2.000), i.e. all SOC courses, STAT 2XX, and each course taken to satisfy the Social and Behavioral Sciences electives or the Environmental Sociology electives.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| SOC 220 | Environment, Food, and Social Justice (GT-SS3) | 1C | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 3 | ||
| Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3) | 3C | ||
| Social Problems (GT-SS3) | 3C | ||
| 1B | 1B | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Select one course from the following:1 | 3 | ||
| The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology | |||
STAT 2XX2 | |||
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list below)3 | 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (see list below)4 | 12 | ||
| Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 4 | |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| Total Credits | 31 | ||
| Junior | |||
| SOC 311 | Sociological Research Methods | 4A,4B | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 3 | ||
| Development of Sociological Thought | |||
| Contemporary Sociological Theory | |||
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list below)3 | 6 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (see list below)4 | 6 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (Upper Division, see list below) | 3 | ||
| Electives | 9 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Applications of Quantitative Research | |||
| Applications of Qualitative Research | |||
| Senior Capstone: Select Group A or both courses from Group B: | 3-4 | ||
Group A: Academic Capstone: | |||
| Capstone Seminar | 4C | ||
Group B: Sociology Internship - Select both courses below: | |||
| Internship | 4C | ||
| Seminar | 4C | ||
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list below)3 | 3 | ||
| Electives (Upper Division)5 | 11-12 | ||
| Electives5 | 8 | ||
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives - 21 credits (minimum of 3 credits must be Upper Division)
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students may also take up to six credits of additional SOC courses not counted elsewhere in the program. | |||
| AGED 210 | History of Agriculture in the United States | 3D | 3 |
| AGRI 116/IE 116 | Plants and Civilizations | 1C | 3 |
| AGRI 270/IE 270 | World Interdependence-Population and Food | 1C | 3 |
| AM 250 | Dress and Human Behavior (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| AMST 100 | Self/Community in American Culture, 1600-1877 (GT-HI1) | 3D | 3 |
| AMST 101 | Self/Community in American Culture Since 1877 (GT-HI1) | 3D | 3 |
| ANTH 100 | Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| ANTH 140 | Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1) | 3D | 3 |
| ANTH 200 | Cultures and the Global System (GT-SS3) | 1C | 3 |
| ANTH 232/MU 232 | Soundscapes-Music as Human Practice | 3C | 3 |
| ANTH 322 | The Anthropology of Religion | 3 | |
| ANTH 330/CLMT 330 | Human Ecology | 3 | |
| ANTH 333 | Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction | 3 | |
| ANTH 334 | Narrative Traditions and Social Experience | 4 | |
| ANTH 335 | Language and Culture | 3 | |
| ANTH 338 | Gender and Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 340 | Medical Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 359 | Colorado Prehistory | 3 | |
| ANTH 360 | Archaeological Investigation | 3 | |
| ANTH 400/GR 400 | History of Theory-Anthropology and Geography | 3 | |
| ANTH 414/ETST 414 | Development in Indian Country | 3 | |
| ANTH 440 | Theory in Cultural Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 441 | Method in Cultural Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 450 | Hunter-Gatherer Ecology | 3 | |
| ANTH 451 | Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory | 3 | |
| ANTH 478/HIST 478 | Heritage Resource Management | 3 | |
| AREC 202 | Agricultural and Resource Economics (GT-SS1) | 3C | 3 |
| AREC 240/ECON 240 | Economics of Environmental Sustainability (GT-SS1) | 3C | 3 |
| BUS 205 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Business | 3 | |
| BUS 260 | Social-Ethical-Regulatory Issues in Business | 3 | |
| E 142 | Reading Without Borders (GT-AH2) | 1C | 3 |
| E 238 | Contemporary Global Fiction (GT-AH2) | 1C | 3 |
| E 245 | World Drama (GT-AH2) | 1C | 3 |
| ECON *** | |||
| EDUC 275 | Schools, Society, and Self (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| ETST *** | |||
| GR 100 | Introduction to Geography (GT-SS2) | 3C | 3 |
| GR 102 | Geography of Europe and the Americas (GT-SS2) | 1C | 3 |
| GR 320 | Cultural Geography | 3 | |
| HDFS 101 | Lifespan Development (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| HDFS 310 | Infant and Child Development | 3 | |
| HDFS 311 | Adolescent and Emerging Adult Development | 3 | |
| HDFS 312 | Adult Development and Aging | 3 | |
| HDFS 332 | Death, Dying, and Grief | 3 | |
| HDFS 334 | Family and Parenthood Across the Lifespan | 3 | |
| HDFS 402 | Couple and Family Dynamics | 3 | |
| HDFS 403 | Families in the Legal Environment | 3 | |
| HIST *** | |||
| HONR 292C | Honors Seminar: Knowing Across Cultures | 1C | 3 |
| HONR 492 | Honors Senior Seminar | 3C | 3 |
| HORT 171/SOCR 171 | Environmental Issues in Agriculture (GT-SS3) | 1C | 3 |
| IE 179 | Globalization: Exploring Our Global Village (GT-SS3) | 1C | 3 |
| INST 200 | Interdisciplinary Approaches to Globalization | 1C | 3 |
| JTC 100 | Media in Society (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| JTC 311 | History of Media | 3 | |
| JTC 316 | Multiculturalism and the Media | 3 | |
| JTC 411 | Media Ethics and Issues | 3 | |
