Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science

Department of Geography
Room 216 Pearson Hall

Department of Biological Sciences
Room 118 Wolf Hall

Department of Geoglogy
Room 101 Penny Hall

College of Marine Studies
Room 111 Robinson Hall


Requirements - Purpose of the Program
Overview - Advisement

A program leading to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Environmental Science was established at the University of Delaware in 1991. This relatively demanding B.S. program was designed around a combination of courses in Geology, Biology, and Geography. In 2005, a fourth area of specialization, Marine Studies, was added. Our students learn about the underlying materials of the earth; how energy and moisture are transferred among the atmosphere, land surface, and oceans; and how life responds to and modifies its environment. Introductory science and mathematics courses provide scientific background and research techniques that can be used in later employment or graduate education. Some of the advanced courses in these areas are taught on an every-other-year basis, so early and regular contact with an academic advisor is essential for the timely completion of the B.S. in Environmental Science.

Purpose of the Program

Awareness of environmental problems has been heightened by regular media attention to such issues as pollution of the atmosphere and oceans, habitat degradation and species extinction, scarcity of essential resources, and implications of human-caused global climate change. Popular understanding of environmental problems is usually oversimplified because interactions among environmental systems are complicated and subtle. Global warming, for example, is often presented as a simple problem (we burn fossil fuels, putting carbon dioxide into the air, which causes the warming) with a simple solution (burn less fossil fuel). A more complete appraisal would note that CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere vary on both seasonal and geological time scales, that the effects of increased CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere on actual weather remain difficult to predict with accuracy and confidence, that many plants will also respond physiologically to atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, and that some easily prescribed solutions seriously affect human economic activities. A comprehensive understanding of global warming then requires a scientific education beyond the emphases of any single academic department. Similar complexity may be found in other environmental issues. The current Environmental Science program builds on cooperation among the Departments of Geography and Biological Sciences and the College of Marine and Earth Studies to provide a more complete view of Earth’s environment than a single unit could create. The interdisciplinary B.S. program in Environmental Science was designed to prepare students to evaluate complex environmental systems and problems. The program emphasizes scientific understanding of the character and function of environmental systems, with the hope that Environmental Science students will make contributions to our understanding of the environment and help build solutions to problems that arise from human activity. Many of our graduates have gone on to seek additional training in graduate and professional schools, including programs in marine biology, geology, geochemistry, environmental chemistry, climatology, and meteorology, as well as environmental policy and law programs. Graduates have found private-sector jobs in areas such as environmental consulting and environmental engineering, health-care research (using statistical and research tools taught in this program), and workplace environmental monitoring. Public-sector employment included working with state and county agencies that regulate land use, water resources, and pollution regulation. Additionally, some students pursued their interests in environmental education, public awareness, and environmental advocacy both with government-sponsored agencies and with nongovernmental organizations. The postgraduation possibilities are as diverse as the range of topics we seek to cover.

Overview of the Program

The B.S. degree in Environmental Science is a strongly science-based program, leading to an understanding of environmental systems, processes, and problems. Coursework required for the program can be categorized as follows: Scientific background , including introductory courses in chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and meteorology, and advanced courses in ecology, geology, climatology, and oceanography. These courses represent the topical core of the program. Necessary skills , including mathematics, statistics, and computer methods. Scientific understanding of any topic often requires data analysis and numerical modeling. Specialization leading to an advanced understanding of one of the three component areas that are central to this program: the atmospheric environment, the biological environment, or geology. Minors in Biology, Geography, or Geology also may be completed by students specializing in those areas through careful course selection. General education, including further courses from a list of electives that are closely related to the study of the environment. This program encourages travel and field experience, so winter-session study-abroad courses with an environmental component, as well as summer research and field study courses transferred from other universities, are regularly accepted as substitutions within the Environmental Science Electives section. Remaining courses necessary to complete the degree will satisfy group requirements in social sciences, history, and humanities, and university requirements in English and in a chosen foreign language. Students may use group requirements to educate themselves about the economic, social, political, and cultural aspects of environmental problems and their potential solutions.

Advice About the Program

Students who are interested in becoming Environmental Science majors should talk to an Environmental Science advisor. Since the Geography Department administers the program, students with a general interest in the program or the atmospheric environment track should consult the Director of the program (Tracy DeLiberty in the Geography Department). Students with interests in the biological, geological, or marine studies tracks may be referred to advisers in those fields for further discussion of the advanced courses and possibilities that they lead to . Email: tracyd@udel.edu

