Environmental Sustainability
Associate of Arts (DTA)
About
Environmental sustainability is an area for nonscientists with an interest in environmental issues and their effects on human social and economic systems. Sustainability is a highly interdisciplinary area of study, including the natural sciences and social sciences.
For students studying this field at TCC, the most common pathway is to earn an Associate of Arts degree, taking care to choose the proper coursework outlined on this page and transfer to the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) as juniors. The degree at UWT is a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in environmental sustainability.
Within the major, students will choose one of four options for in-depth study:
- Environmental Policy and Law
- Environmental Communication
- Business/Nonprofit Environmental Sustainability or
- Pre-Environmental Education
Most four-year colleges offer an environmental sustainability degree in one form or another. Sometimes it is a stand-alone bachelor's degree, and other times it is a minor, or an area of emphasis. The TCC program is designed specifically for students to transfer to UWT and earn a Bachelor’s degree. Students who intend to transfer somewhere other than UWT should consult with an environmental sustainability advisor as the information in this document is specific to UWT'S program only.
Environmental Sustainability - Associate of Arts (DTA)
While in high school, students should take two years of one foreign language. They should take math courses preparing them for college-level pre-calculus and statistics. Science courses such as biology, chemistry, and earth science will better prepare students for success in college-level science courses. Environmental sustainability majors must also have strong communication, writing skills, and computer literacy. Students may need to take additional prerequisite courses.
TCC offers courses that cover most of the first 2 years of a typical four-year environmental sustainability program.
Career Options
Explore career options in Environmental Studies here.
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Contact one of our academic advisors to help design your path to accomplish an Associate of Arts degree to transfer in this field.
Ralph Hitz, Instructor and Faculty Advisor
Kristen Harrison, Instructor and Faculty Advisor