Our award winning, nationally recognized BS in Environmental Science program is grounded in the natural sciences integrating biology, chemistry, physics, and geology with the social sciences to prepare the next generation of innovators and knowledge creators. Students gain essential skills in ecology, geology, hydrology, and marine science and apply these skills to critical challenges facing coastal marine systems in the Boston metropolitan area. Through coursework, our senior capstone course, internships, research, and cooperative education programs, students apply their knowledge to real-world problems in collaboration with our many public and private partners. Course requirements for a BS in environmental science comprise a total of 120 academic credits, at least 30 of which must be taken at UMass Boston. In addition to UMass Boston general education requirements, students take introductory courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as calculus 1. Students also take introductory courses in environmental science and environmental policy, and skills courses in statistics and GIS. Students complete a natural science core in oceanography, coastal biological systems, and population biology and a social science core course on human-natural system dynamics. Upper-level electives include biological oceanography, zooplankton ecology, marine mammal biology, marine invertebrate ecology, aquatic ecology, ecosystems ecology, coastal zone management, biology of whales, geochemistry, and coastal geology, natural science courses in marine science, social science courses in urbanization and globalization and the environment, upper level electives in ecology, oceanography, and marine biology, and a senior capstone research course.