This Bachelor of Science program produces a well-prepared student to deliver novel and sustainable solutions to the increasingly challenging environmental and natural resource problems of the future.
The program has an interdisciplinary set of courses that will give the student career-ready experience in field work, analysis, communication and management.
The student in the Environmental Science and Sustainability program is exposed to and utilizes field methods (mapping, sampling, logging), analysis (biological, chemical, lab methods, and more), service-based learning techniques (through collaborative class projects and cooperation with local businesses/institutions), and professional communication approaches (via presentations, professional meetings, grant writing, and publication).
Program Goals
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Sustainability program are able to:
Create solutions that support global awareness and ethical policy decision;
Communicate research-based information to both non-scientists and professional audiences;
Manage data from different sources;
Engage students in community-based learning; and,
Evaluate scientific literature in terms of methods, data analysis and conclusions.
Program Concentrations
This concentration equips students with the technical expertise to collect, analyze, and interpret geospatial data using tools such as drones (UAV), global positioning systems (GPS), and geographic information systems (GIS). Students will develop skills in remote sensing, spatial analysis, spatial data management, and environmental analysis, preparing them for careers in industries such as environmental consulting, disaster response, urban planning support, and precision agriculture. Graduates will be well-positioned to apply drone and spatial analysis technologies for data-driven problem-solving to support decision makers in diverse environmental and industrial applications.
Focusing on the integration of technology and sustainable farming practices, this concentration provides students with the knowledge to design, implement, and manage controlled growing systems. Students will explore hydroponics, vertical farming, aquaponics, and automation technologies to optimize agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impact. Graduates will be prepared for careers in agricultural technology, greenhouse management, food security initiatives, and sustainable crop production.
This concentration prepares students to tackle complex environmental challenges by integrating scientific knowledge, policy development, and sustainable business practices. Students will learn how to analyze environmental data, develop sustainability strategies, and engage with industries and communities to implement sustainable solutions. Graduates will be equipped for careers in environmental consulting, corporate sustainability, renewable energy, and policy development, playing a key role in advancing global sustainability initiatives.
Industry Highlights
Program Courses
This program requires a total of 50 semester hours: 1) 39 semester hours from the core courses listed below and 2) 11 semester hours of elective courses. The semester hour value of each course appears in parentheses ( ).
This course introduces the student to the major themes of biology, including properties of living organisms, comparison of eucaryotes vs. procaryotes, patterns of inheritance, the central dogma, mitosis and meiosis, the diversity of life in both plants and animals, classification of organisms, evolution, metabolism, photosynthesis, cell structures, basic structure of the body, infectious desease, the Hardy-Weinberg principle, biodiversity, ecosystems, and the biosphere. A broad understanding of biology and living organisms in the biosphere is developed through hand-on, mulit-modal engages learning opportunities in both the classroom and the companion laboratory compenent.
Companion laboratory component that demonstrates the major themes of biology presented in BIOL 102.
This course examines theories (including a variety of mathematical, verbal, and graphical models of important ecological processes) and natural history. The student explores: 1) various questions (in a broad sense) asked by ecologists and 2) the theories and models from which hypotheses are suggested to answer the questions. Specific ecological studies are used to illustrate what has been learned about the natural world.
This course examines implementation of ecological techniques of study, both laboratory and eld-based. The student applies the scientific method by exploring different ways in which ecologists gather data to refute or support the proposed hypotheses.
This course provides a general introduction to atoms and molecules, stoichiometry, states of matter, solutions, reactions, kinetics and equilibrium which serve as a prerequisite for advanced courses.
Companion laboratory component that illustrates the study of chemical principles presented in CHEM 151.
This introductory seminar class will serve to orient the student with both the Environmental Science and Sustainability program offerings as well as possible career paths accessible to the student graduating with a degree in Environmental Science and Sustainability. Additionally, this course will highlight the importance of communication, teamwork, collaboration, and civic engagement in promoting environmental stewardship.
Environmental science is the study of natural ecosystems, human impacts on the environment, and sustainable management of the Earth’s resources. Processes of the physical and biological environment are used as a basis for consideration of current environmental topics. Other areas covered include: energy consumption and global warming, water and air pollution, waste management, impacts of deforestation on biodiversity and other environmental changes occurring on a global scale.
This course is designed to give the student a tour through the planet Earth; from the inside to the outside and from the past to the present. The large-scale structure of the Earth, formation of mountains, explosive processes like volcanoes, earthquakes, and how water, glaciers, and other weather processes can shape the landscape are covered.
This course covers the hydrologic cycle in great depth and will also examine how humans utilize their water resources. It also delves into the properties of water, physical and chemical, and subsurface flow. Field methods, regional hydrogeology, and subsurface contamination investigations are all covered.
This course centers on the overlap of soil science, environmental science, and geology. Our goal is to explain the fundamental principles in soil sciences and introduce the concept of the “Critical Zone,” where water, rock, biology, and atmosphere interact as a system.
This course covers the fundamental approaches of managing, land, air and water resources for environmental protection and pollution control. The course also covers compliance with environmental laws, regulations and policies currently in effect.
Environmental education is a dynamic process designed to foster environmental literacy, awareness, and action among individuals, communities, and organizations. Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that deepens understanding and inspires engagement with the world around us. This course examines the history, principles, and goals of environmental education and interpretation, and explores the hands-on application of environmental education and interpretive strategies in formal and nonformal settings, as well as written and spoken formats.
This course offers an interdisciplinary examination of climate change, focusing on education, persuasion, problem-solving, and adaptation to this global challenge. The student engages with climate change through available facts, personal experiences, and diverse worldviews. Initially, climate change scholarship primarily involved one-way dissemination of information from experts to the public. This course empowers the student to assess their understanding, discern facts from controversies, and effectively communicate about climate change, fostering the development of an informed and literate citizen. Offered as needed.
From environmental, social, political, and economic perspectives, this course explores environmental studies and sustainability. Focus includes the history of the environmental movement, biodiversity and ecology, and climate change science. Examining the impact, resiliency/adaptation, environmental laws and policy, and sustainable manufacturing add to the course. Finally, students explore social sustainability and environmental justice, life cycle analysis, green building, and other related matters. Topics covered include socioecological systems, critical theory, sustainable food production, and conservation agriculture.
The course also covers energy generation, life cycle analysis of consumer products, and the social and environmental impacts across each life cycle stage. Other topics include circular economy principles, environmental law and policy, environmental justice, greenhouse gas emission accounting, and the implications of climate change. Offered as needed.
This course focuses on the first of three primary Geospatial Technologies, Geographic Information Systems, but also introduces students to Remote Sensing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The course includes both lecture on concepts and applications as well as laboratory exercises designed to develop students abilities in core GIS functionality. GIS exercises include spatial data capture, storage, query, analysis display and map output using the industry standard, ArcGIS software. Practical applications of GIS to areas such as environmental analysis, land use planning, emergency management and fundamental mapping techniques. Students finish the course by completing a custom mapping project on a topic of interest to them.
This course provides an introductory treatment of classical Newtonian physics and covers kinematics in one and two dimensions, vector forces, Newton’s laws of motion, uniform circular motion, work, conservation of energy, momentum and angular momentum, rotational kinematics and dynamics, and simple harmonic motion. Emphasis is placed on the application of basic concepts through mathematical problem-solving. Applications of physics to problems in medicine are presented and medical technology is highlighted throughout the course. Applications of elementary and differential and integral calculus to physics are introduced. Laboratory experiments provide experience with various measurement technologies and reinforce the theoretical concepts developed.
