The pressing needs for sustainable development and acceptable environmental quality are placing increasing demands upon governments and industries locally, nationally, and worldwide. To help meet those demands, the Environmental Science major provides training for students intending to enter environmental professions or to pursue graduate study in environmental science and related fields such as biology, chemistry, public health, law, and policy. The major offers an interdisciplinary course of study that combines elements of the natural and social sciences relevant to understanding the biosphere and its interaction with human society.The?Biogeochemistry track?is designed for students interested in analysis of links between environmental systems and other Earth system processes including biological, chemical, and geologic forces. Studies focus on global and local cycles of chemicals like carbon, nitrogen, and water that ultimately lead to global environmental change. Students selecting this major and track will receive interdisciplinary training in environmental science with a focus on ecosystem sciences and will be uniquely prepared to solve short and long-term challenges related to human-mediated global climate change and environmental degradation.The?Biology track?is designed for students interested in a biological perspective on environmental science. Students learn the processes that connect living organisms to their environment at the molecular, cellular, physiological, organismal, and population levels. The track is designed to encourage breadth in the life sciences and allows students to acquire depth in a chosen area of scientific concentration through the choice of electives. This track prepares students for careers in research, medicine, agriculture, and environmental management.The?Chemistry track?within the Environmental Science major is designed for students interested in a scientific perspective on environmental issues, in particular chemistry, toxicology, and pollutant fate and transport. The track is designed to encourage breadth in the physical sciences and allows students to acquire depth in a chosen area of scientific concentration through the choice of electives. This track prepares students for careers in research, chemistry, and environmental management.The?Public Policy track?is designed for students interested in the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of environmental sciences. The track provides a healthy balance between basic sciences and public policy aspects to prepare graduates for translating this knowledge into meaningful action and innovative policy solutions.The Environmental Science major includes both coursework and experiential learning about the underlying science, and the social, political, legal and economic factors that both encourage and hinder environmental cooperation and competition around the world. All students pursuing this major must complete a set required Divisional Foundational courses that provide the required background and fundamentals in the discipline essential to advanced work in the major. The major includes a set of five required interdisciplinary courses (four set courses plus one to choose from a list of three courses) which provide a well-rounded, in-depth examination of environmental science and policy issues. In addition to the foundational and interdisciplinary and disciplinary requirements, students also have the choice of a number of elective courses that provide flexibility to add depth in their specific field of study, and/or explore other subject matters as they see fit.
