OverviewTransfer Sign

Transfer-related resources provided below consist of:

Background on Transferring

Transferring to a 4-year college or university can unfortunately be tricky and complex, especially when majoring in a broad, interdisciplinary field like Environmental Studies. Luckily, as set forth below, there are a lot of resources – both live (human) resources and online resources – to help you in your quest to successfully transfer to a 4-year school.

Probably the best piece of advice one can offer is that it’s never too early to start exploring your options and associated requirements to successfully transfer.

To start off with, the two basic questions one needs to think about (and explore/investigate) are:

  • What 4-year college(s) do I want to transfer to?
  • What aspect(s) of environmental studies do I like most (and want to pursue/focus on) at a 4-year college?
    • The “studies” (social science, policy, planning, etc.) side or the “hard science” (traditional science) side?
    • Focus on: Nature/wildlife? Natural resources (water, etc.)? Pollution & public health? Energy & climate? Environmental justice? Farming/agriculture? City/regional planning? Something else?

These two questions go hand-in-hand as, due to the broad nature of environmental studies, no college offers all possible options, but instead focuses in on certain aspects that they specialize in (labeled as “tracks”, “concentrations”, “emphases”, “options”, or “focus areas” in their degree descriptions). In that regard, the specific environmental degree offerings of select local 4-year colleges and universities are outlined below.
(Note that you can also use the “Explore Majors” option on the state-run Assist.org website to see specific degree offerings available at all UC and CSU schools.)

Now once you identify your target 4-year college(s), it is critically important to fully understand their transfer requirements, both in terms of their:

  • General Education (GE) requirements (which vary depending upon whether it’s a UC, a CSU, or some other school – click here for more on GE requirements).
  • Preparation for the major requirements (all the other coursework that the school is looking for/requiring for transfer).

DeAnza's Transfer Center and the state-run Assist.org website can help you in terms of those specific transfer requirements, but it is also highly recommended that you directly contact the 4-year college(s) that you’re interested in to find out those requirements first-hand, as well as the anticipated availability of transfer slots at a given time (some schools may limit the number of available slots and/or only allow transfers in the Fall, for instance).

Lastly, some advice about earning your Associates (AA/AS) degree. In some instances, you may be able to transfer without meeting all the requirements to earn your AA/AS.
PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!
Earning your AA/AS is extremely valuable to you from two perspectives:

  • If, for whatever reason, you are unable to earn a BA/BS degree in the end, you will still have an earned AA/AS degree that you can fall back on and include on your resume.
  • When the going gets tough in pursuing your BA/BS degree (which unfortunately inevitably happens at some point), you can draw inspiration from that AA degree diploma that you have posted up on your wall!

With that, here’s wishing you the best of luck in your transfer journey!

Key Transfer Planning Websites

  • Transfer Center: This office on the De Anza campus offers transfer-related events and services to assist students in researching options, making sound choices and planning a smooth transition between institutions.
  • ASSIST.org: This online student-transfer information system shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another.

Selected Local Four-Year Schools

NOTE: The listings provided below are not meant to be comprehensive in terms of all local four-year colleges offering environmentally-related programs and/or their specific degree offerings, but rather are provided as selective listings for reference. To explore more schools, you can use the “Explore Majors” option on the state-run Assist.org website to see specific degree offerings in environmental studies/environmental science available at all UC and CSU schools.

CSU Environmental Programs

San Jose State Environmental Studies Dept: https://www.sjsu.edu/envs/

  • BS in Environmental Studies
  • BA in Environmental Studies
  • BA in Environmental Studies, Preparation for Teaching
  • BA in Global Studies (interdisciplinary program)

San Francisco State Environmental Studies Program: https://pace.sfsu.edu/envs

  • BS in Environmental Studies with Concentrations offered in:
    • Natural Resource Management and Conservation
  • BA in Environmental Studies with Emphases offered in:
    • Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice
    • Humanities and the Environment
    • The Urban Environment

Sonoma State Dept of Geography, Environment & Planning: http://gep.sonoma.edu/

  • BS in in Environmental Science, Geography, and Management with Focal Areas offered in:
    • Environmental Management and Policy
    • Environmental Systems
    • Energy Management and Design
    • Geospatial Science
  • BA in Environmental Studies, Geography and Planning with Focal Areas offered in:
    • Society, Environment and Development
    • Environmental Systems
    • Urban Studies & Planning
    • Energy Management and Design
    • Geospatial Analysis

