2013-14 Undergraduate Student Handbook - College of Natural ...

Majors in the Social Sciences
Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) focuses on economics and
the political institutions that affect the development and management of natural
resources and the environment. It takes a problem-solving approach to issues
involving renewable and fixed natural resources, and has a foundation in microeconomic
theory and the economics of resources and the environment. The major
also includes topics related to policy, domestic or international development, and
law. The program is offered in both the College of Natural Resources (B.S.) and the
College of Letters and Science (B.A.). Offered by the Department of Agricultural
and Resource Economics (ARE).
Society and Environment (S&E) introduces students to the main approaches
and theory for environmental social sciences, including how social science tools can
be applied to environmental problems, and how social science theories contribute
to understanding environmental problems. Students are exposed to three areas
of concentration, and choose to focus on one: 1) U.S. Environmental Policy and
Management, 2) Global Environmental Politics, or 3) Justice and Sustainability.
Offered by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
(ESPM).
Choosing a Major
If you are a freshman, you are not required to be in a major program during
your first two years in CNR. You must declare a major by the end of your fourth
semester of enrollment at UC Berkeley. Failure to declare a major by the time you
reach junior status will result in your registration being blocked, and you will not
be able to enroll in any courses until you declare.
Your major should reflect your interests and your career goals. Both may change
during your first years of college, and you need not feel locked into your initial
choice of major. Many major programs have similar lower division requirements,
and changing majors within CNR during the first two years generally creates no
difficulties.
There is plenty of information on the undergraduate majors offered in CNR
available in the Student Resource Center, and on the CNR website at http://cnr.
berkeley.edu/site/choosing_major.php. You can also make an appointment with
any of the undergraduate staff advisors to find out more about a particular major.
Declaring a Major
On pages 24-25, you will find the minimum requirements needed to declare a major
in CNR. Students are also expected to follow these guidelines:
• Current UC Berkeley students who entered as freshmen are expected to be
able to graduate in a total of 8 semesters (summers excluded). Exceptions are
rarely granted. Students should be progressing in major requirements each
semester.
• All major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
• Both halves of Reading and Composition requirement must be completed by
the end of the 4th semester.
“ I chose
Molecular
Toxicology because
it’s an extremely
unique major
that’s not offered
by many other
universities. It’s
more applicable
and a lot more
useful than basic
sciences that
are just focused
on biology or
chemistry. I like
how Molecular
Toxicology focuses
on how you can use
it in the industry.”
--Susie Zhang ‘14
Molecular Toxicology
21