Requirements
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science ( Fall 2005 ) DEGREE: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE MAJOR: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM CREDITS UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS ENGL 110 Critical Reading and Writing (minimum grade C–) 3 Three credits in an approved course or courses stressing multicultural, ethnic, and/or gender-related content. COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS Writing The college requirement for an advanced writing course will be satisfied when ENSC 450 is completed with a grade of C– or better, as required for the major, so long as it is taken after 60 credit hours have been completed. Foreign Language 12 Completion of the intermediatelevel course (107 or 112 or 214) in a given language. Students with four or more years of high school work in a single foreign language may attempt to fulfill the requirement in that language by taking an exemption exam. Breadth Requirements : Group A 9 Understanding and appreciation of the creative arts and humanities. At least two areas must be represented. Group B 9 The study of culture and institutions over time. At least two areas must be represented. Group C 9 Empirically based study of human beings and their environment. At least two areas must be represented. Core Requirements GEOL 107 General Geology 4 BISC 207 BISC 208 Introductory Biology I and II 8 GEOG 220 Meteorology 3 GEOG 250 Computer Methods for Geographic and Environmental Sciences 4 BISC 302 General Ecology 3 GEOL 303 Earth's Surface I: Surficial Processes 4 GEOG 412 Physical Climatology 4 MAST 482 Introduction to Ocean Sciences 3 ENSC 450 Proseminar in Environmental Science 3 Field Course Requirement 2–4 One course from among the following courses: BISC 312 General Ecology Lab ENSC 425 Environmental Field Methods GEOG 451 Microclimatology GEOL 306 Earth’s Lithosphere II: Field Geology MAST 621 Coastal Field Biology MAST 464 Marine Science Summer Internship (at least 3 credits) MAST 468 Undergraduate research (at least 3 credits) (GEOL 306 or GEOG 451 may be applied to this field course requirement or to a specialization track below, but not to both simultaneously. MAST 464 or 468 projects must be approved for this purpose by the Environmental Science program) Specialization Two additional courses from within one of the following three specialization tracks: 6–8 Atmospheric Environment GEOG 343 Climatic Geomorphology GEOG 420 Atmospheric Physics GEOG 423 Atmospheric Dynamics GEOG 451 Microclimatology GEOG 453 Synoptic Climatology GEOG 456 Hydroclimatology Biological Environment BISC 300 Introduction to Microbiology BISC 306 General Physiology BISC 495 Evolution BISC 637 Population Ecology BISC 641 Microbial Ecology Geological Environment GEOL 300 Earth's Materials I: Minerals GEOL 302 Earth’s Materials II: Rocks GEOL 304 Earth's Surface II: Stratigraphy GEOL 305 Earth's Lithosphere I: Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics GEOL 306 Earth’s Lithosphere II: Field Geology GEOL 307 Earth's History I: Paleobiology GEOL 308 Earth’s History II: Earth System Science Marine Environment ENWC/MAST 314 Comparative Terrestrial and Marine Ecology GEOL 431 Marine Geology GEOL 434 The Geology of Coasts MAST 602 Physical Oceanography MAST 621 Coastal Field Biology MAST 627 Marine Biology MAST 646 Chemical Oceanography Environmental Science Electives Two additional courses taken from the following list or from the courses listed under the four areas of specialization above. At least one course must be outside the chosen area of specialization. 6–8 BISC 321 Environmental Biology BISC 40l Molecular Biology of the Cell BISC 660 Environmental Physiology CHEM 213 Elementary Organic Chemistry CIEG 331 Introduction to Environmental Engineering ENTO 620 Behavioral Ecology of Insects FREC 450 Topics in Environmental Law GEOG 230 Humans and the Earth Ecosystem GEOG 235 Conservation of Natural Resources GEOG 236 Conservation: Global Issues GEOG 255 Applied Climatology GEOG 272 Map and Air Photo Interpretation GEOG 320 Water & Society GEOG 330 Biogeography GEOG 357 Paleoclimatology GEOG 372 Geographic Information Systems GEOG 422 Resources, Development, and the Environment GEOG 471 Advanced Geographic Information Systems GEOG 474 Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing GEOG/MAST 681 Remote Sensing of Environment GEOL/GEOG 385 Geomorphology GEOL 407 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology GEOL/GEOG 411 Fluvial Geomorphology GEOL 412 Geological Approaches to Archeology and History GEOL 414 Quaternary Geology and Geochronology GEOL 416 Paleoecology GEOL 421 Environmental and Applied Geology GEOL 428 Hydrogeology GEOL 446 General Geochemistry GEOL 453 Elementary Geophysics I GEOL 454 Elementary Geophysics II GEOL/GEOG 482 Physical Geography of Cold Environments MAST 606 Ocean and Atmosphere Remote Sensing MAST 620 Energy Policy and Administration MAST 670 United States Ocean and Coastal Policy MAST 671 Coastal Processes and Management MAST 678 Coastal and Maritime Law PHYS 208 General Physics PLSC 204 Introduction to Soil Science POSC 350 Politics and the Environment Related Science and Mathematics MATH 241/242/243 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 12 CHEM 103, CHEM 104 General Chemistry 8 PHYS 207 Fundamentals of Physics I 4 or PHYS 201 Introductory Physics I One of the following four courses: 3 MATH 302 Ordinary Differential Equations MATH 349 Elementary Linear Algebra ENSC 475 Statistics for Environmental Science s STAT 657 Statistics for Earth Sciences General Electives After required courses are completed, sufficient elective credits must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirements for the degree. CREDITS TO TOTAL A MINIMUM OF: 127 All courses “within the major” must be completed with a grade of C– or better. This requirement covers all courses applied to the Core Requirements, Field Course Requirement, and Environmental Science Electives. It does not apply to the Related Science and Mathematics section. This requirement is in addition to the University requirement of maintaining an overall GPA of 2.0 or better.

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