Environmental Science with Concentration in Environmental Geochemistry, B.S.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science.
Students will be equipped with the scholarly background and intellectual skills to understand a wide range of pressing environmental issues, and they will come to appreciate the physical, economic, political, demographic, and ethical factors that define those issues. Our graduates find employment with government environmental agencies, citizens' organizations, consulting firms, and corporate environmental affairs departments.
Anthropogenic activities have disrupted natural geochemical cycles and introduced contaminants that may affect the environment and human health. Students completing the Concentration in Environmental Geochemistry will 1) understand fundamental principles that control the composition and reactions of water and materials in the environment; 2) learn and practice methods for collection and interpretation of geochemical datasets; and 3) integrate such datasets into broader pictures of environmental change.
Undergraduate Contact Information:
Dr. Sujith Ravi, Program Director
Beury Hall, Room 317C
215-204-7122
sravi@temple.edu
Dr. David Grandstaff, Faculty Advisor, Environmental Science
Beury Hall, Room 322B
215-204-8228
grand@temple.edu
Bachelor of Science
Summary of Requirements for the Degree
- University Requirements (123 total s.h.)
- Students must complete all University requirements including those listed below.
- All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. The specific writing-intensive course options for this major are:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours EES 2096 Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere 4 EES 2097 Process Geomorphology 4 ENVS 4198 Environmental Science Senior Seminar 3 ECON 3596 Energy, Ecology, and Economy 3 - Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.
- See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.
- Students who complete CST majors receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.
- Students must satisfy general Temple University residency requirements.
- College Requirements
- 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), or the College of Engineering (ENG).
- 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), or the College of Engineering (ENG).
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All students in the College of Science and Technology are required to take a one credit first year seminar. SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar is the appropriate course option for every entering first year CST major. Transfer students should use SCTC 2001 CST Transfer Seminar to fulfill this requirement. Other courses that fulfill this requirement may be found on the CST College Requirements page.
- Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (74-78 s.h.)
At least 10 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple.Course List Code Title Credit Hours Chemistry Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry Laboratory IHonors General Chemical Science I
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry Laboratory IIHonors General Chemical Science II
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II (S)Select one of the following: 4 Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory IOrganic Chemistry for Honors I
and Organic Honors Laboratory IEarth & Environmental Science EES 2001 Physical Geology 4 EES 2061 Introduction to Geochemistry 4 EES 2067 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology 3 EES 2096 Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere 4 Select one of the following: 1 4 Groundwater Hydrology (S) Physical Hydrology (F) EES 3065 Nanoscience & the Environment 4 Environmental Health HRPR 1001 Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play 3 ENVH 2102 Environmental Health 3 Environmental Science ENVS 4198 Environmental Science Senior Seminar (S) 3 Environmental Science Electives Select 5 Environmental Science Electives chosen from the categories below: 2 3-4 Science Electives 9-16 1-2 Policy Electives 6-3 Mathematics and Quantitative Methods MATH 1041 Calculus I 4 or MATH 1941 Honors Calculus I SCTC 1013 Elements of Data Science for the Physical and Life Sciences 3 Select one of the following: 4 Calculus II Honors Calculus II Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences Physics Select one of the following: 4 Elementary Classical Physics I or PHYS 1961Honors Elementary Classical Physics I General Physics I or PHYS 2921Honors General Physics I Total Credit Hours 74-78 Course List Code Title Credit Hours (F) - Fall only course (S) - Spring only course 1 The hydrology course not selected may be taken as an Environmental Science Elective (Water Elective).
