Hi, I am Professor A.J. Purdy from the Department of Environmental Science. I am here to help you select your courses for registration.

Before getting into details, however, it is important that you understand just what a degree in Environmental Science is and how it can help you to reach your career goals.  Environmental science is an interdisciplinary program that spans the traditional scientific fields of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics with a focus on the relationship between these fields, environmental systems, and society. There are numerous foci within the field of Environmental Science. For example, if you have an interest in how ecosystems function and the relationship between various biological systems and the environment, then you might focus on ecology.  If your interest lies in cleaning up polluted environments or you enjoy utilizing skills in chemistry, physics, and mathematics, then you may wish to pursue a career in environmental consulting or engineering.  If your interest is in how government and society interact with the environment, then you may want to take additional courses or perhaps even minor in politics, sociology, environmental studies or a myriad of other fields.  The bottom line is that we prepare our graduates to have successful in careers in all of these areas of environmental science.

If you would like more details on our degree program or how you might use the degree to advance your career goals, please contact me either by phone or email.
415.422.6553
environmental.science@usfca.edu

A student typically registers for 16-18 credits per semester.  Four, 4-credit courses and perhaps 1 or 2 credits of extracurricular activities. Of these 4 classes, it is important that you sign up for: ENVS 110 Introduction to Environmental Science and the co-requisite laboratory course ENVS-110L. Like ENVS 110, for many science classes, you need to sign up separately for both lecture and lab sections.  This course will fulfill your core B2 Science requirement. 

For your next class, you should take a supporting science course, and we recommend that students take chemistry in their first year. To help you decide which sequence to start with, we recommend that you review the web-based chemistry tutorials on the USF Placement Test page, and then take the Chemistry Diagnostic test. This multiple-choice test of high school chemistry and algebra will assess your current chemistry knowledge. After submitting the test, your score appears along with our placement advice.  If you place into General Chemistry, then should enroll in Chem 150/150L. We also strongly encourage you to also enroll in Chem 191, the Workshop in General Chemistry, a 1 unit course.  If you do not place into General Chemistry, they we recommend that you take Bio 105 & 105L, General Biology 1 and the corequisite lab.

Now you should now have 2 classes:
Intro to Environmental Science and the first course in the Chemistry or Biology sequence.

For your third course, you can consider registering for a rhetoric and composition class. Developing good writing and communication skills is essential to your success in all classes you will take at USF.  You should know which class to register for. If you do not, please review the tutorial by clicking on the chapter called Rhetoric and Composition.

There are several options for your fourth class. Here are some suggestions:

We recommend that you consider enrolling in a First-Year seminar or, for transfer students, a Transfer Year Seminar. These seminars can be applied to one of the Core requirements.  As a class with only a small number of students, these courses serve as a great introduction to the academic environment at USF.  

As a science major you need to take two semesters of foreign language. If you have prior knowledge in a foreign language, you should complete a foreign language placement test that will indicate your level of proficiency.

Or, you can choose another core course.  In looking for Core courses, focus on Areas C-F, because courses in your major will take care of Area B, and your writing courses will cover part of Area A.

Once you have selected your classes, your schedule should resemble
this.
ENVS 110: Intro to Environmental Science
ENVS 110L: Laboratory
CHEM 150: General Chemistry I
CHEM 150L: Laboratory
CHEM 191: Workshop in Gen Chem I
Rhetoric and Composition course* or core course
First Year Seminar or Core or Foreign Language

Or this.
ENVS 110: Intro to Environmental Science
ENVS 110L: Laboratory
Bio 105 General Biology I
Bio-105L Laboratory
Rhetoric and Composition course* or core course
First Year Seminar or 2 units of electives

* based on your course selection from the Directed Self Placement course

Some students transferring to USF may have already completed some of your major coursework. It is important for you to review your degree evaluation to determine which courses you need to complete.

Spend some time navigating the Schedule of Classes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the website.  Look for courses that you would like to register for, including specific sections. Take sufficient time doing this to find a schedule that works for you. You should also keep a back up list in case some sections are closed. 

If you have any questions, please contact us.
415.422.6553
environmental.science@usfca.edu


At the end of this tutorial you will be asked to complete a quiz.  Once you have completed the quiz, you will be eligible to sign-up for classes when registration opens. We look forward to meeting you during our Orientation to your Major workshop.
Welcome to USF!