The Departments of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Chemistry provide education in basic environmental and sustainability sciences (ESS) and chemistry-related disciplines. The overall objective of this combined major is to provide the fundamental scientific background and practical training for students as they prepare for environmental and chemically related careers or advanced study in fields including the traditional specialties such as toxicology, pollution, bioremediation, environmental protection, education, law, and other endeavors that may draw upon an understanding of the chemical basis of the environment and the changes that will likely result from global environmental change.
Key general objectives are the development of qualitative and quantitative problem-solving skills and effective communication skills. This combined major includes the development of conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities in the fundamental dynamics between the environment and its chemistry, be it analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Students will have the opportunity to perform quantitative measurements; learn proper laboratory practices, including safety; develop proficiency with modern instruments and computers for data acquisition and analysis; and learn the relevance of chemistry within the context of the abiotic and biotic environments.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in the cooperative education program and thereby gain invaluable professional experience to augment their classroom and laboratory work. Not only does that experience add immensely to the overall education received, it also has the potential to provide contacts and references for later employment or graduate school admissions. Students in this major may also undertake research projects for at least one semester under the supervision of a faculty member. Sufficient electives are available in the program either to take more advanced courses or research within the department or to add courses in an area of special interest.
There are a number of interdisciplinary opportunities involving ESS. Due to curricular overlap, combinations of any ESS major, including combined majors, cannot occur with majors or minors in ecology and evolutionary biology or environmental studies or with the minor in geoscience. ESS and chemistry combined majors are also restricted from a minor in environmental chemistry.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Environmental Science and Sustainability Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | Foundations in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences and Lab for ENVR 1400 | 5 |
| ENVR 2200 | Earth's Changing Cycles | 4 |
| or ENVR 1200 | Dynamic Earth | |
| EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | 5 |
| ENVR 2515 | Sustainable Development | 4 |
| Complete one skills course: | 4-5 | |
| Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Biological Data and Lab for ENVR 1500 | ||
| Geographic Information Systems and Lab for ENVR 3300 | ||
| Networks and Natural Systems | ||
| Complete four courses from the list below. Three of four must be above the 3000 level: | 16 | |
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Landscape and Restoration Ecology | ||
| Earth Materials and Lab for ENVR 2310 | ||
| Earth Landforms and Processes | ||
| Global Oceanic Change | ||
| Food Security and Sustainability | ||
| Water Resources | ||
| Environmental Geochemistry | ||
| Oceanography | ||
| Applied Hydrogeology and Lab for ENVR 4500 | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Climate and Atmospheric Change | ||
| Soil Science | ||
| Environmental Planning | ||
| Ecosystem-Based Management | ||
| Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions | ||
| Applied Social-Ecological Systems Modeling | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Ecological Economics | ||
| Environment, Technology, and Society | ||
Chemistry Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry | ||
| Complete the following lecture and lab: | ||
| CHEM 1161 | General Chemistry for Science Majors | 4 |
| or CHEM 1151 | General Chemistry for Engineers | |
| CHEM 1162 | Lab for CHEM 1161 | 1 |
| Intermediate-Level Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 2161 and CHEM 2162 | Concepts in Chemistry and Lab for CHEM 2161 | 5 |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| CHEM 2321 and CHEM 2322 | Analytical Chemistry and Lab for CHEM 2321 | 5 |
| Advanced-Level Chemistry | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 10 | |
| Bioanalytical Chemistry and Lab for CHEM 3331 | ||
| Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics and Lab for CHEM 3401 | ||
| Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy and Lab for CHEM 3403 | ||
| Math Requirement | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8-9 | |
| Calculus 1 | ||
or MATH 1251 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 1 | |
or MATH 1341 | Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering | |
| Calculus 2 | ||
or MATH 1252 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 2 | |
or MATH 1342 | Calculus 2 for Science and Engineering | |
| Biostatistics and Lab for ENVR 2500 | ||
or ECON 2350 | Statistics | |
or POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | |
or SOCL 2321 | Research Methods in Sociology | |
Integrative Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Integrative Requirement | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Environmental Geochemistry | ||
| Senior Research | ||
| Solving Emerging Environmental Challenges through Capstone | ||
| Environmental Pollution | ||
| Soil Science | ||
Major Credit Requirement
89 total semester hours required in the major
Program Credit Requirement
137 total semester hours required in the major
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENVR 1200 and ENVR 1201 | 5 | ENVR 2515 | 4 | General elective | 4 | General elective | 4 |
| CHEM 1161 and CHEM 1162 | 5 | CHEM 2161 and CHEM 2162 and CHEM 2163 | 5 | General elective | 4 | General elective | 4 |
| General elective #1 | 4 | General elective #2 | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 1400 and ENVR 1401 | 5 | EEMB 2302 and EEMB 2303 | 5 | ||||
| 19 | 18 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | 5 | CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | 5 | General elective #5 | 4 | Co-op | |
| General elective #3 | 4 | ENVR elective; 2 of 4 | 4 | Math requirement, 2 of 2 | 4 | ||
| Math requirement; 1 of 2 | 4 | ENVR skills requirement | 4 | ||||
| ENVR elective; 1 of 4 | 4 | General elective #4 | 4 | ||||
| 17 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | ENVR elective; 3 of 4 | 4 | General elective #7 | 4 | Co-op | ||
| Advanced CHEM elective 1 of 2 | 5 | General elective #8 | 4 | ||||
| Advanced Chem elective 2 of 2 | 5 | ||||||
| General elective #6 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 18 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | ENVR elective; 4 of 4 | 4 | |||||
| Integrative course 1 of 2 | 4 | ||||||
| Integrative course 2 of 2 | 4 | ||||||
| General elective #9 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 137 | |||||||