| JTC 412 | International Mass Communication | 3 | |
| JTC 413 | New Media Trends and Society | 3 | |
| JTC 414 | Media Effects | 3 | |
| JTC 456/LB 456 | Documentary Film as a Liberal Art | 3 | |
| LB 173 | Encountering the Global (GT-AH2) | 1C | 3 |
| LB 393 | Seminar in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences | 3 | |
| LEAP 200 | Advocacy in the Visual and Performing Arts | 3C | 3 |
| MU 132 | Exploring World Music | 1C | 3 |
| PHIL 103 | Moral and Social Problems (GT-AH3) | 3B | 3 |
| PHIL 170 | World Philosophies (GT-AH3) | 1C | 3 |
| POLS *** | |||
| PSY 100 | General Psychology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| PSY 152 | Science of Learning | 3C | 3 |
| PSY 260 | Child Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 296 | Group Study | 1-3 | |
| PSY 315 | Social Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 316 | Environmental Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 317 | Social Psychology Laboratory | 2 | |
| PSY 320 | Psychopathology | 3 | |
| PSY 325 | Psychology of Personality | 3 | |
| PSY 327 | Psychology of Women | 3 | |
| PSY 340 | Organizational Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 341 | Organizational Psychology Laboratory | 1 | |
| PSY 437 | Psychology of Gender | 3 | |
| PSY 452 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 465 | Adolescent Psychology | 3 | |
| SOC *** | |||
| SOWK 352/ETST 352 | Indigenous Women, Children, and Tribes | 3 | |
| SPCM 130 | Foundations of Human Communication (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| WS *** | |||
Environmental Sociology Electives – 12 credits
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Sociology Courses | 6-12 | |
| Population-Natural Resources and Environment | ||
| Environmental Justice | ||
| Food Justice | ||
| Science and Technology in Society | ||
| Green Criminology | ||
| Political Sociology | ||
| Social Change | ||
| Food, Agriculture and Global Society | ||
| Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology | ||
| Water and Social Justice | ||
| Applied Social Change | ||
| Sociology of Disaster | ||
| Environmental Justice | ||
| Out-of-Department Courses | 0-6 | |
| Indigenous Ecologies and the Modern World | ||
| New Orleans and the Caribbean | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Public Health | ||
| Human Disease and the Environment | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| World Environmental History, 1500-Present | ||
| Natural Resources History and Policy | ||
| Natural Resource Policy and Sustainability | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| U.S. Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| Environmental Psychology | ||
- 1
A statistics course is required if STAT 201 or STAT 204 was not taken to satisfy the AUCC 1B requirement. SOC 210 is recommended.
- 2
Select STAT 201 General Statistics (GT-MA1) or any Statistics course 200-level or above.
- 3
Select 12 credits from the Environmental Sociology electives list of eligible upper-division sociology courses. A total of 6 credits may come from outside sociology. Students can also petition the department for program credit when >25% of course material and grading are related to environment and society.
- 4
No courses used to satisfy AUCC requirements may be used to satisfy the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement.
- 5
Select enough elective credits to bring program total to minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
Each course used to satisfy requirements of the concentration requires a minimum grade of C (2.000), i.e. all SOC courses, STAT 2XX, and each course taken to satisfy the Social and Behavioral Sciences electives or the Environmental Sociology electives.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3) | 3C | ||||
| Social Problems (GT-SS3) | 3C | ||||
| 1B | X | 1B | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| SOC 220 | Environment, Food, and Social Justice (GT-SS3) | X | 1C | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 3 | ||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology | |||||
STAT 2XX | |||||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 6 | |||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 4 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 6 | |||
| Advanced Writing | X | 2 | 3 | ||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 4 (or 60 credits) or a hold will be placed on the student account. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Development of Sociological Thought | |||||
| Contemporary Sociological Theory | |||||
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Electives (Upper-Division, see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| SOC 210 should be completed by the end of Semester 5) | |||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| SOC 311 | Sociological Research Methods | X | 4A,4B | 3 | |
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Applications of Quantitative Research | |||||
| Applications of Qualitative Research | |||||
| Environmental Sociology Electives (see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Elective (Upper Division) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 5 | |||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Senior Capstone: Select Group A or both courses from Group B | X | 3-4 | |||
Group A: Academic Capstone: | |||||
| Capstone Seminar | 4C | ||||
Group B: Sociology Internship - Select both courses below: | |||||
| Internship | 4C | ||||
| Seminar | 4C | ||||
| Electives (Upper Division) | X | 8-9 | |||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||