Minors

Environmental science encompasses processes occurring in air, water, and soil, and relates those processes to ecologic, societal, and individual health. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field, bringing together geology, chemistry, biology, geography, sustainability studies, public health, and public policy, as well as additional disciplines. Students obtaining the minor will be able to understand the fundamental processes governing environmental systems, and be equipped to interpret those processes in planning and policy discussions.

If you choose to minor in environmental science, you will be better prepared to study environmental science in graduate school or obtain jobs in research, public policy, law, engineering, etc. This minor also provides useful skills and background knowledge if you want to work at environmental consulting companies or related non-profit organizations. The minor is also ideal for Geology majors whose interests are primarily related to processes at the interfaces of environment and human interactions.

Geochemistry is a state-of-the-art science that studies the abundance of elements and their movement through the Earth’s crust, atmosphere, oceans, lakes, and streams.

This minor is ideal if you are:

• pursuing a Geology or Environmental Science degree and have an interest in geochemistry, chemistry, and chemical biology
• a Forensic & Investigative Sciences student wanting to learn geochemical approaches
• a Biology student wanting to develop a broader environmental context for your research
• seeking practical application of the chemical skills you have learned as part of your major

Knowledge of the chemical and biological reactions that mobilize and transform elements within the environment is fundamental to a broad range of disciplines including geology, climate science, environmental science, microbiology, ecology, forensics and chemistry.