The BEV in environmental products of design creates design leaders prepared to take on challenges facing humanity and our environment(s) through the rigorous development of design solutions. Students will implement a critical and hands-on design process that leverages design thinking, ethical consideration and speculative design in conjunction with rapid prototyping, experimentation, fabrication techniques and product development. Majors graduate with creative confidence and a diverse problem-solving skillset poised to make innovative solutions towards improving our human, natural and built environments.

Required Courses and Credits

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEV) is subdivided into two parts:  

  1. The first part consists of a design core program lasting one and a half years and provides a balanced introduction to each of the BEV majors offered. The design core outcome establishes shared core competencies across disciplines and provides critical context for the inherently interdisciplinary and cross-cultural built environment. By the end of the core studies, students select or confirm their intended major.  

  2. The second part is focused on a selected major. Studies culminate in a degree in Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEV) with a major in either environmental products of design, architecture, landscape architecture and sustainable planning and urban design. Each has unique requirements for completing the major. 

Credit Hours 

Students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours subject to the maximum outlined in this catalog, including all ENVD design core requirements, major requirements and maintain a GPA of 2.00 or better. Students must complete courses with a grade of C- or better to fulfill university and degree requirements.  

Note: In additionmajors in the Department of Environmental Design must complete CMDI Core Curriculum requirements. The Core Curriculum requirements for the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information can be found in Policies & Requirements. 

Environmental Design core37
The first part of the Environmental Design curriculum consists of a design core program lasting one and a half years and provides a balanced introduction to each of the BEV majors. The design core outcome establishes shared core competencies across disciplines and provides critical context for the inherently interdisciplinary and cross-cultural built environment. By the end of the design core program, students select or confirm their intended major.
Environmental Design major54
The second part of the Environmental Design curriculum is focused on a selected major, which culminates in a Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEV) degree with a major in either environmental products of design, architecture, landscape architecture, or sustainable planning and urban design. Each has unique requirements to complete the major.
ENVD Electives (9 credits, incl in the above)
CMDI Core Curriculum (min. 22 credits)
The CMDI Core Curriculum has requirements for any major in the college, however the ENVD majors have required courses that satisfy some these requirements. See each BEV major plan of study for additional information.
Lower-Division Composition and Expression requirement3
Choose one:
Writing in Arts and Sciences
First Year Writing for Environmental Design
First-Year Writing in Energy, Environment and Sustainability
Extended First-Year Writing and Rhetoric
First-Year Writing and Rhetoric
CMDI First-Year Writing and Rhetoric
Upper-Division Composition and Expression requirement 13
People and Society requirement 23
Humanities and the Arts requirement 36
Quantitative Thinking requirementmin. 3
Meet with Academic Advisor to determine requirement for specific major.
The Natural World requirement (1 course + a lab/recitation) 4min. 4
Meet with an Academic Advisor to determine requirements for specific major.
Non-ENVD Electives9
Total Credit Hours122

Sample Four-Year Plans of Study

The first three semesters of the BEV curriculum is the design core curriculum, which is a prerequisite for: Environmental Products of Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Sustainable Planning and Urban Design. There are corequisite design core courses each semester that are typically sequential from semester to semester.

Design Core

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall SemesterCredit Hours
ENVD 1010 Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design 3
ENVD 1020 Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture 3
ENVD 1002 Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design 2
ENVD 1004 Introduction to Environmental Design 3
ENVD 1976 Colloquium - Exploring Careers, Research and Practice 1
Lower-Division Composition and Expression requirement (choose one: ARSC 1150, ENVD 1150, ENVS 1150, WRTG 1100 or WRTG 1150) 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring Semester
ENVD 1030 Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture 3
ENVD 1040 Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design 3
ENVD 1012 Technology 2: Visual Communications 2
ENVD 1024 History of the Built Environment 1 3
Humanities and the Arts requirement 2 3
 Credit Hours14
Second Year
Fall Semester
ENVD 1110 Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1 3
ENVD 1120 Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 2 3
ENVD 1022 Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design 2
ENVD 2003 Ecological Systems in Design 3 3
ENVD 2101 Context of Design: Planning and Implementation 3
People and Society requirement 4 3
 Credit Hours17
 Total Credit Hours46
Plan of Study Grid
Second Year
Spring SemesterCredit Hours
EPOD 2100 Studio 1: Foundations of Environmental Products of Design 6
EPOD 2004 History and Theory of Environmental Products of Design 5 3
ENVD 2001 Human Behavior and Design 4 3
Quantitative Thinking requirement (choose one: MATH 1150 & MATH 1151 or MATH 1300, MATH 2510, SOCY 2061) meeting with an Academic Advisor suggested 3-5
 Credit Hours15-17
Third Year
Fall Semester
EPOD 3100 Studio 2: Intermediate Environmental Products of Design 6
EPOD 3101 Theory and Ethics in Design 3
The Natural World requirement (choose one pair: PHYS 1110, PHYS 2010, EBIO 1210 & EBIO 1230, or CHEM 1113 & CHEM 1114) 4-5
Elective 3
 Credit Hours16-17
Spring Semester
Professional development requirement 6 6
EPOD 3105 Human Centered Design and Entrepreneurship Strategies 3
Upper-Division Composition and Expression requirement or ENVD 3150 3
ENVD Elective 7 3
 Credit Hours15
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
Elective Studio (choose one: ENVD 3100, EPOD 3100 or an approved Design study abroad) 8 6
EPOD 4115 Materials and Manufacturing Processes in Product Design 3
Humanities and the Arts requirement 2 3
ENVD Elective 7 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring Semester
EPOD 4100 Studio 3: Capstone in Environmental Products of Design 6
ENVD Elective 7 3
Elective 3
 Credit Hours12
 Total Credit Hours73-76

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of the Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEV) program, students will be able to: 

  • Use creative, critical and convergent thinking to address social and environmental issues, analyzing the need for and impact of design solutions by examining precedents, applying theoretical knowledge, conducting research and using problem-defining techniques.
  • Develop conceptual or material solutions to socio-environmental issues through iterative design processes, synthesizing critical feedback and collaborative findings with peers and communities they engage with.
  • Employ graphic, verbal, written, spatial and other communication strategies to organize, demonstrate and effectively argue for their design concepts and proposals.
  • Apply principles of social and environmental justice in their work. They will prioritize design stewardship and sustainability to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all project constituents.
  • Demonstrate foundational technical skills and apply methodologies essential for entering academic and professional disciplines in environmental design.