Overview

The Department of Earth and Environmental Science provides students the opportunity to study the Earth with a variety of traditional and environmental geology course work. The faculty work closely with students to give a combination of field-based experience and current laboratory and computational techniques.

The department offers the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. Students must select one of the following concentrations:

  • Applied Ecology
  • Climate
  • Environmental Geochemistry
  • Hydrology

Students in the Concentration in Climate 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.

Global climate change is a major challenge of this century. The Environmental Science with concentration in Climate establishes the science and tools used to assess our changing climate and opportunities to mitigate its impacts on human societies and environmental systems. Students completing this concentration will understand the essential attributes of resilient environments, infrastructure, and sustainable resource management.

Campus Location: Main

Program Code: ST-ENVS-BS

Distinction in Major

To graduate with distinction in this major, a student must satisfy the following criteria:

  • achieve a minimum 3.5 major GPA
    • if the difficulty of courses chosen as electives is high, then a 3.3 GPA will suffice. This determination will be made by the appropriate faculty
  • no grade below C in a major requirement

Undergraduate Contact Information

Sujith Ravi, Program Director
Beury Hall, Room 317C
215-204-7122
sravi@temple.edu

Steven Chemtob, Faculty Advisor, Environmental Science
Beury Hall, Room 325B
215-204-3958
chemtob@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2024-2025. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2024 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Bachelor of Science Requirements

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

  1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)
    • Students must complete all University requirements including those listed below.
    • All undergraduate students must complete at least two writing-intensive courses for a total of at least six credits at Temple as part of their major. The specific writing-intensive course options for this major are:
      EES 2096Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere4
      ENVS 4198Environmental Science Senior Seminar3
    • 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.
  2. College Requirements
    • A minimum of 90 total credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), and/or the College of Engineering (ENG).
      • A minimum of 45 of these credits must be upper-level (courses numbered 2000 and above).
    • Complete a one-credit first-year or transfer seminar.
      • SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar for every entering first-year CST student.
      • SCTC 2001 CST Transfer Seminar for every entering transfer CST student.
  3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (74-77 s.h.)
    At least 10 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple.
    Biology
    BIOL 1111Introduction to Organismal Biology4
    or BIOL 1911 Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology
    Chemistry
    Select one of the following:4
    General Chemistry I
    and General Chemistry Laboratory I
    Honors General Chemical Science I
    and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)
    Earth & Environmental Science
    EES 2001Physical Geology4
    EES 2061Introduction to Geochemistry4
    EES 2096Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere4
    EES 3011Remote Sensing and GIS (S)4
    Select one of the following:4
    Groundwater Hydrology (S)
    Physical Hydrology (F)
    EES 4502Ice and Global Climate3
    Economics
    ECON 1102Microeconomic Principles3
    or ECON 1902 Honors Microeconomic Principles
    Environmental Science
    ENVS 4198Environmental Science Senior Seminar3
    Environmental Science Electives
    Select 7 Environmental Science Electives chosen from the categories below: 1
    2 Land Electives7-8
    2 Hazard Electives6
    2 Mixed Electives6-8
    1 Policy Elective3
    Mathematics and Quantitative Methods
    MATH 1041Calculus I4
    or MATH 1941 Honors Calculus I
    SCTC 1013Elements of Data Science for the Physical and Life Sciences3
    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
    Honors Elementary Classical Physics I
    General Physics I
    Honors General Physics I
    Total Credit Hours74-77
    (F) - Fall only course
    (S) - Spring only course
    1

    See the Table below for a listing of specific courses within each Elective category.

    Hazard Electives
    CTRP 2251Sustainable Food Systems Planning3
    RMI 2101Introduction to Risk Management 13
    RMI 3502Managing Property Liability Risk I 23
    RMI 3504Managing Property Liability Risk II 33
    RMI 3567Managing International Risk 43
    Land Electives
    EES 2002Energy and Environment3
    EES 2021Sedimentary Environments4
    EES 2097Process Geomorphology (F)4
    EES 3042Coastal Processes and Geomorphology (S)4
    Mixed Electives
    Hazard or Land Elective3-4
    Hazard or Land Elective3-4
    EES 2067Introduction to Environmental Toxicology3
    EES 3065Nanoscience & the Environment (F)4
    EES 4896Planetary Geology4
    BIOL 2227Principles of Ecology3
    Policy Electives
    CDEV 2255Environmental Justice in Communities3
    ENST 2025Environmental Law and Regulation3
    ENST 2157Environmental Ethics3
    ENST 3051Environmental Policy Issues3
    (F) - Fall only course
    (S) - Spring only course
    1

    ECON 1101 is a prerequisite for this course.

    2

    RMI 2101 is a prerequisite for this course.

    3

    RMI 3502 is a prerequisite for this course. If self-registration is not possible for RMI 3504, please seek an override for the RMI 3501 prerequisite from your CST advisor.

    4

    RMI 2101 and RMI 3502 are prerequisites for this course. If self-registration is not possible for RMI 3567, please seek an override for the RMI 3501 prerequisite from your CST advisor.

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 Climate

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2024-2025 Academic Year

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallCredit Hours
Select one of the following: 4
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry Laboratory I
 
Honors General Chemical Science I
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)
 
MATH 1041
Calculus I
or Honors 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
 Credit Hours15
Spring
EES 2001 Physical Geology 4
Select one of the following: 4
Calculus II
or Honors Calculus II
 
Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences  
ENG 0802
Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
or Analytical Reading and Writing: ESL [GW]
or Honors Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
4
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Year 2
Fall
BIOL 1111
Introduction to Organismal Biology
or Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology
4
EES 2061 Introduction to Geochemistry 4
IH 0851
Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
3
GenEd Breadth Course 3-4
Elective 1-0
 Credit Hours15
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 - Land 1 3-4
IH 0852
Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
3
Elective 1-0
 Credit Hours15
Year 3
Fall
Select one of the following: 2 4
Groundwater Hydrology (S)  
Physical Hydrology (F)  
Environmental Science Elective 2 - Mixed 1 3-4
Environmental Science Elective 3 - Land 1 4
GenEd Breadth Course 3
Elective 2-1
 Credit Hours16
Spring
EES 3011 Remote Sensing and GIS (S) 4
ECON 1102
Microeconomic Principles
or Honors Microeconomic Principles
3
Environmental Science Elective 4 - Policy 1 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
Year 4
Fall
EES 4502 Ice and Global Climate (Ice and Global Climate) 3
Environmental Science Elective 5 - Mixed 1 3-4
Environmental Science Elective 6 - Hazard 1 3
Elective 3
Elective 3-2
 Credit Hours15
Spring
ENVS 4198 Environmental Science Senior Seminar [WI] 3
Environmental Science Elective 7 - Hazard 1 3
Elective 4
Elective 3
Elective 3
 Credit Hours16
 Total Credit Hours123
(F) - Fall only course
(S) - Spring only course
1

Select from the Environmental Science Electives lists under Requirements.

2

Either EES 3021 or EES 3025 can be taken. One will be offered in the Fall and one in the Spring.