BS Environmental Management and Protection

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Program Learning Objectives

  1. Demonstrate critical-thinking problem-solving skills.
  2. Effectively communicate scientific and technical knowledge in a professional manner.
  3. Demonstrate competency in scientific and technical knowledge related to environmental management in the following key areas:
    1. Ecology and Biology – applied ecology to inform environmental impact analysis;
    2. Measurement – identification of key ecosystem elements, indicators and range of variability; land and water quality indicators;
    3. Management and Protection – developing alternatives and mitigation measures;
    4. Social, Economic, and Political – conflict management, CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) interpretation and analysis, i.e., environmental impact reports (EIR), environmental impact statements (EIS), and other environmental documents.
  4. Demonstrate proficiency in quantitative skills and information management specific to their discipline areas.
  5. Exhibit an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities as sustainability managers, environmental managers, natural resources managers, forest managers, including respect for diversity.
  6. Promote life-long learning habits by exposing students to the discovery process of applied research and demonstration projects conducted by the faculty.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum

In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section for this catalog, including:

  • 60 units of upper-division courses
  • Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
  • 2.0 GPA
  • U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)

Note: No Major, Support or Concentration courses may be selected as credit/no credit.

MAJOR COURSES
NR 140Careers in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences1
or UNIV 100 University Studies
NR 142Environmental Management3
NR 208Dendrology 1,23-4
or BIO 162 Introduction to Organismal Form and Function
or BIO 222 Biodiversity of California
or BIO 227 Wildlife Conservation Biology
or GEOL 201 Physical Geology
NR 215Land and Resource Measurements1
NR/LA 218Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)3
NR 306Natural Resource Ecology and Habitat Management4
or NR 304 Agroecology
or NR 305 Forest Ecology and Silvics
NR 314Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis4
or NR 445 Systems Thinking in Environmental Management
NR 320Watershed Processes and Management 24
or NR 402 Forest Health
or ERSC 303 Soil Erosion and Water Conservation
or NR 341 Wildland Fire Behavior
NR 323Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management (Upper-Division D) 34
or NR 324 Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food and Fiber Systems
or NR 328 Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement
NR 326Natural Resources Economics and Valuation4
NR 335Conflict Management in Natural Resources4
or NR 323 Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management
or NR 324 Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food and Fiber Systems
or NR 328 Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement
or NR 308 Fire and Society
or BUS 382 Leadership and Organizations
NR 363Undergraduate Seminar2
NR/CRP 404Environmental Law4
or NR/CRP 408 Water Resource Law and Policy
NR 416Environmental Impact Analysis and Management4
Select from the following: 412
Applied Resource Analysis and Assessment
and Environmental Policy Analysis
and Senior Project - Ecosystem Management
Forest Stewardship Practices
and Senior Project - Forest Stewardship
BIO 111General Biology 14
or BIO 150 Diversity and History of Life
or BIO 161 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology
BIO 114Plant Diversity and Ecology (B2 & B3) 34
or BOT 121 General Botany
BRAE 237Introduction to Engineering Surveying2-3
or BRAE 345 Aerial Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
or NR 418 Applied GIS
BRAE 348Energy for a Sustainable Society (Upper-Division B) 34
or ENVE 324 Introduction to Air Pollution
or NR 310 Global Climate Change
CHEM 127General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science I (B1 & B3) 34
MATH 161Calculus for the Life Sciences I (B4) 3,54
or MATH 221 Calculus for Business and Economics
PHYS 121College Physics I4
SS 120Introductory Soil Science4
STAT 217Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods (GE Electives) 34
or STAT 218 Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
Concentration (41 units) or Approved Electives (29 units) in combination with Free Electives 6,7,829-41
GENERAL EDUCATION (GE)
(See GE program requirements below.)48
FREE ELECTIVES
Free Electives0-12
Total units180-182

Concentrations

Approved Electives Guide

Approved Electives are courses that support the below career areas. Refer to number(s) next to each course to identify which courses align with each of the career areas. Consultation with an advisor is recommended prior to selecting Approved Electives; bear in mind your selections may impact pursuit of post-baccalaureate studies and/or goals.

