Environmental Sciences, BS Curriculum

Agriculture and Natural Resources &
Math, Science and Technology
Academic Affairs

• Program Type: Baccalaureate
• Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2013
• Required credits to graduate with this degree: 120
• Required credits within the major: 120
• This program requires summer terms.
• Degree: Bachelor of Science
• Minor in Environmental Sciences is available

 

The B.S. in environmental sciences is designed to provide students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues and the background required to be successful applicants to graduate programs. Students may choose from advanced courses designed to emphasize studies in biological remediation technologies, water quality, or agriculture while participating in a common core of courses which provide knowledge in the basic principles relevant to all areas.

Program Delivery

This program is available:

• via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)

Admission Requirements

For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the Office of Admissions website.

General Requirements

All students are required to complete general University and college requirements. For more information, see the graduation requirements.

Program Requirements

Students must complete 40 upper division credits.

 

 

 

 

• CA 1xxx

 

Program Sub-plans

Students are required to complete one of the following sub-plans. (Note for the Twin Cities and Morris campuses: The honors sub-plan does not meet this requirement. Honors students are required to complete one sub-plan plus the honors sub-plan. Please see an adviser if no honors sub-plan is listed for the program.)

Agricultural Environmental Stewardship

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in agricultural environmental stewardship trains students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues, by providing them with the background of agricultural operations that enables them to understand the fate of chemicals in the environment and the impact agriculture can have on the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment. Students also learn about techniques in various fields of agriculture that minimize the impact on the environment while still producing the food, energy, shelter, and other commodities needed to sustain the human population.

Graduates with this emphasis will

• be ideally suited to bridge the gap between agricultural production and environmental science
• be ideally suited for employment with government agencies such as NRCS, USDA, EPA, and others.

 

• AGRO 3130 - Forages (3.0 cr)
• AGRO 3444 - Crop Production (4.0 cr)
• ANSC 1205 - Beef and Dairy Production Techniques (2.0 cr)
• ANSC 2104 - Feeds and Feeding (4.0 cr)
• ANSC 3204 - Dairy Production (4.0 cr)
• ASM 3009 - Surveying (4.0 cr)
• ASM 3202 - Solar, Wind, and Geo-Thermal Systems (3.0 cr)
• ASM 3360 - Applications in Precision Agriculture (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3344 - Land Use Planning (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3635 - Geographic Information Systems Applications (3.0 cr)
• SOIL 3414 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3009 - Hydrology and Water Quality (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3224 - Soil and Water Conservation (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3225 - Watershed Management (3.0 cr)

 

Environmental Ecology

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in environmental ecology is designed to not only provide students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues, but also to provide graduating students with an ecological perspective on the relationships and interdependence of organisms in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Students electing to pursue this emphasis area become familiar with water quality issues, soil quality issues, and research and analytical techniques used to analyze various substrates for environmental contaminants. Students learn the impact that human activities can have on these biota, but also how the biota can be used in biological remediation techniques to remove the contamination caused by human activities.

Graduates with this emphasis will

• be ideally suited for environmental consulting firms
• understand the ecological relationships between biota and also how the ecosystems can be impacted by human activities.
• understand how to protect sensitive ecosystems and how to restore ecosystems that have already been impaired by human activities.

 

 

• AGRO 3640 - Weed Science (3.0 cr)
• ANSC 3004 - Livestock Facilities and Environmental Systems (3.0 cr)
• BIOL 3131 - Plant Physiology (3.0 cr)
• NATR 2630 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3364 - Plant Taxonomy (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3376 - Wetland and Riparian Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3660 - Prairie Ecosystem Management (2.0 cr)
• NATR 3699 - Integrated Resource Management (3.0 cr)
• PHYS 1102 - Introductory College Physics II [PHYS SCI](4.0 cr)
• SWM 3224 - Soil and Water Conservation (4.0 cr)

 

Environmental Health

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in environmental health trains students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues while also providing them with an understanding of how environmental or occupational factors (physical, chemical, and biological) interact with a human body causing an adverse impact on human health or the ecological balances essential to long-term human survivorship.

Graduates with this emphasis will

• understand how environmental or occupational factors impact human health.
• be able to make recommendations as to when an environmental or occupational hazard needs to be remediated due to its impacts on human health.
• be ideal candidates for environmental health graduate programs, and as government health officials and environmental health and safety specialists within any organization.

 

• AGRO 3640 - Weed Science (3.0 cr)
• CHEM 3021 - Biochemistry (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3132 - Air, Water, and Human Health (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3524 - Global Climate Change and Human Health (3.0 cr)
• HSCI 1123 - Fundamentals of Nutrition [BIOL SCI](3.0 cr)
• PHYS 1102 - Introductory College Physics II [PHYS SCI](4.0 cr)

 

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in environmental toxicology and chemistry trains students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues while also providing them with an understanding of the impacts of environmental contaminants on the biota. Chemical and toxicological aspects of environmental science are emphasized.

