The AP Environmental Science Course
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary area of study that combines the use of biological and physical sciences with other areas of study to better understand our interactions with the surrounding environment. College Board describes the AP Environmental Course as follows:
"The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science."
Course Syllabus
A PDF of the AP Environmental Course Syllabus may be downloaded at this link.
AP Environmental Science Themes
- Science is a process.
- Science is a method of learning more about the world.
- Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
- Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
- Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
- As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.
- The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
- Natural systems change over time and space.
- Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
- Humans alter natural systems.
- Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
- Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
- Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
- Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.
- Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
- A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
- Management of common resources is essential.
Further AP Course Information
Additional information realted to AP Environmental Science as well as other AP College Board classes may be found at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org.