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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning, BA
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (SoMAS)
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning

Director: Donovan Finn
Email: donovan.finn@stonybrook.edu
Undergraduate Advisor: Nancy Black

Program Office: E2361 Melville Library
Phone: (631) 632-9404
Department Website

The Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning major, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, provides the skills, knowledge, and preparation for students to understand and address complex issues related to development, land-use, urbanization, and suburban sprawl. The curriculum integrates principles and methodologies from social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. The goal is to address the complex scientific, legal, ethical, political, environmental, and socio-economic issues that surround the development, management, and use of the built environment.

The B.A. degree prepares students for entry-level employment in the public, private, or non-profit sectors in a variety of fields including urban and regional planning, community planning, environmental consulting, land and real estate development, and public administration. The major prepares students for graduate study in environmental design, planning, architecture, law, management and business.

The major builds on the interdisciplinary sustainability core curriculum. Students will enroll in major-specific courses in their junior and senior year. As part of the preparation, students will work in teams with students enrolled in related majors to collaboratively solve problems. A design project is an essential part of the curriculum to provide real-world experience. Internships and independent research courses provide additional real-world experiences. Seniors are required to present their Design Project at an Annual Gathering of Researchers and Scholars.

Degree Requirements

Required Foundation Courses for Major (35 credits)

Core Courses (30-31 credits)

Elective (3 credits)

Choose one of the following courses:

Communications and Writing requirement

The advanced writing component of the major in EDP requires registration in the 0-credit SUS 459 and approval of either a term paper or a laboratory report written for an advanced course in the appropriate major at Stony Brook (including Readings and Research courses). Completion of SUS 459 with a grade of S will result in approval of the WRTD requirement. A list of preapproved courses can be obtained through the department.

Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline” (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

Notes:

  1. Internship with significant practical experience in planning and/or environmental design may be substituted for EDP 404  with permission of Undergraduate EDP Program Director.
  2. No more than one course (4 credits maximum) with a passing grade lower than C can be credited towards the major. Course taken with the Pass/NC option may not be applied to the major.

Study Abroad

Stony Brook University offers study abroad experiences that are focused on issues of sustainability in Cuba, Madagascar, and the Turkana Basin (Kenya). While issues of climate change, water and energy security, sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, sustainable economic development, conservation of unique and threatened ecosystems, population growth, and human health are important everywhere, viewing these issues through the lens of a different place and a different culture provides a valuable perspective. Students are encouraged to participate in study abroad experiences and to talk with their major director to determine how study abroad coursework can be used to fulfill some requirements for their major.

Double Majors

Excluding SUS 301 Technical Writing and Communication , no more than 6 credits of 300-400 level course credits can be applied to two majors within the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

SBC Courses

This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2)

 

SBC Category Required Major Courses Optional Major Courses (see Note 3)
ARTS    
GLO   AFS 374, SUS 316
HUM   SUS 316
LANG (see Note 4)    
QPS AMS 102 AMS 151, MAT 123, MAT 125, MAT 130, MAT 131
SBS ECO 108, GSS 105, POL 102, SUS 115, SUS 200  
SNW CHE 115/ENV 115 ENS 101, GEO 102, SUS 111, SUS 113
TECH SUS 201 GSS 313, GSS 317
USA POL 102 SUS 317
WRT    
STAS   SUS 311
EXP+ EDP 404 EDP 487, EDP 488, SUS 316
HFA+   SUS 320, SUS 321, SUS 325, SUS 328, SUS 329, SUS 366
SBS+ EDP 301, EDP 302, EDP 307, SUS 206 AFS 374, SUS 317, SUS 318
STEM+   SUS 322
CER   SUS 366
DIV (see Note 5)    
ESI    
SPK SUS 301  
WRTD SUS 459 SUS 321, SUS 325, SUS 328

Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation.

Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. 

Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences.

Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods.

Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements:

  • Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
  • Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
  • Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later

Sample Course Sequence