  1. Climate Change Science
  2. Environmental Mitigation Strategies
  3. Environmental Policy and Management
  4. Environmental Soil Science
  5. Forest and Environmental Practices
  6. Geology
  7. Geospatial Technology
  8. Sustainable Agriculture
  9. Urban Forestry

Additionally, a student may earn one or more of the following minors through the appropriate selection of Approved Electives in combination with Free Electives (refer to advising materials for the minor):

  • Agribusiness
  • Anthropology and Geography
  • Biology
  • City and Regional Planning
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Soil Science
  • Geographic Information Systems for Agriculture
  • Geology
  • Indigenous Studies in Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Land Rehabilitation and Restoration Ecology
  • Law and Society
  • Political Science
  • Spanish
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Sustainable Environments
  • Water Science
Approved Electives
Select from the following:
At least 6 units must be upper-division (300-400 level). Additional units of upper-division coursework may be needed, depending on coursework taken in Major or Support.
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Approved Elective.
Principles of Organic Crop Production 8
Internship in Agriculture 8
The Global Environment 8
Holistic Management 5, 8
Agricultural Economics 8
Agricultural Policy 8
Agricultural Personnel Management 8
Agricultural Communications
Cultural Anthropology 1
or ANT 202
 World History Before Writing
or GEOG 150
 Human Geography
Biological Anthropology 1
Principles of Animal Science 8
Introduction to Beef Production 8
Systems of Small Ruminant Management 8
Principles of Rangeland Management 1,2,3,8
Advanced Beef Cattle System Management 8
Rangeland Improvements 1,2,3,8
Applied Practices for Monitoring California Rangelands 1,2,3,8
Diversity and History of Life
Biodiversity of California
Wildlife Conservation Biology
Introductory Ecology and Evolution
Vertebrate Field Zoology 2
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
Wildlife Management 2
Plant Physiology 5
Spatial Ecology 2,7
General Botany 5
Agricultural Machinery Safety 8
Agricultural Power and Machinery Management 8
Design Graphics and CAD for Agricultural Engineering 5, 7
Engineering Surveying 7
Aquacultural Engineering 1,2,3,8
Irrigation Water Management 5, 8
Aerial Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 7
Energy for a Sustainable Society 1
Water for a Sustainable Society 4, 8
Advanced Surveying with GIS Applications 7
Design Principles in Civil Engineering 7
Computer Aided Drafting in Civil Engineering 7
General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science II 4
General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science III 4
Organic Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications 4
Introduction to Urban Planning 2, 5, 7, 9
Introduction to Environmental Planning 5, 7
Land Use Law 3, 5
Microeconomics 3
Sustainable Environments 8
Writing Arguments about STEM 1,2,3
Writing Sustainability 1,2,3
Environmental Engineering Research
Rocks and Minerals 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Physical Geography 1, 7
Soil Erosion and Water Conservation 4, 8
Climate and Humanity 1
Global and Regional Climatology 1
Applied Meteorology and Climatology 1
Geomorphology 4, 6
Applied Environmental Groundwater Hydrology 4
Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport 4
Global Geography 1
Applications in Remote Sensing and GIS 1, 7
Biodiversity and Biogeography Methods
Geologic Excursions 6
Physical Geology Laboratory 6
Seismology and Earth Structure 6
Igneous Petrology 6
Metamorphic Petrology 6
Principles of Stratigraphy 6
Structural Geology 6
Applied Geophysics 6
Field-Geology Methods 6
Geologic Mapping 6
News Reporting and Writing 5
Calculus II 6
or MATH 162
 Calculus for the Life Sciences II
Microbiology 5
Microbial Ecology 5
Special Problems for Undergraduates 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Resource Law Enforcement 2,3,5
Wildland Fire Control 5, 9
Fire and Society 5
Technology of Wildland Fire Management 5
Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food and Fiber Systems 8
Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Internship in Forest and Natural Resources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Wildland Fire Management 5, 8, 9
Urban Forestry 5, 9
Drone Assisted Surveying 7
Ethnicity and the Land 5
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates 5, 9
Environmental Law 2, 5, 8, 9
Indigenous Peoples and International Law and Policy 9
Water Resource Law and Policy 2, 3, 5, 8
Agricultural Law 1,2,3,4,8
Applied GIS 1, 5, 7, 9
Watershed Assessment and Protection 5
Wetlands 2, 4, 5
Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring 5,9
Wood Properties, Products and Sustainable Uses 5, 9
Environmental Policy Analysis 1, 3
Systems Thinking in Environmental Management 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Wildland-Urban Fire Protection 5, 9
Environmental Ethics 3
College Physics II 6
or PHYS 142
 General Physics II
Landscape Installation and Maintenance 5, 9
Plant Propagation 5, 9
Organic Enterprise Project 8
Environmental Horticulture 8, 9
Plant Materials I 5, 9
Plant Materials II 5, 9
Precision Farming 7, 8
Agricultural Entomology 8
Weed Biology and Management 5, 8
Plant Pathology 8
Vertebrate Pest Management 5
Abiotic Plant Problems 9
Native Plants for California Landscapes 8, 9
Organic Crop Production Systems 8
Arboriculture 5, 9
Insect Pest Management 8
Biological Control for Pest Management 8
Cropping Systems 8
Current Issues in the Strawberry Industry 8
American and California Government 3
Judicial Process 3
World Food Systems
American Constitutional Law 3
Civil Rights in America 3
Civil Liberties 3
Physical Oceanography 1
Introduction to Parks and Outdoor Recreation 2
Experience Design 2
Leadership and Diverse Groups 2
Environmental and Wilderness Education 2
Sustainability in the Experience Industry
Sustainable Travel and Tourism Planning
Visitor Services in Experience Industry Management
Leadership in Outdoor Experiences 2
Advanced Experience Industry Management Applications
Tourism and Protected Area Management
Soil Health and Plant Nutrition 4, 5, 8
Soil Morphology 3, 4, 5, 7
Soil Plant Relationships 4, 8
Soil Ecology 4
Environmental Soil and Water Chemistry 4
Digital Soil Mapping 2, 4, 5, 7, 9
Forest and Range Soils 4, 5, 9
Soil Judging 4
Appropriate Technology for the World's People: Development 8
Basic Viticulture 8
Advanced Viticulture - Fall 8
Advanced Viticulture - Winter 8
Advanced Viticulture - Spring 8
Winegrape Vineyard Management 8
Any SCM course and any upper-division AG, ANT, BIO, BOT, BRAE, CHEM, CM, COMS, CRP, EDES, ERSC, ESCI, GEOG, GEOL, JOUR, LA, MCRO, MSCI, NR, PHIL, PHYS, PLSC, POLS, PSY, SS, STAT, or UNIV courses

