Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The BS in Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences provides an interdisciplinary foundation for understanding how land, water, and atmospheric resources contribute to sustainable natural resource management. The program emphasizes a wide range of disciplines in environmental and natural resources and in the cultures that use and modify them. The core of the Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences curriculum is composed of earth science, environmental science, soil science, and geology and is strengthened by a diverse array of related specialties, which include: environmental science, GIS and data science, water science, and soil resource management.
The Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences major provides detailed and thorough training in the natural and cultural processes that govern the relationship between humans and their environments. The program also furnishes students with the marketable expertise to assess, manage, repair, and improve this fragile relationship while acquiring a well-rounded education in the natural sciences. In addition, majors can meet the educational requirements for professional certification in a number of areas (e.g. Geologist in Training, erosion and sediment control, hydrology, soil conservation, soil science) and find their training ideal for graduate school preparation in a number of related disciplines.
Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences major, students have access to diverse faculty and laboratories in several colleges on campus. California's Central Coast offers a diverse environmental and cultural setting for real-world training and experiences in environmental sciences.
Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences graduates are employed in careers in environmental consulting, carbon farming, natural resource inventory and assessment, environmental mitigation and clean-up, and environmental planning. Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences graduates possess an interdisciplinary understanding of how water, air, and soil interact, as well as an ability to assess how the management of these critical natural resources impacts global environmental change.
Concentrations
Geology
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Students learn the fundamentals of a broad variety of geologic subdisciplines, including mineralogy, petrology, seismology, stratigraphy, geochemistry, geomorphology and structural geology. Each of these fundamental subdisciplines are supported by curriculum that emphasizes methods of data collection, interpretation and professional communication of results. Upon completion of this concentration, students are able to critically evaluate geologic reports within the context of our evolving societal needs, and are prepared to pursue post graduate degrees in the geosciences and/or careers in the geotechnical industry. Completion of this concentration coupled with a BS degree in Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences qualifies a graduate to take the Geologist in Training examination (GIT) and become certified as a GIT, which can eventually lead to licensure as a Professional Geologist (PG).
Program Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills.
- Communicate environmental science principles and research findings effectively and professionally to diverse audiences.
- Integrate and apply technical knowledge in the following areas: geology and climate; soils and water; geography and geospatial technology; resource management.
- Demonstrate proficiency in quantitative skills and information management specific to environmental earth and soil science.
- Demonstrate an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities, including respect for diversity.
- Implement life-long learning habits by exposing students to the discovery process of applied research and demonstration projects conducted by the environmental science 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 of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major, Support or Concentration courses may be selected as credit/no credit. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| SS 1120 | Introductory Soil Science (5A & 5C) 1 | 4 |
| ERSC 1144 | Introduction to Earth Science | 3 |
| GEOL 2240 | Physical Geology | 3 |
| GEOL 2241 | Physical Geology Laboratory | 1 |
| NR/LA 2218 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 |
| NR 3310 | Global Climate Change (Upper-Division 2/5) 1 | 3 |
| NR 3363 | Career Preparation and Practices in Natural Resources Fields | 2 |
| SS 3321 | Soil Morphology | 4 |
| SS 4422 | Soil Ecology 2, 3 | 3-4 |
| or ERSC 4450 | Geomorphology | |
| SS 4423 | Environmental Soil and Water Chemistry | 4 |
| ERSC/NR 4478 | Senior Project - Current Topics in Environmental Science | 2 |
| or ERSC/NR 4479 | Senior Project - Independent Study | |
| Select from the following: 2 | 2-4 | |
| Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing with GIS Applications | ||
| Advanced Applications in Geospatial Technologies | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Select from the following: 2, 3 | 3-4 | |
| Principles of Stratigraphy | ||
| Soil Health and Plant Nutrition | ||
| Climate Smart Agriculture | ||
| Select from the following: 2 | 3-4 | |
| Soil Erosion and Water Conservation | ||
| Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management | ||
| Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement | ||
| Conflict Management in Natural Resources | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Agricultural Law | ||
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Select from the following: 2 | 4 | |
| Environmental Soil Physics | ||
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Concentration or Approved Electives | ||
| (See Concentration or Approved Electives listed below) 2, 3, 4 | 20-22 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| BOT 1121 | General Botany (5B) 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 1120 | Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties | 4 |
| CHEM 2240 | Organic Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications | 4 |
| Select from the following: (2) 1, 3 | 3-4 | |
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus for Data Science I | ||
| PHYS 1121 | College Physics I 3 | 4 |
| or PHYS 1141 | General Physics I | |
| STAT 1110 | Applied Statistical Concepts and Methods | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 30 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 5 | 0-4 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
- 2
Courses taken to meet a Major or Support requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration or the Approved Electives.
