Advising

Welcome to Environmental Studies Advising!

Please set up an appointment through B-Successful, or email Stephanie Caulford if you have a brief question.

Major Declarations

• ENVI Major/Minor Declaration Form   

Course Registration

• ENVI Course Petition - Use if trying to register for a restricted ENVI course.

• ENVI 491 - Teaching Assistantship/UG Peer Mentor Request Form
• ENVI 397/495 - Independent Study/Internship Request Form - ENVI 495 is for Nature Preserve internships only. All other internships should go through the credit-bearing internship program offered through the Fleishman Center.

DegreeWorks Update Requests

• DegreeWorks Update Request Form - Submit the following petition if a course appears in the "Fall Through" section of DW audit when it should be in your Envi major/minor.

NOTE: All forms must be completed using your Bmail account.

---

Advising Contact Information 

Stephanie Caulford

Harpur Advising:  Environmental Studies Advisor
scaulfo1@binghamton.edu

---

Dr. Sara Velardi

Instructor/Undergraduate Director of Environmental Studies
svelardi@binghamton.edu

---

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I get into closed courses?

  First, check whether the course has a wait list. If a wait list is available, the only way to enter the course is to add yourself to the wait list. For more information regarding the wait-listing procedure, contact the Envi advisor. If the course does not have a wait list is to self-register if a spot becomes available. For closed courses you should monitor BU Brain closely during open registration periods.

• Is the course restricted?

  Be sure to check Restrictions for a course are by going onto BU Brain and clicking on the course title. At the bottom of the page, restrictions for the course will be listed.

  If a course is restricted, you must meet the prerequisites for the course before you are able to register for the course. If you are having credits for the prerequisite transferred in, but the credits do not yet appear on your Binghamton University transcript, please visit the Environmental Studies Academic Advising office. If you have questions about restricted courses offered by the Biology or Chemistry departments, please contact those departments directly.

• How can I register for independent study credits?

  Complete an independent study course registration form for ENVI 397 Independent Study.

  Please complete these form carefully.

  Note: Students who want to register for 4 credits of independent study after the add/drop deadline will need to file a late add petition through Harpur and pay the late add fee. Be sure to submit these forms early. It is possible to register for 2 credits of independent study after the regular add/drop deadline. Please contact the advising office to complete the paper copy of the form if the online form is no longer available. For Biology independent study, fill out the appropriate form and return to their main office (S3-210).

• How can I get credits from a study abroad program to count towards my major?

  In advance of your study abroad class, complete a transfer credit petition form and bring it to the advising office (Science 1, 142C). Evaluation of these petitions can take up to a week or more. Students must petition BEFORE taking courses abroad as there is no guarantee that courses/credits will be accepted.

• Will any independent study (in any department) count toward the major?

  Yes. However, the independent study must have an environmental studies component. This component must be agreed upon in advance with the ENVI advisor. We do not accept independent studies outside of ENVI as part of your ENVI major after you have taken them.

  Independent research courses outside of ENVI may not automatically appear in the major section of your Degree Works. You will need to see the program's academic advisor so that a Degree Works Exception can be made to allow the research courses to count.

• How can I register for a teaching assistantship?

  Complete the ENVI 491 Teaching Assistant registration form. This form will be sent out to all majors in the semester prior to the course offering. Please complete this form carefully. If you have questions, please ask the ENVI advisor. When you apply for this, please register for a full set of courses not including ENVI 491. If you are accepted for the teaching assistantship position we will swap ENVI 491 with another class of your choosing.

• How do I know if a course I've taken or plan to take at another college will count toward Environmental Studies major requirements?

  Please check with the course-to-course lookup tool. Decisions regarding transfer credits are made by the director of the Environmental Studies Program. To find out if a course taken elsewhere will count toward your Environmental Studies degree requirements, bring a written description of the course (e.g., the catalog description from the other university or a syllabus) to the Environmental Studies Program Advising Office in Science 1, 142C.

• How can I get credits from another institution to count towards my major?

  Submit a completed major/minor petition form with a detailed course description of syllabus to the advising office (Science 1, 142C). Paper copies of the form are also available in the advising office. Evaluation of these petitions can take up to a week or more. Students must petition BEFORE taking courses at other institutions as there is no guarantee that courses/credits will be accepted.

• What if I need to take an incomplete in a course?

  You must meet with your instructor to determine if you will be permitted to receive an incomplete in a course. Incompletes are warranted when a student has a personal or medical emergency that prevents them from completing coursework. We highly encourage students and faculty to create an Incomplete Contract to ensure that all parties know exactly what coursework remains and when it must be completed by. Copies of the contract should be provided to the instructor, the student, and the advising office (S1-142C).

• What General Education (GE) courses should I take for the Environmental Studies Major?

  As part of your undergraduate degree at Binghamton University, you must take a variety of courses in areas that are designed to give you a broad-based education with an array of skills and expertise. These General Education (GE) requirements can be found here: http://www.binghamton.edu/general-education/requirements.html.

  As long as you meet the distribution requirements you can choose from any of the courses that meet the GE credentials. Any declared ENVI majors will receive a list of current course options. We have also compiled a list of suggestions that we believe contribute towards training in the ENVI major: You can find this document here. 

  Note that some of these courses (marked in bold) are required for the major so taking these will meet the GE AND the major requirements. Offered courses are subject to change on a semester basis.

  Courses by specific semester can be found by Looking Up Classes on BU Brain when logged into your student account.

• Additional Questions?

  For more information about course registration, graduation/commencement, enrollment verification, and the final exam schedule, as well as access to any forms please see the Registrar's website.

  See Harpur Advising for any Gen Ed or Harpur College requirement questions.

  Click here for overload request, general academic petition (to waive Harpur College residency requirement, extension of incomplete, etc), transfer petition, and additional Harpur forms.

  For general information about transferring to Binghamton click here.

  For more specific questions, please contact the ENVI Advisor via email: Joyce Kruger-Knuepfer. Binghamton University students can schedule an appointment through Starfish on https://my.binghamton.edu. Anyone can email an appointment request to Joyce.

• What steps do I need to take to Graduate?

  Graduating seniors should apply for your degree before current semester withdrawal grade option change. Please visit the commencement page for more information.