General Education (GE) Requirements

  • 72 units required, 24 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
  • If any of the remaining 48 units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
  • See the complete GE course listing.
  • A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: A1 (Oral Communication), A2 (Written Communication), A3 (Critical Thinking), and B4 (Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning). 
Area AEnglish Language Communication and Critical Thinking
A1Oral Communication4
A2Written Communication4
A3Critical Thinking 14
Area BScientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
B1Physical Science (4 units in Major) 20
B2Life Science (4 units in Major) 20
B3One lab taken with either a B1 or B2 course
B4Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (4 units in Major) 20
Upper-Division B (4 units in Major) 20
Area CArts and Humanities
Lower-division courses in Area C must come from three different subject prefixes.
C1Arts: Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater4
C2Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English4
Lower-Division C Elective - Select a course from either C1 or C24
Upper-Division C 34
Area DSocial Sciences - Select courses in Area D from at least two different prefixes
D1American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement)4
D2Lower-Division D4
Upper-Division D (4 units in Major) 20
Area ELifelong Learning and Self-Development
Lower-Division E4
Area F Ethnic Studies
F Ethnic Studies4
GE Electives in Areas B, C, and D
Select courses from two different areas; may be lower-division or upper-division courses.
GE Electives (4 units in Major plus 4 units in GE) 24
Total units48