Environmental Science (BS)
Environmental science is a joint major offered by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. This major recognizes the importance of environmental problems and human-caused climate change in the contemporary world, and the resulting expansion of career opportunities as well as graduate programs in this area. Environmental science is a broad interdisciplinary field working to understand the interactions among physical, chemical, biological, and human factors. A comprehensive understanding of how the environment functions and the influence of human actions, has the potential for improved conservation, sustainable development, environmental justice, and restoration of natural resources. Concerns about environmental degradations and climate change are ever more pressing in the 21st century and have led to a growing demand for specialists in this field as well as programs to train these specialists.
Tracks
There are two tracks within the Environmental Science major:
- the Environmental Biology Track, which emphasizes both laboratory and field components as well as broad interdisciplinary alternatives (see description of Environmental Biology Track below) and
- the Environmental Chemistry Track which emphasizes an analytical laboratory approach to environmental problems (see Chemistry Department for details on Environmental Chemistry Track).
Biology Track
First Year
| BIOL 113 | General Biology | 4 |
| | | |
| CHEM 109 | Chemistry and Society: General, Organic, and Biochemistry for Public Health | 4 |
| | OR | |
| CHEM 111 | Introduction to Chemistry: Inorganic | 4 |
| | AND | |
| CHEM 112 | Introduction to Chemistry: Organic | 4 |
| | | |
| BIOL 104 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 4 |
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
ENVI 200: This course is offered through the Colleges of the Fenway and may be listed as CR-101.
Senior Year
BIOL 245, BIOL 322: Please note these courses are offered every other year. Take care to plan course sequence accordingly.
Electives:
In consultation with and with approval of the Environmental Biology concentration advisor, the student selects a total of five electives in addition to the core courses. With approval of the concentration advisor courses not included in this list can be selected as electives if consistent with the student’s subfield concentration.
Two electives courses from the Science list (at least one at the 300-level):
Three elective courses from the Arts and Humanities course list:
Independent Learning
The independent learning requirement (eight semester hours) is usually met in the senior year in either the biology department through BIOL 350 Independent Laboratory Research, BIOL 355 Thesis or BIOL 370 Internship or in the chemistry department through CHEM 355 Independent Study with Thesis and CHEM 390 Chemistry Seminar.
Chemistry Track
First Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Electives (8 credits) – choose two:
| CHEM 225 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 341 | Advanced Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 242 | Mechanistic Toxicology | 4 |
Independent Learning
The independent learning requirement (eight semester hours) is usually met in the senior year in either the biology department through BIOL 350 Independent Laboratory Research, BIOL 355 Thesis or BIOL 370 Internship or in the chemistry department through CHEM 350 Independent Study in Chemistry.