BSc in Global Environmental Science
Honolulu, USA
BSc
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Oct 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2027
TUITION FEES
USD 33,792 / per semester **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* spring semester
** $11,760 per semester for Hawaii residents
Key Summary
About: The BSc in Global Environmental Science at The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa trains you in Earth-system science. You’ll do faculty‑mentored research, write a thesis, present findings, and gain field, lab, and vessel experience. Concentration tracks and an Honors research thesis are available.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue roles in research, conservation, policy, coastal and oceanographic science, water quality monitoring, natural resource management, environmental planning, sustainability consulting, environmental health, environmental education, and scientific communication, community resilience projects, policy advising. Potential job titles include environmental scientist, marine scientist/biologist, natural resource manager, environmental planner, sustainability consultant, and public health/environmental health specialist.
The Bachelor of Science in Global Environmental Science (GES) program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) Department of Oceanography in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) trains students to be knowledgeable in Earth-system science and think creatively about solving present and future challenges facing communities and natural resources. Each GES student performs faculty-mentored original research, writes a thesis, and presents their findings to the public.
Faculty mentors include SOEST faculty—global leaders in the fields of ocean, earth, atmospheric, climate, and space sciences—along with other UHM faculty experts in natural resource management, coral reefs, water quality, marine biology, environmental planning, public health, environmental anthropology, and sustainability. Throughout the GES degree program, students are engaged in fieldwork, laboratory work, and field trips, and have access to deep ocean and coastal research vessels and SOEST’s world-class Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology.
Concentration Tracks
In addition to the general track pathway, the Global Environmental Science program offers several concentration tracks (with defined coupled systems courses) in cross-disciplinary environmental science areas. For each of these tracks, the collaborating department and its faculty have agreed to support the major-required research thesis project so that GES students can focus both their curricular and research experience on the track’s subject material.
- Environmental Health Sciences – cross-disciplinary with the Office of Public Health Studies
- Environmental Planning – cross-disciplinary with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning
- Sustainability Science – in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute
Honors Track
The Global Environmental Science Honors track trains students to conduct sustained, supervised research in the fields of environmental science. Honors students work closely with a faculty mentor, take Honors courses, write an Honors/GES thesis based on their research, submit the thesis to both Honors and GES programs, and present their finished research at both the Undergraduate Showcase and the GES Symposium to satisfy each program’s requirements.
General Education Requirements
General Education (Gen Ed) at UH Mānoa involves a flexible and diverse multi-disciplinary curriculum. Through Gen Ed coursework, students are exposed to different domains of knowledge and modes of scholarly inquiry. Students develop skills in written and oral communication, ethical and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and information literacy that are transferable across the curriculum. Gen Ed coursework also fosters a deeper understanding of and an appreciation for Hawaiian culture and history.
For a list of the courses that fulfill the requirements above, visit the UH Mānoa Undergraduate General Education Requirements.
Major Requirements
Aside from core university requirements, the Bachelor of Science in GES program has core requirements of two basic types: basic sciences and derivative sciences. The former provides the foundation to understand and appreciate the latter in the context of basic skills in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. Both GES core requirements provide the necessary cognitive skills to deal with the higher academic level courses within the GES curriculum. These include required foundation courses in GES and Coupled Systems courses. It is within this latter category of coursework that the formal course program will be tailored to the individual student’s needs. For example, we anticipate that most students will follow a natural science track of study. However, because of the human dimensions issues involved in the subject matter of environmental change, some students may wish to expand their academic program into the social sciences that bear on the issues of global change.
A minimum grade of C must be obtained in all GES required courses.
The current curriculum is in effect for students entering the Program in Academic Year 2023-2024.
Note on Coupled Systems courses:
- Always check well in advance (at least two semesters prior) with the department offering the course to see if it will be offered in the semester you plan to take it.
- Labs cannot count as Coupled Systems courses.
Program Educational Objectives
The Global Environmental Science program expects graduates to be able to:
- Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to attain advanced disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and professional degrees
- Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to the practice of environmental science to become leaders in public and private sector professional careers, impacting local to global communities
- Apply principles of environmental justice and ethics, sustainability, and Indigenous practices and knowledge in their careers.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct independent basic or applied research
Student Learning Outcomes
All graduates of the Global Environmental Science program are expected to have demonstrated an ability to:
- Identify, formulate, explain, and solve broadly defined technical or scientific problems relevant to local communities and/or global contexts by applying knowledge of mathematics, science, and Indigenous practices and knowledge in environmentally related disciplines.
- Design a system, process, procedure, or program to meet desired needs.
- Develop and conduct experiments or test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data, and use scientific judgment to conclude.
- Communicate effectively with a range of audiences in both written and oral communication.
- Understand ethical and professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in economic, environmental, and societal contexts, both locally and globally.
- Function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty.