Program Overview

Introduction to Environmental Science

Environmental Science draws on basic knowledge of the physical, chemical, biological, and quantitative aspects of natural systems with a focus on how human activities impact the natural systems. It also considers how built environments, ranging from rural to urban developments, intersect with and affect humans and the natural environment. Different aspects of the environment are considered, including the air, the water, and soil. The scale of impacts ranges from the molecular and cellular to individuals, populations, ecosystems, and regional, and global levels.

Program Overview

The Environmental Science major will acquire scientific and problem-solving skills as they relate to environmental issues. Students of Environmental Science will go directly into an environmental science career or on to graduate school to further their study.

Admission Criteria

Admission to the Bachelor of Science program in Environmental Science is based upon prior academic performance and a written application that addresses an applicant’s experience, motivation, and goals. Once you are an Environmental Science major, you can choose the Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology emphasis.

Student Resources

• Department website: Environmental Sciences
• Department advising: See the Advising section of the College of the Environment website.
• Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
• Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
• Sample Careers:
  • Wildlife Biologist
  • Naturalist
  • Endangered Species Biologist
  • Environmental Inspector
  • Environmental Scientist
  • Fisheries Biologist
  • Marine Biologist
  • Safety and Health Specialist
  • Park Ranger
  • Aquatic Toxicologist
  • Wetlands Ecologist
  • Biological Survey
  • Water Resources Specialist
  • Environmental Chemist
  • Soil Conservation Specialist

Program Requirements

Preparatory Courses (44-45 credits)

• BIOL 204 - Introduction to Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity w/lab (5 credits)
• BIOL 205 - Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology w/lab (5 credits)
• BIOL 206 - Introduction to Organismal Biology w/lab (5 credits)
• CHEM 161 - General Chemistry I (5 credits)
• CHEM 162 - General Chemistry II (5 credits)
• CHEM 163 - General Chemistry III (5 credits)
• MATH 124 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (5 credits)
• PHYS 161 - Physics with Calculus I (5 credits)
• Choose one from:
  • ENVS 203 - Physical Geography (4 credits)
  • GEOL 211 - Physical Geology (5 credits)

Major (65 credits)

• Choose either:
  • CHEM 251 - Elementary Organic Chemistry (5 credits)
  • or the following series:
    • CHEM 351 - Organic Chemistry (4 credits)
    • CHEM 352 - Organic Chemistry (4 credits)
    • CHEM 354 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I (3 credits)
• Choose one from:
  • ESCI 325 - Fundamentals of Ecology (3 credits)
  • BIOL 325 - Ecology (4 credits)
• Choose one from:
  • ESCI 340 - Biostatistical Analysis (5 credits)
  • BIOL 340 - Biostatistics (5 credits)
• Choose one ENVS, ESCI or UEPP approved course (4-5 credits) with a capstone (CPST) attribute.
• Choose one from (minimum of 5 credits; maximum of 10 credits):
  • ESCI 498A - Senior Thesis (1-15 credits)
  • ESCI 498B - Internship (1-15 credits)
  • ESCI 498C - Senior Project (1-15 credits)
  • ESCI 498D - International Study (1-15 credits)
• One ENVS or UEPP 300-level or 400-level course (minimum 3 credits)
• Choose two lab/lecture options from the list below. Options include a combined lecture/lab course or two separate courses with one being a lecture and the other being a lab, which together count as one option.
  • ESCI 361 - Water Quality (5 credits)
  • ESCI 404 - Indigenous Resource Management in the Salish Sea (5 credits)
  • ESCI 407 - Forest Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 408 - Field Methods in Wildlife Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 409 - Riparian Conservation (4 credits)
  • ESCI 423 - Paleoclimate and Paleoecology (5 credits)
  • MACS 424 - Marine Fish Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 426 - Marine Invertebrates and Their Environment (5 credits)
  • ESCI 428 - Freshwater Algae Bioindicators (4 credits)
  • ESCI 429 - Stream Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 430 - Limnology and Limnology Lab (5 credits)
  • ESCI 431 - Watershed Biogeochemistry (5 credits)
  • ESCI 440 - Wetlands Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 442 - Introduction to Remote Sensing (5 credits)
  • ESCI 445 - Marine Geochemistry (4 credits)
  • ESCI 451 - Environmental Sampling and Analysis (5 credits)
  • ESCI 466 - Life Cycle Analysis (4 credits)
  • or ENRG 466 - Life Cycle Analysis (4 credits)
  • ESCI 477 - Wetland Plant Identification (4 credits)
  • ESCI 480 - Applications in Energy Production (4 credits)
  • or ENRG 480 - Applications in Energy Production (4 credits)
  • ESCI 485 - Global Environmental Change in the Cryosphere (5 credits)
  • Separate course numbers below are lecture and lab that require a student to take both courses to count as one option in this category:
    • ESCI 321 - Oceanography (4 credits)
    • and ESCI 322 - Oceanography Laboratory (3 credits)
    • ESCI 410 - Salmonid Fish Habitat and Ecology (3 credits)
    • and ESCI 411 - Salmonid Fish Field Practicum (2 credits)
    • ESCI 455 - Environmental Toxicology I (4 credits)
    • and ESCI 457 - Environmental Toxicology Laboratory I (4 credits)

