Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Environmental Science aims to provide students in the program both basic and advanced training in many aspects of the Environmental Sciences. Students will develop skills in the analysis of environmental problems and how to monitor environmental conditions in a wide variety of situations. The main area of study will be natural resources including biological, geological and chemical aspects of environmental processes. Today’s environmental problems call for scientists who are educated in more than one discipline, highly trained in technical skills, and aware of the political and social dimensions of environmental decisions. The B.S. program covers the areas of biology, chemistry, and geology in relation to natural resources and environmental management. Coursework includes a variety of interdisciplinary topics ranging from learning the fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems to studying environmental law, while obtaining the basic skills in specialized subjects, such as environmental chemistry, ecology, environmental microbiology, environmental remediation, global change, and remote sensing. Students will gain hands-on experience with many of the instrumental techniques used in environmental analysis and have the opportunity to engage in teamwork for field studies, excursions and some assignments. A number of the teamwork projects require a multidisciplinary approach where the students are required to practice many of the chemical, geological and biological analytical techniques they have learned. There is a strong emphasis on producing graduates with well-developed oral and written communication skills who are capable of complex problem solving.
The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 120, at least 39 of which must be at the upper-division level.
All candidates seeking this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed below.
Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements see pages 5–9 of this catalog.
| Core Curriculum Component Area | Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements |
|---|---|
Communications |
English Rhetoric/Composition (6 semester credit hours) |
Mathematics |
Mathematics (3 semester credit hours) |
Natural Sciences |
Science (6 semester credit hours) |
Humanities & Visual and Performing Arts |
Literature (3 semester credit hours) |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
United States History and Diversity (6 semester credit hours) |
World Society and Issues |
(3 semester credit hours) |
Degree Requirements
- 32 semester credit hours of required environmental science courses completed with a grade of “C” or better:
ES 2013, 2021 Introduction to Environmental Systems I and Laboratory ES 2023, 2031 Introduction to Environmental Systems II and Laboratory ES 3033, 3042 Environmental Ecology and Laboratory ES 3053, 3061 Environmental Remediation and Laboratory ES 3103, 3112 Environmental Microbiology and Laboratory ES 3203 Environmental Law ES 4003, 4011 Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology and Laboratory ES 4103 Global Change - 40 semester credit hours of required science courses:
BIO 1122 Laboratory Investigations in Biology BIO 1404 Biosciences I CHE 1103 General Chemistry I CHE 1113 General Chemistry II CHE 1132 General Chemistry II Laboratory CHE 2604 Organic Chemistry I CHE 2612 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory CS 1073 Introductory Computer Programming for Scientific Applications GEO 2113 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) GEO 4023 Engineering Geology MAT 1214 Calculus I PHY 1603 Algebra-based Physics I PHY 1611 Algebra-based Physics I Laboratory STA 1993 Biostatistics
- 15 semester credit hours of required elective courses:
Fifteen semester hours of electives, at least 12 hours of which must be at the upper-division level to meet the UTSA minimum of 39 upper-division hours. While the degree is a general degree in environmental science, three areas of study have been identified within the B.S. degree program for students interested in either the biological, geological, or chemical aspects of Environmental Science (Biosphere, Geosphere, or Chemosphere). Depending on their area of interest, students must select electives from the list below. Students must take at least 9 semester credit hours from one of the groups below (A, B, or C), with the remaining hours coming from any of the groups. Students may need to take prerequisite coursework for some of the courses listed below.
Group A Electives
BIO 2313 Genetics BIO 2322 Genetics Laboratory BIO 3003 Introduction to Marine Biology BIO 3063 Invertebrate Biology BIO 3213 Animal Behavior BIO 3263 The Woody Plants BIO 3273 Biology of Flowering Plants BIO 3323 Evolution BIO 3343 Plant Cell Biology BIO 3413 Physiology BIO 3513 Biochemistry BIO 3522 Biochemistry Laboratory BIO 4033 Conservation Biology BIO 4053 Wildlife Biology BIO 4063 Ornithology BIO 4083 Entomology BIO 4203 Plant Ecology BIO 4221 Plant Ecology Laboratory BIO 4233 Field Biology BIO 4241 Field Biology Laboratory BIO 4333 Population Genetics BIO 4353 Comparative Animal Physiology BIO 4643 Medicinal Plants BIO 4663 Plant Development ES 4911-3 Independent Study ES 4951-3 Special Studies in Environmental Science MAT 1223 Calculus II
Group B Electives
ES 4193 Field-Based Inquiry ES 4203 Environmental Assessment ES 4911-3 Independent Study ES 4951-3 Special Studies in Environmental Science GEO 1123 Earth History GEO 1131 Earth History Laboratory GEO 2123 Extending Geographic Information Systems (GIS) GEO 3013 Global Positioning System (GPS) Mapping for GIS GEO 3113 Geologic Field Investigations GEO 3153 Paleontology and Stratigraphy GEO 3162 Paleontology and Stratigraphy Laboratory GEO 3163 Oceanography GEO 3374 Geochemistry GEO 3383 General Geophysics GEO 4063 Principles of Environmental Geology GEO 4093 Principles of Remote Sensing GEO 4113 Geomorphology GEO 4121 Geomorphology Laboratory GEO 4623 Ground-Water Hydrology GEO 4911-3 Independent Study GEO 4933 Field Geology Part I GEO 4943 Field Geology Part II GEO 4951-3 Special Studies in Geology MAT 1223 Calculus II
Group C Electives
CHE 2623 Organic Chemistry II CHE 2632 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory CHE 3213 Analytical Chemistry CHE 3464 Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry CHE 3804 Thermodynamics and Kinetics CHE 3824 Quantum Mechanics, Spectroscopy, and Statistical Mechanics CHE 4213 Instrumental Analysis CHE 4463 Inorganic Chemistry CHE 4653 Synthesis and Biosynthesis of Natural Products CHE 4883 Introduction to Mass Spectrometry CHE 4911-3 Independent Study CHE 4953 Special Studies in Chemistry MAT 1223 Calculus II