Whatcom Community College
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Environmental Science Pathway
This pathway assumes:
- You will be a full-time student.
- You will start in the fall.
- You are ready to take 100- and 200-level classes.
If not, you can still complete the pathway! You will just need to make adjustments. Talk with your advisor to customize your plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE-TRANSFER (AS-T) (90-91 CREDITS)
Follow this recommended pathway to earn the AS-T degree and prepare for a university major in environmental science. Or you can customize your plan even more. Talk with your advisor about adapting it for your individual goals.
Quarter 1
GEOL 211 Physical Geology (5 credits)
| Description | Intended for science majors. Composition and structure of earth, identification of common rocks and minerals, formation of surface features of continents and ocean floor, and interpretation of land forms frommaps. Lab work and field trips included. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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MATH& 141 Precalculus I (5 credits)
| Description | The basic properties and graphs of functions and inverses of functions, operations on functions, compositions; various specific functions and their properties including polynomial, absolute value, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions; applications of various functions; conics. A graphing calculator is required. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH 099 or MATH 132 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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ANTH& 100 Survey of Anthropology (5 credits)
| Description | Introduction to anthropology stressing human origins, cultural diversity, and bio-cultural-ecological adaptations. Topics include human inheritance, evolution, human fossils, prehistoric cultures, and a comparison of resource consumption and economics, human impact on the natural environment, family, politics, values, communication, expressive arts, religion, culture change and globalization. (SSgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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or another SOCIAL SCIENCE click for list (5 credits)
Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Find your people! Attend area-of-study activities and connect with clubs related to your career goals.
Action item: Meet with your advisor to build your degree plan.
Action item: Have your transfer-in credits officially evaluated.
Quarter 2
MATH& 142 Precalculus II (5 credits)
| Description | Second in a two-course sequence designed to prepare students for the study of Calculus. Intended for students planning to major in math and/or science. Course to include right triangle trigonometry; trigonometric functions and their graphs; trigonometric identities and formulae;applications of trigonometry; parametric equations; and polar coordinates. A graphing calculator is required. A graphing calculator is required. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH& 141 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)
| Description | This course helps students become more effective writers in academic and professional settings. Students learn to enter ongoing academic conversations, analyze and use secondary sources to formulate, develop, revise, and communicate ideas in writing, and shape their message to different purposes, audiences, and media. (CC) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of ENGL 95 or placement in ENGL& 101. |
| Course Attributes |
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CMST& 230 Small Group Communication (5 credits)
| Description | Introduces students to the theory and practice of small group communication. Course covers interpersonal relationships in groups, leadership, decision-making, problem solving, and presentations speaking in a variety of settings. Recommended preparation: placement in ENGL& 101. (OC) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Compare the different environmental science majors and combined majors at the universities you're interested in.
Career exploration: Look for local opportunities to participate in environmental activities (for example, the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association).
Quarter 3
MATH& 146 Introduction to Stats (5 credits)
| Description | Rigorous introduction to statistical methods and hypothesis testing. Includes descriptive and inferential statistics. Tabular and pictorialmethods for describing data; central tendencies; mean; modes; medians; variance; standard deviation; quartiles; regression; normal distribution; confidence intervals; hypothesis testing, one and two-tailed tests. Applications to business, social sciences, and sciences. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH 088 or MATH 099 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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HUM& 101 Introduction to The Humanities (6 credits)
| Description | Interdisciplinary introduction to global humanities (literature, philosophy, architecture/design, visual and performing arts, etc.), emphasizing experience and participation. Individual instructors determinea central theme or issue to establish focus and comparative structure. Seventh credit may be earned by enrolling in HUM 106 concurrently. Fulfills two Humanities distribution subject areas. (Hwdg) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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PHIL 132 Environmental Ethics (5 credits)
| Description | How humanity conceives of its environment is central to an understanding of how humans should act and think of themselves as part of planet Earth. Topics to be covered include: the fundamentals of ethical reasoning, the moral status of non-human animals, land use dilemmas, and anthropocentrism and ecocentrism in the context of current environmental problems. (Hdgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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or BUS& 101 Introduction to Business (5 credits )
| Description | Covers the role of business in modern economy and topics related to internal operations of a business and opportunities in business. Recommended preparation: placement into ENGL& 101. (SS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 16
Career exploration: Look for a summer job or internship related to your career goals.
