The climate crisis and other staggering environmental challenges render it essential that we train a new generation of journalists with a strong scientific foundation in environmental science. Clearheaded and scientifically grounded reporting on environmental issues will be essential for tackling these and other future challenges. This combined major is designed to provide training that merges the basic and applied science underlying environmental change with the best principles and journalistic practices to enable students to pursue careers across a wide range of science communication fields. 

Due to curricular overlap, students enrolled in this program cannot declare a double major with or declare a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology, environmental studies, or geoscience.

Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

Universitywide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Restrictions

Due to curricular overlap, students enrolled in this program cannot declare a double major with or declare a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology, environmental studies, or geoscience.

Environmental and Sustainability Sciences Requirements

Core Courses
ENVR 1200
and ENVR 1201
Dynamic Earth
and Lab for ENVR 1200
4-5
or ENVR 2200 Earth's Changing Cycles
ENVR 1400
and ENVR 1401
Foundations in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences
and Lab for ENVR 1400
5
EEMB 2302
and EEMB 2303
Ecology
and Lab for EEMB 2302
5
ENVR 2515Sustainable Development4
Complete one of the following:5
Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Biological Data
and Lab for ENVR 1500
Geographic Information Systems
and Lab for ENVR 3300
Environmental and Sustainability Sciences Electives
Complete four courses from the following lists:16-19
Junior/Senior Honors Project 1
Earth Oceans and Environmental Change
Earth Materials
and Lab for ENVR 2310
Earth Landforms and Processes
and Lab for ENVR 2340
Global Oceanic Change
Oceanography
Applied Hydrogeology
and Lab for ENVR 4500
Climate and Atmospheric Change
Soil Science
Coastal Processes, Adaptation, and Resilience
Global Biogeochemistry
Conservation, Restoration, and Management
Introduction to Evolution
Conservation Biology
Ecological and Conservation Genomics
Landscape and Restoration Ecology
Wetlands
Streams and Watershed Ecology
Urban Ecology
Sustainable Planning and Development
Food Security and Sustainability
Water Resources
Community Stakeholder Engagement in Environmental Management and Research
Environmental Planning
Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions
Advanced Spatial Analysis
Climate Adaptation and Nature-Based Solutions
Environment and Society
Ecosystem-Based Management
Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling
Environmental Politics and Policy
Ecological Economics
International Environmental Policy
Environment, Technology, and Society

Journalism Requirements

Foundation Courses
JRNL 1150Understanding Today’s News4
JRNL 1101
and JRNL 1102
Journalism 1: Fundamentals of Reporting and Writing
and Journalist’s Toolbox
5
JRNL 2201Journalism 2: Intermediate Reporting4
Visual Storytelling
Complete one of the following:4
Visual Storytelling in Journalism
News Documentary Production
Photojournalism
Video News Reporting and Producing
Law and Ethics
Complete one of the following:4
The First Amendment and the Media
Ethics and Diversity in the News Media
Electives
Complete any four journalism electives with two at the 3000-level or above.16

Integrative Requirements

Introduction to College
INSC 1000Science at Northeastern1
or JRNL 1000 Journalism at Northeastern
Co-op
EESC 2000Professional Development for Co-op1
or EEAM 2000 Professional Development for Co-op
Integrative Course
Courses used as electives may not overlap with the following:
ENVR 4050Solving Emerging Environmental Challenges through Capstone4
or ENVR 4997 Senior Thesis
or ENVR 4971 Junior/Senior Honors Project 2
JRNL 3650Science Writing4
or JRNL 3700 Data Storytelling

NUPath Requirements

The following NUPath requirements are fulfilled by required courses in this major:

  • Conducting Formal and Quantitative Reasoning (FQ)
  • Demonstrating Thought and Action in a Capstone (CE)
  • Employing Ethical Reasoning (ER)
  • Engaging Differences and Diversity (DD)
  • Engaging with the Natural and Designed World (ND)
  • Exploring Creative Expression and Innovation (EI)
  • Understanding Societies and Institutions (SI)
  • Writing Across Audiences and Genres (WD)
  • Two Writing-Intensive Courses in the Disciplines (WI)

Other NUPath requirements may be fulfilled by electives in the major.

English Requirements (First-Year Writing and Advanced Writing in the Disciplines)

ENGW 1111First-Year Writing4
or ENGW 1102 First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers
ENGW 3307Advanced Writing in the Sciences4
or ENGW 3303 Advanced Writing in the Environmental Professions
or ENGW 3315 Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
or JRNL 2301 Visual Storytelling in Journalism

Journalism  GPA Requirement

Grade of C or better required in the following courses.

Journalism 1: Fundamentals of Reporting and Writing
and Journalist’s Toolbox
Journalism 2: Intermediate Reporting
Visual Storytelling in Journalism

Science GPA Requirement (Environmental and Sustainability Sciences)

A minimum 2.000 GPA in the following course codes is required: ENVR, EEMB

Environmental and Sustainability Sciences/Journalism Combined Major Credit Requirements.

83 semester hours required in the major

Program Requirement

132 total semester hours required

Sample Plan of Study 

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer Second Half/Fall 

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
ENVR 1000 or JRNL 10001ENVR 1200
and ENVR 1201
4-5Elective4Elective4
ENGW 1111 or 11024JRNL 1101
and JRNL 1102
5Elective4Elective4
ENVR 1400
and ENVR 1401
5ENVR elective 14  
JRNL 11504Elective4  
Elective4   
 18 17-18 8 8
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
EEMB 2302
and EEMB 2303
5ENVR 25154Elective4Co-op0
JRNL 22014ENVR 1500, and ENVR 1501, or ENVR 3300 and ENVR 33015Elective4 
ENVR elective 24JRNL 2301, 5309, 5310, or 53144  
JRNL elective 14EESC 2000 or EEAM 20001  
 ENVR elective 34  
 JRNL elective 2  
 17 18 8 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0ENVR 4050, 4997, JRNL 3650, or JRNL 37004Elective4Co-op0
 JRNL 3550 or 46504Elective 4 
 ENVR elective 44  
 JRNL elective 34  
 0 16 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
Co-op0ENVR 4997, 4050, JRNL 3650, or JRNL 37004  
 JRNL elective 44  
 Elective4  
 Elective4  
 0 16  
Total Hours: 134-135