USC Environmental Studies
Transfer Requirements and Classes

The major preparation USC lists for Environmental Studies transfers starts with ENST 100g, ENST 320a and ENST 320b; the full list is below.

82 California community colleges have a current transfer agreement with USC for this major. Pick yours below to see which of its classes count.

California community colleges with a transfer agreement for Environmental Studies

Your community college

Which classes count at your community college?

Pick your college to see its class for each USC requirement.

Major Requirements

USC Environmental Studies Major Preparation

The courses USC lists as Environmental Studies major preparation for transfer applicants, for the 2026-27 academic year. Course numbers are USC's own; pick your community college above to see the matching class there.

Common Courses (48 Units)

Complete all of these

ENST 100g Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENST 320a Water and Soil Sustainability; Energy and Air Sustainability
ENST 320b Water and Soil Sustainability; Energy and Air Sustainability
ENST 344 Environmental Ethics
ENST 387 Economics for Natural Resources and the Environment
ENST 495 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies
BISC 103Lgx General Biology for the Environment and Life
CHEM 103Lgx General Chemistry for the Environment and Life
GEOL 160Lg Introduction to Geosystems
ENST 360 Public Policy for Sustainability
IR 309 Global Governance
IR 323 Politics of Global Environment
IR 349 International Law and Politics
MDES 201w The Middle East
MDES 401 Environment and Politics in the Global South
POSC 320 Urban Politics
POSC 347 Environmental Law
GEOL 415 Fundamentals of Environmental Data Science
HP 340Lg Health Behavior Statistical Methods
MATH 114xg Foundations of Statistics
PSYC 274Lg Statistics
QBIO 305g Statistics for Biological Sciences

Concentration in Climate and Environment

Complete all of these

ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy
ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society
ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future
GEOL 351L Climate Systems
GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment

Complete 1 of these

MATH 125g Calculus I
PHYS 151Lg Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves

Concentration in Environmental Policy

Complete all of these

ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environmental Policy
ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy
ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society
ENST 443 Global Climate Negotiations: Research and Communication
ENST 486 Social Science Research Methods for Environmental Analysis
HP 446 Poisons, People, and Politics
POSC 418 Environmental Sustainability and Public Participation
POSC 436 Environmental Politics
PPD 373 Public Policy and Planning Analysis
PPD 410 Comparative Urban Development
PPD 420 Environmental Impact Assessment
PSYC 411 Not Easy Being Green: Decision-Making for Sustainability
RISK 380 Introduction to Enterprise Risk Management

Complete 1 of these

ECON 203g Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 205g Principles of Macroeconomics

Complete 1 of these

PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications
SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

Concentration in Oceans and People

Complete all of these

BISC 315L Introduction to Ecology
BISC 419L Microbiology for a Sustainable Future
ENST 310 Sustainable Fisheries Management
ENST 370 Marine and Coastal Environmental Policy
ENST 405 Public Engagement for Nature Conservation
ENST 413 Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security
ENST 483L Coastal Zone Sustainability
ENST 484 Waves of Change: Unearthing Coastal Environmental Histories
GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment
GEOL 450L Geosystems
GEOL 470L Environmental Hydrogeology

Complete 1 of these

BISC 431L Aquatic Microbiology
BISC 457L Methods in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography

Complete 1 of these

BISC 469L Marine Biology
BISC 473L Biological Oceanography

Complete 1 of these

PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications
SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

Concentration in Sustainability and Society

Complete all of these

ENST 310 Sustainable Fisheries Management
ENST 405 Public Engagement for Nature Conservation
ENST 413 Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security
ENST 432 Environment and Governance: International and National Policy
ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future
ENST 484 Waves of Change: Unearthing Coastal Environmental Histories
ENST 486 Social Science Research Methods for Environmental Analysis
MDES 441w Cities of the Middle East
MOR 466 Business and Environmental Sustainability
POSC 418 Environmental Sustainability and Public Participation
PPD 361 Sustainable Communities, Policy and Planning
PSYC 411 Not Easy Being Green: Decision-Making for Sustainability

Complete 1 of these

PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications
SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

Also listed by USC

USC lists these under the headings shown, apart from the list above.

Electives

GEOL 450L Geosystems
GEOL 470L Environmental Hydrogeology
HP 448 Global Environmental Changes and Health

1 of these

ENST 335 Science, Health and the Environment
ENST 442 Global Climate Change: Policy and Society
ENST 443 Global Climate Negotiations: Research and Communication
ENST 445 Earth Climate: Past, Present, and Future
GEOL 412 Oceans, Climate, and the Environment
ENST 483L Coastal Zone Sustainability

1 of these

PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications
SSCI 301L Maps and Spatial Reasoning

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does USC have an Environmental Studies major for transfer students?

Yes. USC offers Environmental Studies and lists the major preparation it expects transfer applicants to complete.

What classes do I need to transfer to USC for Environmental Studies?

USC's Environmental Studies major preparation includes ENST 100g, ENST 320a, ENST 320b, ENST 344, ENST 387 and ENST 495, with more courses in the list on this page. Pick your community college on this page to see which of its classes match.

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