The undergraduate major in Environmental Systems Science prepares students to understand and solve critical challenges facing our environment, such as:
- impacts of climate change
- water scarcity, pollution, and management
- soil degradation and conservation
- preservation of biological diversity
- management of natural resources
The major is highly interdisciplinary, integrating the study of fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes that shape our environment with applications to real-world problems and sustainable solutions.
A hallmark of the Environmental Systems Science major is its breadth and flexibility. Lower division coursework consists of introductory courses in environmental systems science together with foundational courses in mathematics and physical, chemical, and biological sciences. Core courses at the upper division provide students with a firm foundation in the fundamentals of hydrology and climate, environmental chemistry, ecology, microbiology, and soil science. Upper division elective courses allow students to pursue a variety of topics related to environmental systems, including the societal and economic implications of human interactions with the environment. Students participate in research, internship, or service learning activities with faculty as part of their undergraduate studies. This major emphasizes an integrated approach to Environmental Systems Science, incorporating field studies, experiments, and computations in courses with lectures, online learning, seminars, discussions, and laboratories.
Major Course Flow Chart
2024-2025 Catalog
2023-2024 Catalog
2022-2023 Catalog
