Transfer Student Guidance

If you're attending a community college or another institution, we want to help make it easy for you to finish your degree in environmental studies at NIU. By taking these steps, you can set yourself up for success in our program.

1. Decide on a B.S. or B.A. Degree

There are certain courses you should take before you transfer, depending on if you want to get a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. The B.S. requires you to take more math and science, while the B.A. requires you to take a foreign language.

Both degrees are excellent preparation for beginning a career or graduate program, so it depends on what skills you want to develop:

  • By pursuing a B.S., you'll build your skills in math, statistics and chemistry.
  • By pursuing a B.A., you'll gain proficiency in another language while expanding your cultural perspectives and knowledge.

The emphasis in biodiversity and environmental restoration is available for the B.S. only.

2. Take Courses that Meet Degree Requirements

Try to complete as many B.A. or B.S. course requirements as possible at your current institution.

For the B.S. degree, we recommend taking your college's equivalent of the following NIU courses, as appropriate for you:

  • UBUS 223 or STAT 200
  • MATH 211 or 229
  • CHEM 210 and 212
  • CHEM 211 and 213

For the B.A. degree, we recommend taking your chosen foreign language courses and the equivalent of these NIU courses, as appropriate:

  • STAT 100
  • MATH 110, 155 or 211
  • CHEM 110

To learn what the equivalent courses are at your college, use NIU's Transfer Course Equivalencies and Major Guides or browse through the Illinois community college articulation tables for the environmental studies program.

3. Complete Your Degree at NIU

You can take the core environmental studies courses required for the degree in any orderafter taking either ENVS 200 or ENVS 301. As you pursue your chosen degree emphasis, you'll have the ability to take elective courses from outside the department that both align with your interests and meet degree requirements.

Contact Us

Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy
325 Montgomery Hall
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone: 815-753-1814
Email: envs@niu.edu
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