Environmental Science, B.S.

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At-a-Glance

Hours required for major: 75

Hours required for minor: 19 or 20

Special Tracks: Honors Program, Environmental Biology, Environmental Geology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Technology, Environmental Planning

Additional Information: The Tarun K. Mal Award is presented annually to outstanding graduating environmental science major(s)

Student Organizations: The Biology, Geology, Environmental Science Student Association; the Student Environmental Movement

Advising: Consult the BGES office 216-687-2440 or e-mail bges@csuohio.edu.

The B.S. in Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary degree that provides a solid foundation in the basic sciences while permitting specialization in an area of focused study.

Note: Environmental Science is part of the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences.

Requirements of the College of Sciences and Health Professions:

A minimum of 128 credit hours is required for a degree, of which 42 semester credit hours must be earned in 300- and/or 400-level courses.

General Education Requirements:

All degree-seeking students are required to meet general education requirements in addition to the course work required by the academic major. A comprehensive description of the requirements is found at http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/gened/.

Major-Field Requirements

All majors must take 59 credits of core courses and 16 elective credits in one of the special environmental foci described below.

A. Required Core Courses (59 credits)

and two of the following planning and policy courses:

and one (at least four credits) of the following capstone courses:

Recommendations:

Although not required, students are urged to take MTH 181 - Calculus I and MTH 182 - Calculus II .

The university requirement for at least one WAC course within the major can be satisfied using EVS 390 or UST 435 .

B. Elective Environmental Focus (16 credits)

Students earning a B. S. in Environmental Science must choose a focus area by selecting elective courses (totaling at least 16 credits) from among those given in one of the following course lists.

Environmental Biology
Environmental Geology
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Technology
Environmental Planning

Environmental Biology

Environmental Geology

Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Technology

Environmental Planning

Note(s):

With the approval of the departmental adviser, a student may develop an alternative selection of focused electives from the above lists.

Environmental Science Honors Program

Environmental Science majors with junior or senior standing, who have grade-point averages of at least 3.25 overall and at least 3.25 in courses required for the Environmental Science major, are encouraged to apply for admission to the department’s Environmental Science Honors Program. The Environmental Science Honors Program requires a minimum of 8 credit hours in research and seminar, and a successful oral defense of the written thesis. Four credit hours in research and thesis count as Capstone credits and the remaining 4 credit hours count as Environmental Science elective focus credits. Environmental Science Honors students will undertake three to five credits of research in a supervising faculty member’s laboratory on a project approved by the faculty member and by the department’s Honors Program Committee. A written report on the research project must be defended before a three-person faculty review committee. To remain in the program the student must sustain the grade-point average required for admission to the program, as well as the approval of the faculty member supervising the student’s honors research. Upon successful completion of the honors program, the student will receive a certificate from the department, and a recommendation to the university for graduation with honors in Environmental Science. For further information, contact the BGES office at 216-687-2440 or bges@csuohio.edu .

Environmental Science for University Scholars

University scholars, who are Environmental Science majors, are required to perform 8 credits of specialized coursework within the upper division electives required for their degree. Scholars who qualify for the departmental honors program and obtain a faculty mentor may satisfy this requirement by completing the EVS Honors Program. Alternately, they fulfill this requirement by taking 8 credits of any combination of

EVS 496 - Independent Study in Environmental Science

EVS 497 - Research in Environmental Science

, or 300- or 400-level BIO or EVS courses taken as a “contract” course. All of these require the prior agreement of the course’s instructor. A course becomes a contract course if, before the course begins, the student makes an agreement with the course instructor to prepare extra topical assignments related to the course. Students may link this assignment in the contract course with enrollment in

BIO 391

EVS 390

, which is a WAC course in the major field of study, thereby satisfying this general education requirement.

Summary of the Requirements for University Scholars Majoring in Environmental Science

Fulfill the requirements for the environmental science honors program, or
8 credits of the following courses:
- EVS 496 - Independent Study in Environmental Science
- EVS 497 - Research in Environmental Science
- Upper -level BIO or EVS courses (300-level or 400-level) as a “contract” course, with additional exercises, library research, and writing under the supervision of the course instructor.

Cleveland State University

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