- 3
ERSC 4450, GEOL 3330, MATH 1261, and PHYS 1141 are prerequisite courses for those pursuing the Geology concentration.
- 4
- Courses may need to be at the 3000-4000 level to ensure completion of the requirement minimum of 40 units of upper-division.
- 5
If a General Education (GE) course 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.
Approved Electives
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following emphasis areas: 1, 2 | 20-22 | |
| Environmental Science Emphasis Area | ||
| Ecology Courses | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | ||
| General Biology | ||
| Plant Diversity and Ecology | ||
| Life: History and Diversity | ||
| Life: Molecules and Cells | ||
| Spatial Ecology | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Senior Project - Research Experience in Environmental Science | ||
| Agroecology | ||
| Forest and Fire Ecology | ||
| Natural Resource Ecology and Habitat Management | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Senior Project - Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Soil Ecology | ||
| Plant Courses | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Field Botany: California Plant Diversity | ||
| Dendrology | ||
| Plant Pathology | ||
| Soil Health and Plant Nutrition | ||
| Policy, Law, Human Dimensions Courses | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| Leadership Seminar on Issues Affecting California Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources | ||
| Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management | ||
| Environmental Leadership and Community Engagement | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Agricultural Law | ||
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management | ||
| Water Science Courses | ||
| Select one to two courses from the following: | ||
| Water for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring | ||
| Physical Oceanography | ||
| Atmospheric Science Courses | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| Introduction to Air Pollution | ||
| Climate and Humanity | ||
| Global and Regional Climatology | ||
| Applied Meteorology and Climatology | ||
| Water Science Emphasis Area | ||
| Select seven courses from the following: | ||
| Irrigation Water Management | ||
| Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing with GIS Applications | ||
| Irrigation Project Design | ||
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Senior Project - Research Experience in Environmental Science | ||
| Calculus II | ||
or MATH 1265 | Calculus for Data Science II | |
| Watershed Processes and Management | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy | ||
| Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring | ||
| College Physics II | ||
or PHYS 1143 | General Physics II | |
| Wetlands | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Soil Resource Management Emphasis Area | ||
| Soil Science Courses | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | ||
| Senior Project - Research Experience in Environmental Science | ||
| Soil Health and Plant Nutrition | ||
| Wetlands | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
| Forest and Range Soils | ||
| Soil Judging | ||
| Advanced Soil Judging | ||
| Earth Science Courses | ||
| Select one to two courses from the following: | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | ||
| Principles of Stratigraphy | ||
| Structural Geology | ||
| Field Geophysics | ||
| Applied Plant Science and Resource Management Courses | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| Principles of Animal Physiology | ||
| Animal Management Systems | ||
| Animal Science Laboratory | ||
| Small Ruminant and Rangeland Management | ||
| Principles of Rangeland Management | ||
| Rangeland Improvements | ||
| Dendrology | ||
| Urban Forestry | ||
| Forest Health and Disturbance Ecology | ||
| Senior Project - Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Principles of Plant Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Fruit Crop Production | ||
| Basic Viticulture | ||
| Plant Science Courses | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Field Botany: California Plant Diversity | ||
| Plant Pathology | ||
| Water Science Courses | ||
| Select one to two courses from the following: | ||
| Water for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management | ||
| Watershed Processes and Management Laboratory | ||
| Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring | ||
| GIS and Environmental Data Science Emphasis Area | ||
| Select seven courses from the following: | ||
| Engineering Surveying | ||
| Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing with GIS Applications | ||
| Advanced Surveying with GIS Applications | ||
| Senior Project - Research Experience in Environmental Science | ||
| Applications in Remote Sensing and GIS | ||
| Advanced Applications in Geospatial Technologies 3 | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Data Science | ||
| Applied Geographic Information System | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management | ||
| Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping | ||
- 1
A minimum of 6 units must be taken at the 3000-4000 level.
- 2
Courses taken to meet a Major or Support requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration or the Approved Electives.
- 3
A maximum of 6 units from may count towards Approved Electives.
Concentrations
Geology
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| NR 3318 | Introduction to Environmental Data Science | 3 |
| GEOL 3310 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | 4 |
| GEOL 4415 | Structural Geology | 3 |
| GEOL 4417 | Field Geology Methods and Mapping | 5 |
| GEOL 4420 | Field Geophysics | 3 |
| Select from the following: 1 | 4 | |
| Applied Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport | ||
| Environmental Soil Physics | ||
| Total Units | 22 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted in the concentration.
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required, 13 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 30 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: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences (3 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| 5B | Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) (1 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences (3 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | 3 |
| Total Units | 30 | |
- 1
- Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.