Electives

• Under advisement (11-32 credits) to fulfill the total major requirements of 65 credits:
  • A minimum of 11 credits from:
    • ESCI 300- or 400-level
    • Additional electives, if needed from:
      • BIOL 300- or 400-level
      • CHEM 300- or 400-level
      • ENRG 300- or 400-level
      • GEOL 300- or 400-level
      • ENVS 300- or 400-level
      • MACS 300- or 400-level
      • MATH 300- or 400-level
  • FAIR 330E - Ethnobotany (5 credits)
  • FAIR 434P - Advanced Studies in Field Science (5-8 credits)
  • MATH 125 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry II (5 credits)
  • MATH 203 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations I (4 credits)
  • MATH 204 - Elementary Linear Algebra (4 credits)
  • MATH 205 - Linear Algebra Workshop (1 credit)
  • MATH 224 - Multivariable Calculus and Geometry I (5 credits)
  • MATH 225 - Multivariable Calculus and Geometry II (4 credits)
  • MATH 226 - Limits and Infinite Series (4 credits)
  • Maximum three courses allowed from:
    • PHYS 162 - Physics with Calculus II (5 credits)
    • PHYS 163 - Physics with Calculus III (5 credits)
    • PHYS 220 - Physics with Calculus IV (4 credits)
    • PHYS 300- or 400-level

Freshwater & Terrestrial Ecology Requirements (34 credits minimum)

• A minimum of 24 credits from:
  • ESCI 302 - Environmental Disturbances (4 credits)
  • ESCI 309 - Grand Canyon Riparian Conservation (4 credits)
  • ESCI 333 - Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (4 credits)
  • ESCI 361 - Water Quality (5 credits)
  • ESCI 392 - Introduction to Climate Change (4 credits)
  • or ENVS 392 - Introduction to Climate Change (4 credits)
  • ESCI 404 - Indigenous Resource Management in the Salish Sea (5 credits)
  • ESCI 407 - Forest Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 408 - Field Methods in Wildlife Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 409 - Riparian Conservation (4 credits)
  • ESCI 410 - Salmonid Fish Habitat and Ecology (3 credits)
  • ESCI 411 - Salmonid Fish Field Practicum (2 credits)
  • ESCI 412 - Fisheries Science (5 credits)
  • ESCI 423 - Paleoclimate and Paleoecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 425 - Environmental Biology of Fishes (3 credits)
  • ESCI 428 - Freshwater Algae Bioindicators (4 credits)
  • ESCI 429 - Stream Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 430 - Limnology and Limnology Lab (5 credits)
  • ESCI 431 - Watershed Biogeochemistry (5 credits)
  • ESCI 433 - Population Biology (3 credits)
  • ESCI 435 - Landscape Ecology (4 credits)
  • ESCI 439 - Conservation of Biological Diversity (4 credits)
  • ESCI 440 - Wetlands Ecology (5 credits)
  • ESCI 442 - Introduction to Remote Sensing (5 credits)
  • ESCI 459 - Aquatic Toxicology (3 credits)
  • ESCI 460 - Contaminant Fate and Transport (4 credits)
  • ESCI 463 - Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment (3 credits)
  • ESCI 465 - Plant and Soil Interactions (3 credits)
  • ESCI 477 - Wetland Plant Identification (4 credits)
  • ESCI 485 - Global Environmental Change in the Cryosphere (5 credits)
  • ESCI 490 - Environmental Risk Assessment (4 credits)
  • ESCI 492 - Climate Change (4 credits)
  • ESCI 493 - Environmental Impact Assessment (5 credits)
  • or ENVS 493 - Environmental Impact Assessment (5 credits)
  • or UEPP 493 - Environmental Impact Assessment (5 credits)
  • ENVS 327 - The Soil Environment (4 credits)
  • ENVS 427 - Soil Landscapes (4 credits)
• Additional electives, if needed from:
  • ESCI 300- or 400-level
  • ENVS 300- or 400-level
• FAIR 330E - Ethnobotany (5 credits)
• FAIR 434P - Advanced Studies in Field Science (5-8 credits)
• Maximum three courses from the following BIOL courses:
  • BIOL 326 - Methods in Ecology w/lab (3 credits)
  • BIOL 403 - Physiological Ecology of Animals w/lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL 405 - Microbial Ecology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 410 - Animal Behavior (4 credits)
  • BIOL 416 - Ecosystem Ecology and Global Change (4 credits)
  • BIOL 432 - Evolutionary Biology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 452 - Systematic Botany w/lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL 456 - Algae w/lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL 460 - Invertebrate Zoology w/lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL 462 - Entomology w/lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL 482 - Developmental Biology of Animals (4 credits)
• Maximum three courses from the following GEOL courses:
  • GEOL 413 - Fluvial Geomorphology (4 credits)
  • GEOL 415 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 credits)
  • GEOL 472 - Surface Water Hydrology (4 credits)
  • GEOL 473 - Hydrogeology (4 credits)
  • GEOL 474 - Ground Water Contamination (3 credits)

University Graduation Requirements

• General University Requirements
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Minimum Grade Requirements
• Final Quarter Requirement