About AP Environmental Science

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to engage students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships within the natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography.

Laboratory Requirement

This course requires that 25 percent of the instructional time will be spent in hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory and/or fieldwork investigations.

Skills You'll Learn

• Explaining environmental concepts and processes

• Analyzing data, visual representations, and writings

• Applying quantitative methods in solving problems

• Proposing a solution for an environmental problem and supporting your idea with evidence

• Analyzing a research study to identify a hypothesis