Cal State East Bay Dept of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Studies: https://www.csueastbay.edu/ages/

  • BA in Environmental Studies
  • BS in Geography with a Concentration in Resources and Sustainability

Cal State East Bay Dept of Earth & Environmental Sciences: https://www.csueastbay.edu/earth/

  • BS in Environmental Science (General)
  • BS in Environmental Science with Concentrations offered in:
    • Environmental Health

Cal State Monterey Bay, Dept of Applied Environmental Science: https://csumb.edu/aes/

  • BS in Environmental Science, Technology & Policy with Concentrations offered in:
    • Applied Ecology
    • Environmental Data Analysis
    • Watershed Systems
  • BA in Environmental Studies with Concentrations offered in:
    • Sustainable Communities
    • Environmental Education & Community Outreach

Sacramento State Dept of Environmental Studies: https://www.csus.edu/college/social-sciences-interdisciplinary-studies/environmental-studies/

  • BS in Environmental Studies
  • BA in Environmental Studies

Humboldt State Environmental Science & Management Dept: https://environment.humboldt.edu/

  • BS in Environmental Science and Management with Options offered in:
    • Ecological Restoration
    • Energy & Climate
    • Environmental Education & Interpretation
    • Environmental Planning & Policy
    • Geospatial Science
  • BA in Environmental Studies (interdisciplinary program - see https://enst.humboldt.edu/)

UC Environmental Programs

UC-Santa Cruz Dept of Environmental Studies: https://envs.ucsc.edu/

  • BA in Environmental Studies with Concentrations offered in:
    • Conservation Science & Policy
    • Global Environmental Justice
    • Geographic Information Systems
  • BA offered in the following Combined Majors:
    • Environmental Studies & Biology
    • Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences
    • Environmental Studies & Economics
  • BA in Agroecology
  • BS in Environmental Sciences (interdisciplinary program - see https://esci.ucsc.edu/ )

UC-Berkeley Dept of Environmental Science, Policy & Management: https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/

  • BS in Conservation and Resource Studies (an individualized interdisciplinary program)
  • BS in Environmental Sciences with Concentrations offered in
    • Biological Science
    • Physical Science
    • Social Science
  • BS in Ecosystem Management and Forestry with Specializations offered in:
    • Forestry
    • Natural Resource Management
  • BS in Molecular Environmental Biology with Emphases offered in:
    • Animal Health and Behavior
    • Biodiversity
    • Ecology
    • Environment and Human Health
    • Global Change Biology
    • Insect Biology
  • BS in Society & Environment with Concentrations offered in:
    • U.S. Environmental Policy and Management
    • Global Environmental Politics
    • Justice and Sustainability
  • BS in Environmental Economics & Policy (Dept of Agriculture & Resource Economics) - see https://are.berkeley.edu/eep/major

UC-Davis Dept of Environmental Science & Policy: https://desp.ucdavis.edu

  • BS in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with Tracks offered in:
    • City & Regional Planning
    • Climate Change Policy
    • Conservation Management
    • Energy & Transportation Policy
    • Environmental Policy & Politics
    • Water Management
    • Integrative Policy (an individualized track)
  • BS in Environmental Science and Management with Tracks offered in:
    • Climate Change & Air Quality
    • Ecology, Biodiversity, & Conservation
    • Environmental Data Science
    • Natural Resource Management
    • Soils & Biogeochemistry
    • Watershed Science

Private College & University Environmental Programs

Santa Clara University Dept of Environmental Studies & Sciences: https://www.scu.edu/cas/ess/

  • BS in Environmental Science
  • BA in Environmental Studies

University Of San Francisco Dept of Environmental Science:
https://www.usfca.edu/arts-sciences/undergraduate-programs/environmental-science

  • BS in Environmental Science

University Of San Francisco Environmental Studies Program:
https://www.usfca.edu/arts-sciences/undergraduate-programs/environmental-studies

  • BA in Environmental Studies (General)
  • BA in Environmental Studies with Concentrations offered in:
    • Urban Studies
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