Graduates with this emphasis will

• understand what factors (chemical, biological, physical) impact the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment.
• understand phase partitioning and how to determine the ultimate fate of a chemical released into the environment.
• be ideally suited for environmental consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies such as EPA, USGS, and others.
• be ideal candidates for graduate programs in environmental toxicology, chemistry, ecotoxicology, or any other science based graduate program.

 

• AGRO 3640 - Weed Science (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3133 - Global Change and Biogeochemistry (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3143 - Environmental Microbiology (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 4608 - Biodegradation and Bioremediation (3.0 cr)
• GEOL 1001 - Introductory Geology [PHYS SCI, PEOPLE/ENV](3.0 cr)
• NATR 3374 - Ecology [BIOL SCI](4.0 cr)
• NATR 3699 - Integrated Resource Management (3.0 cr)
• PHYS 1102 - Introductory College Physics II [PHYS SCI](4.0 cr)
• SOIL 3414 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3009 - Hydrology and Water Quality (4.0 cr)

 

Individualized Environmental Sciences

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in individualized environmental sciences allows students and advisers to select courses from the entire list of environmental science electives for the environmental sciences major. This allows students to work out an individual plan of study in cooperation with their academic advisers to prepare them for any particular aspect of environmental sciences that may not be covered by one of the existing emphasis areas. This emphasis area also allows great flexibility for individual students while maintaining the strong background in the sciences needed to be a successful environmental scientist.

• AGRO 3130 - Forages (3.0 cr)
• AGRO 3444 - Crop Production (4.0 cr)
• AGRO 3640 - Weed Science (3.0 cr)
• ANSC 1205 - Beef and Dairy Production Techniques (2.0 cr)
• ANSC 2104 - Feeds and Feeding (4.0 cr)
• ANSC 3004 - Livestock Facilities and Environmental Systems (3.0 cr)
• ANSC 3204 - Dairy Production (4.0 cr)
• ASM 3009 - Surveying (4.0 cr)
• ASM 3202 - Solar, Wind, and Geo-Thermal Systems (3.0 cr)
• ASM 3360 - Applications in Precision Agriculture (3.0 cr)
• BIOL 3131 - Plant Physiology (3.0 cr)
• CHEM 2302 - Organic Chemistry II (3.0 cr)
• CHEM 2311 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (2.0 cr)
• CHEM 3021 - Biochemistry (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3104 - Toxicology (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3132 - Air, Water, and Human Health (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3133 - Global Change and Biogeochemistry (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3143 - Environmental Microbiology (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3524 - Global Climate Change and Human Health (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 4608 - Biodegradation and Bioremediation (3.0 cr)
• HSCI 1123 - Fundamentals of Nutrition [BIOL SCI](3.0 cr)
• NATR 2630 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3344 - Land Use Planning (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3364 - Plant Taxonomy (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3376 - Wetland and Riparian Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3635 - Geographic Information Systems Applications (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3660 - Prairie Ecosystem Management (2.0 cr)
• NATR 3699 - Integrated Resource Management (3.0 cr)
• PHYS 1102 - Introductory College Physics II [PHYS SCI](4.0 cr)
• SOIL 3414 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3009 - Hydrology and Water Quality (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3103 - Meteorology and Climatology (3.0 cr)
• SWM 3224 - Soil and Water Conservation (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3225 - Watershed Management (3.0 cr)

 

Water Quality

The B.S. in environmental sciences with an emphasis in water quality trains students with the scientific background and practical skills needed to successfully address environmental issues while also providing them with an understanding of water movement in terrestrial and aquatic systems and how this water movement impacts pollutant movement. In addition students will understand how the presence of pollutants in aquatic systems impacts the water quality and how watersheds can be managed to minimize the presence of pollutants and their impact on human and environmental health.

Graduates with this emphasis area will

• understand water movement and how water movement impacts pollutant movement.
• be ideally suited for environmental consulting firms, government agencies such as USGS, and others.

 

• AGRO 3640 - Weed Science (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3133 - Global Change and Biogeochemistry (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 3143 - Environmental Microbiology (3.0 cr)
• ENSC 4608 - Biodegradation and Bioremediation (3.0 cr)
• NATR 2630 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3.0 cr)
• NATR 3376 - Wetland and Riparian Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
• PHYS 1102 - Introductory College Physics II [PHYS SCI](4.0 cr)
• SOIL 3414 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3103 - Meteorology and Climatology (3.0 cr)
• SWM 3224 - Soil and Water Conservation (4.0 cr)
• SWM 3225 - Watershed Management (3.0 cr)

 

 

 

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Environmental Sciences Minor Curriculum

Math, Science and Technology
Academic Affairs

• Program Type: Undergraduate free-standing minor
• Requirements for this program are current for Spring 2013
• Required credits in this minor: 20
• This program requires summer terms.

 

The environmental sciences minor introduces students to the core concepts of environmental sciences. Students will gain an overall understanding of environmental sciences and its importance in today's society. This minor meshes well with major courses of study in biology, agronomy, horticulture, animal science, and natural resources giving these students a feel for how their disciplines interact with environmental sciences. It also helps develop critical thinking skills in applying science-based decision making as it pertains to the environment.

Program Delivery

This program is available:

• via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)

Minor Requirements