Action item: Check the GPA and other entry requirements for your future major. Are you on track?
Quarter 4
CHEM& 161 General Chemistry With Lab I (5 credits)
| Description | First of a three-course sequence designed for science, engineering, and other majors needing a full year general chemistry sequence. Covers basic principles of modern chemistry, structure of atoms, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, bonding, and molecular geometry. Lab work included. Recommended preparation CHEM& 121 or one year of High School Chemistry. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH& 141 with minimum grade of C |
| Course Attributes |
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BIOL& 221 Majors Ecology/Evolution (5 credits)
| Description | This course is designed to prepare the student for further studies inthe field of biology or related fields. Basic information about evolution, genetics, biodiversity of life forms, and ecology will be taught and assessed. This is the first in a three-quarter sequence for biology majors. (MSwl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Prior or concurrent enrollment in CHEM& 161 and placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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MATH& 151 Calculus I (5 credits)
| Description | This course looks at the study of functions, limits, continuity, limits at infinity, differentiation of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions and their inverses, and applications. Graphing calculator required. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH 133 or MATH& 142 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Action item: Meet with your advisor about applying to universities. Start your transfer applications.
Action item: Apply for next year's financial aid.
Quarter 5
CHEM& 162 General Chemistry With Lab II (5 credits)
| Description | Second of a three-course sequence designed for science, engineering, and other majors needing a full year general chemistry sequence. Covers gases, thermochemistry, states of matter, solution chemistry, kinetics, and chemical equilibrium. Lab work included. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of CHEM& 161 with minimum grade of C |
| Course Attributes |
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BIOL& 222 Majors Cell Biology/Molecular (5 credits)
| Description | This course is designed to prepare the student for further studies inthe field of biology or related fields. It covers basic information about cell metabolism, biological molecules, structure and function of cells, gene regulation, and development in plants and animals. (MSwl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | BIOL& 222 |
| Course Attributes |
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MATH& 152 Calculus II (5 credits)
| Description | The study of Riemann Sums, methods of integration, numerical methods, polar and rectangular forms, fundamental theorem of Calculus, areas of regions, volumes of solids, centroids, length of curves, surface area, and an introduction to differential equations. Graphing calculator required. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH& 151 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Participate in original undergraduate research as part of BIOL& 222.
Action item: Apply to graduate by week 3 of this quarter.
Quarter 6
CHEM& 163 General Chemistry With Lab III (5 credits)
| Description | Third of a three-course sequence designed for science, engineering, and other majors needing a full-year general chemistry sequence. Coversacids, bases, acid-base equilibria, solubility and complex-ion equilibria, thermodynamics and equilibrium, electrochemistry, and special topics. Lab work included. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of CHEM& 162 with minimum grade of C |
| Course Attributes |
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BIOL& 223 Majors Organismal Physiology (5 credits)
| Description | This course is designed to prepare the student for further studies in the field of biology or related fields. Basic information about the structure and functions of living organisms will be taught and assessed. This is the third in a three-quarter sequence for biology majors. (MSwl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of BIOL& 222 with minimum grade of B- |
| Course Attributes |
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OCEA& 101 Introduction to Oceanography W/Lab (5 credits)
| Description | Formerly GEOL 135. Study of plate tectonics, ocean currents, waves, tides, the coastal ocean, marine topography, marine sediment, landforms, marine life, ocean pollution, and ocean resources. Lab work and field trips included. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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or PHIL& 117 Traditional Logic (5 credits )
| Description | Investigation of systems of formal logic with emphasis on symbolic reasoning. (QSR) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH 99 with minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Participate in original undergraduate research as part of CHEM& 163.
Action item: Attend the spring job fair.