Environmental Science (BS)

Environmental science is a joint major offered by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. This major recognizes the importance of environmental problems and human-caused climate change in the contemporary world, and the resulting expansion of career opportunities as well as graduate programs in this area. Environmental science is a broad interdisciplinary field working to understand the interactions among physical, chemical, biological, and human factors. A comprehensive understanding of how the environment functions and the influence of human actions, has the potential for improved conservation, sustainable development, environmental justice, and restoration of natural resources. Concerns about environmental degradations and climate change are ever more pressing in the 21st century and have led to a growing demand for specialists in this field as well as programs to train these specialists.

Tracks

There are two tracks within the Environmental Science major:

1) The Environmental Biology Track, which emphasizes both laboratory and field components as well as broad interdisciplinary alternatives (see description of Environmental Biology Track here). 

2) The Environmental Chemistry Track which emphasizes an analytical laboratory approach to environmental problems (see description of Environmental Chemistry Track below).

 

Program Requirements: Chemistry Track

First Year

BIOL 113General Biology

4

 

CHEM 113General & Quantitative Chemistry I

4

OR

CHEM 111Principles of General Chemistry

4

CHEM 216 General & Quantitative Chemistry II

4

MATH 120Calculus I

4

MATH 121Calculus II

4

Sophomore Year

CHEM 224Organic Chemistry I

4

STAT 118Introductory Statistics

4

PHYS 114Fundamentals of Physics I

4

PHYS 115Fundamentals of Physics II

4

Junior Year

BIOL 104Introduction to Environmental Science

4

OR

BIOL 245Principles of Ecology

4

 

ENVI 201Environmental Chemistry

4

 

CHEM 227Energy & Global Warming

4

OR

HON 308Energy & Global Warming

4

OR

CHEM 331/PHYS 331Thermodynamics & Kinetics

4

ENVI 201Environmental Chemistry

4

Senior Year

PHIL 139Environmental Ethics

4

CHEM 390/PHYS 390Chemistry Seminar

1

 

Electives (8 credits) – choose two:

CHEM 225Organic Chemistry II

4

CHEM 341Advanced Analytical Chemistry

4

CHEM 242
Mechanistic Toxicology

4

Independent Learning

The independent learning requirement (eight semester hours) is usually met in the senior year in either the biology department through BIOL 350 Independent Laboratory Research, BIOL 355 Thesis or BIOL 370 Internship or in the chemistry department through CHEM 350 Independent Study in Chemistry.