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2010–2012 Undergraduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Environmental Science aims to provide students in the program with both basic and advanced training in the field of Environmental Science. Students will develop skills in how to monitor environmental conditions as well as analyze environmental problems. The main areas of study will include biological, geological, and chemical characteristics of environmental processes and natural resources. 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 problems and how to make decisions with regard to these situations. The B.S. program covers the areas of biology, chemistry, and geology in relation to the discipline. Coursework includes a variety of interdisciplinary topics ranging from fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, environmental systems, environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, environmental remediation, global change and environmental law. 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 laboratory studies. Problem solving through individual exploration as well as a member of a team is emphasized due to the nature of environmental science being a multidisciplinary field. This will require students to use many of the chemical, geological and biological analytical techniques in assessing and solving problems. 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 may 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.

Degree Requirements

1. 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
   
   
2. 39 semester credit hours of required science courses completed with a grade of “C” or better:
   
   BIO  1122            Laboratory Investigations in Biology
   BIO  1404            Biosciences I
   CHE  1103           General Chemistry I
   CHE  1113, 1132  General Chemistry II and Laboratory
   CHE  2603, 2612  Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory
   
   CS  1073             Introductory Computer Programming for Scientific Applications
   or
   CS  1173             Data Analysis and Visualization using MATLAB
   
   GEO  2113           Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
   GEO  4023           Engineering Geology
   MAT  1214           Calculus I
   PHY  1603, 1611  Algebra-based Physics I and Laboratory
   STA  1993           Biostatistics
   
   
3. 16 semester credit hours of required elective courses:
   
   Sixteen 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     Advanced 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  4643     Medicinal Plants
   BIO  4663     Plant Development
   ES   4911-3  Independent Study
   ES   4951-3  Special Studies in Environmental Science
   MAT  1224    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       Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
   GEO  3013       Global Positioning System (GPS) Mapping for GIS
   GEO  3112       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       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  1224       Calculus II
   
   Group C Electives
   CHE  3213    Analytical Chemistry
   CHE  3464    Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry
   CHE  3643    Organic Chemistry II
   CHE  3652    Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
   CHE  3803    Physical Chemistry I
   CHE  3823    Physical Chemistry II
   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  1224    Calculus II

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