Environmental Science and Technology (BS)
Program Overview
This Environmental Science program offers a foundation in natural resource protection, balancing theory with hands-on experience. Students choose between Pollution Monitoring & Control or Ecosystem Restoration options and culminate their studies with a capstone project for an off-campus client, showcasing their skills while addressing real-world environmental issues. Graduates pursue careers with environmental firms, government agencies, or continue their education in graduate school.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
We educate students in the science, protection, and restoration of our natural resources—air, water, land, and ecosystems. Students develop a foundation in biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, and communication skills, then apply this knowledge to the study and solution of environmental problems. We balance theory with hands-on practice, and include considerable work outdoors in our spectacular local environment. Students choose either the Pollution Monitoring & Control option, which focuses on pollution prevention as well as investigation and cleanup, or the Ecosystem Restoration option, which focuses on strategies for managing natural resources. Students complete the program with our Capstone course, in which they work in small groups on real-life projects for an off-campus client. Each group plans and implements a project and presents the final results to its client. In addition to providing students with a chance to showcase the knowledge and abilities they have acquired through their studies, students learn how to deal with the challenges of real-life project work. Our graduates take positions as environmental professionals with consulting firms, industry, and government agencies (e.g., U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Some continue their studies in graduate school (e.g., Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of Denver).
Careers:
Our graduates take positions as environmental professionals with consulting firms, industry, and government agencies (e.g., U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Some continue their studies in graduate school (e.g., Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of Denver).
Other:
All CMU baccalaureate graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in specialized knowledge/applied learning, quantitative fluency, communication fluency, critical thinking, personal and social responsibility, and information literacy. In addition to these campus-wide student learning outcomes, graduates of this major will be able to: Define terminology, concepts, theories, and practices in environmental science. Demonstrate the ability to design an environmental study. (quantitative fluency, critical thinking, applied learning) Demonstrate the ability to use appropriate tools, technology, and methods for measuring and analyzing environmental data. (quantitative fluency, applied learning) Demonstrate the ability to analyze quantitative environmental data, effectively translate data into graphs or tables, and interpret the results. (quantitative fluency) Construct an organized argument (oral and written) supported by current research on a technical issue in environmental science appropriate for a specialized audience. (communication fluency) Complete a field-based project that evaluates and proposes a logical solution for an environmental issue or need by effectively synthesizing applicable concepts from environmental science and related disciplines. (applied learning, critical thinking, personal and social responsibility)