2 See the table below for a listing of specific courses within each Elective category.
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Science Electives: Biology and Chemistry, Land, and Water Biology and Chemistry Electives - Choose up to two 1 BIOL 2227 Principles of Ecology 3 BIOL 3114 Evolutionary Ecology (F) 3 BIOL 3244 Experimental Marine Biology 4 BIOL 3245 Marine Ecology (F) 4 BIOL 3254 Animal Behavior (S) 3 BIOL 3275 Ecology of Invasive Species (F) 3 BIOL 3307 Conservation Biology (F) 3 BIOL 3316 Tropical Marine Biology (F) 4 BIOL 3321 Plant Community Ecology (F) 3 BIOL 3323 Global Change Science: Analytics with R 3 BIOL 3336 Freshwater Ecology (F) 4 BIOL 3389 Field Research in Community Ecology 4 CHEM 3103 Techniques of Chemical Measurement I 3 Land Electives - Choose up to three EES 2002 Energy and Environment 3 EES 2021 Sedimentary Environments 4 EES 2097 Process Geomorphology 4 EES 3011 Remote Sensing and GIS 4 EES 3042 Coastal Processes and Geomorphology 4 Water Electives - Choose up to one 2 EES 3025 Physical Hydrology (F) 4 EES 3021 Groundwater Hydrology (S) 4 Policy Electives CDEV 2255 Environmental Justice in Communities 3 CTRP 2251 Sustainable Food Systems Planning 3 ECON 1101 Macroeconomic Principles 3 ECON 3596 Energy, Ecology, and Economy 3 ENST 2025 Environmental Law and Regulation 3 ENST 2051 The Urban Environment 3 ENST 3015 The Geographic Basis of Land Use Planning 3 ENST 3051 Environmental Policy Issues 3 ENST 3058 Environment and Development 3 ENST 3314 Food Studies: A Geographical Perspective 3 Course List Code Title Credit Hours (F) - Fall only course (S) - Spring only course 1 All of the 3000-level Biology elective courses require BIOL 2227 as a prerequisite.
2 One hydrology course is a required course. The course not selected may be taken as an Environmental Science Elective (Water Elective).
Calculation of Major GPA
Courses listed under the major requirements for the degree will be included in the calculation of the major GPA. Courses that could not apply toward the major as an elective or required course would not be counted in the calculation of the major GPA. This would include CHEM 1027, for example.
Distinction in Major
To graduate with Distinction in Major, students are required to achieve a 3.5 GPA for courses required for the major. If the difficulty of courses chosen as electives is high, then a 3.3 GPA will earn Distinction in Major. This determination will be made by the appropriate faculty. In addition, a student graduating with distinction has no grade below C in the remaining courses required for the major.
Suggested Academic Plan
Please note that this is a suggested academic plan. Depending on your situation, your academic plan may look different.
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with Concentration in Environmental Geochemistry
Requirements for New Students starting in the 2022-2023 Academic Year
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science I (F) | ||
| MATH 1041 or 1941 | Calculus I | 4 |
| SCTC 1001 | CST First Year Seminar | 1 |
| SCTC 1013 | Elements of Data Science for the Physical and Life Sciences | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science II | ||
| EES 2001 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Calculus II | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| ENG 0802, 0812, or 0902 | Analytical Reading and Writing [GW] | 4 |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Honors I | ||
| EES 2061 | Introduction to Geochemistry | 4 |
| IH 0851 or 0951 | Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY] | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 2-1 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| EES 2096 | Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere [WI] | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Elementary Classical Physics I | ||
| Honors Elementary Classical Physics I | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| Honors General Physics I | ||
| Environmental Science Elective 1 - Science1 | 3-4 | |
| IH 0852 or 0952 | Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ] | 3 |
| Elective | 1-0 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following:2 | 4 | |
| Groundwater Hydrology (S) | ||
| Physical Hydrology (F) | ||
| EES 3065 | Nanoscience & the Environment (F) | 4 |
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play | 3 |
| Environmental Science Elective 2 - Science1 | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 2-1 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENVH 2102 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| EES 2067 | Introduction to Environmental Toxicology | 3 |
| Environmental Science Elective 3 - Policy1 | 3 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Environmental Science Elective 4 - Science1 | 3-4 | |
| Environmental Science Elective 5 - Science or Policy1 | 3-4 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-1 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENVS 4198 | Environmental Science Senior Seminar [WI] (S) | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 123 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| (F) - Fall only course | ||
| (S) - Spring only course | ||
| 1 | Select from the Environmental Science Electives lists under Requirements. |
| 2 | Either hydrology course EES 3021 or EES 3025 can be taken. One will be offered in the Fall and one in the Spring. The course not selected may be taken as an Environmental Science Elective (Water Elective). |