(Curriculum for Major) (Areas of Concentration) (Minor) (Approved Electives) (Career Links)
The environmental management systems curriculum is partitioned into three areas of concentration: 1) Environmental Analysis and Risk Management, 2) Policy Analysis, and 3) Resource Conservation. Each concentration includes a variety of elective courses that allow students to gain expertise in specific areas that interest them. Particularly in their junior and senior year, students interact with a wide range of accomplished environmental professionals to refine their program of study and career goal, and focus on specific career paths within the broad environmental management field. However, the environmental management systems curriculum is designed to be sufficiently flexible to allow students to prepare for positions in the public or private sectors working in the office, laboratory, or field.
Graduates with a concentration in Environmental Analysis and Risk Management will have a knowledge and practical understanding of: chemistry (analytical, organic, and quantitative analysis, instrumentation, soil and water chemistry); environmental microbiology; environmental fate and transport geology (hydrology); land use planning (including GIS/GPS); site investigation principles and collection methods; human and ecological risk assessment; federal and local regulations governing site assessment, site evaluation, and site remediation.
Graduates with a concentration in Policy Analysis will have a knowledge and practical understanding of: role and scope of state and federal regulatory agencies (DEQ, DHH, DNR, EPA, etc.); environmental laws and regulations (CERCLA, SARA, CWA, CAA, ETC.); mechanisms for implementation of regulations, compliance with regulations, permits, audits, etc; environmental auditing systems; environmental permitting; the role of risk assessment in decision making; and land use planning.
Graduates with a concentration in Resource Conservation will have a knowledge and practical understanding of: chemical, physical, and biological properties of soils; soil and water conservation and associated federal programs; coastal estoration; soilplant relationships; fundamentals of forestry, wildlife, and agricultural management; land use planning (including GIS/GPS); soil and water assessment and remediation principles; ecological risk assessment.