Environmental Specialization in
Natural Resource Sciences Graduate Program
Available to both MS and PhD candidates.
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field integrating biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science to study and solve ecological and environmental problems. The environmental sciences graduate specialization in the Natural Resources Sciences major aims to prepare professionals for careers focused on understanding and managing human impacts to the natural world.
Advanced courses and research on topics related to environmental sciences specialization provide graduates with tools and knowledge to:
- expose students to inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to studying environmental sciences problems and solutions;
- formally recognize the academic achievement and experience of students who have attained advanced knowledge of environmental sciences;
- provide students with professional development opportunities through formal and informal projects and experience involving environmental scientists and engineers within academic, public and private sectors.
The objectives of the specialization include:
- expose students to inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to studying environmental sciences problems and solutions
- formally recognize the academic achievement and experience of students who have attained advanced knowledge of environmental sciences
- provide students with professional development opportunities through formal and informal projects and experience involving environmental scientists and engineers within academic, public and private sectors
Faculty Point-of-Contact
If you are interested in the Environmental Science graduate specialization, please feel free to contact the following SNR faculty member:
Please see our entrance requirements and application procedure pages for more information about our admission and application expectations for graduate degree candidates.
- Quantitation and communication in environmental science - (MS & PhD must select 10 credit hours from this list)
- NRES 800 Sampling, Data Management and Visualization (3)
- NRES 807 Plant-Water Relations (3)
- NRES 809 Laboratory Earth: Earth and Its Systems (3)
- NRES 819 Chemistry of Natural Waters (3)
- NRES 851 Soils, Water and Environmental Chemistry (4)
- NRES 853 Hydrology (3)
- NRES 859 Limnology (4)
- NRES 881 Stream and River Ecology (4)
- NRES 884 Water Resources Seminar (1)
- NRES 868 Wetlands (4)
- NRES 875 Water Quality Strategy (3)
- NRES 877 Great Plains Field Pedology (4)
- NRES 879 Hydroclimatology (3)
- NRES 891A Writing in Science (1)
- NRES 898 Special Topics (1-6)
- AGRO 879 Applied Soil Physics (3)
- CIVE 856 Surface Water Hydrology (3)
- GEOL 842 Environmental Geophysics (3)
- GEOL 855 Computational Methods for Modeling Earth Systems (3)
- STAT 801 Statistical Methods in Research (4)
- AGRO 991 Seminar Presentation and Evaluation (1)
- ENTO 915 Presentation Methods (3)
- GEOL 988 Introduction to Groundwater Modeling (3)
- Advanced applications of environmental science - (MS must select 10 credit and PhD must select 26 credits)
- NRES 812 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4)
- NRES 813 Environmental Leadership (3)
- NRES 818 Introduction to Remote Sensing (3)
- NRES 820 Applied Remote Sensing (4)
- NRES 821 Field Techniques in Remote Sensing (3)
- NRES 823 Integrated Resources Management (3)
- NRES 829 Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management (3)
- NRES 839 Environmental Laboratory Instrumentation & Methods (1)
- NRES 855 Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy (3)
- NRES 858 Soil Physical Determinations (2)
- NRES 859 Limnology (3)
- NRES 860 Soil Microbiology (3)
- NRES 861 Soil Physics (3)
- NRES 869 Bio-Atmospheric Instrumentation (3)
- NRES 872 Applied Soil Physics (3)
- NRES 877 Great Plains Field Pedology (4)
- NRES 881 Environmental Conflict Management (1)
- NRES 888 Groundwater Geology (3)
- NRES 891 Seminar in Natural Resources (1)
- NRES 896 Independent Study (1-5)
- NRES 898 Special Topics (1-6)
- AECN 865 Resource and Environmental Economics (3)
- AGEN 841 Animal Waste Management (3)
- AGEN 853 Irrigation and Drainage Systems Engineering (3)
- CHEM 821 Analytical Chemistry (3)
- CHEM 823 Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (2)
- CHEM 824 Applied Problems in Analytical Chemistry (3)
- CHEM 825E Data Handling and Statistics (2)
- CIVE 823 Physical and Chemical Treatment Processes in Environmental Engineering (3)
- CIVE 828 Environmental Engineering Chemistry (3)
- CRPL 871 Environmental Impact Assessment (3)
- CRPL 833 GIS in Environmental Design and Planning (3)
- ENTO 820 Insecticide Toxicology (3)
- HIST 869 Global Environmental History (3)
- MATH 823 Complex Analysis (3)
- MATH 824 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations (3)
- METR 811 Dynamic Meteorology I (3)
- METR 823 Physical Meteorology (4)
- METR 833 Boundary-Layer Meteorology (3)
- METR 841 Synoptic Meteorology (4)
- STAT 802 Experimental Design (4)
- AGEN 953 Advanced Irrigation and Drainage Systems Engineering (3)
- AGEN 954 Watershed Modeling (3)
- AGEN 957 Modeling Vadose Zone Hydrology (3)
- METR 933 Land-Atmosphere Interactions (3)
- SOIL 985 Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics (3)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science requires students to take core courses in biology, chemistry, geology, and physics combined with specialized courses in geographic information systems (GIS), hydrology, waste management, environmental law, policy, and regulation. Advanced Environmental Science degrees typically include more specific natural resources courses as well as advanced coursework in chemistry, biology, physics, and geology that complement their research interests. The environmental sciences graduate specialization provides flexibility in choosing coursework that supports a student’s research and program of study while emphasizing the broad approaches required for an environmental scientist.
