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Environmental Science (BSc Program)
Kerry Reimer, Associate Professor and Chair
Joselito Arocena, Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Soil and Environmental Sciences
Peter Jackson, Professor
Youmin Tang, Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Climate Prediction and Predictability
Ron Thring, Professor
Stephen Déry, Associate Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Northern Hydrometeorology
Steve Helle, Associate Professor
Jianbing Li, Associate Professor
Philip Owens, Associate Professor and Endowed Research Chair in Landscape Ecology
Michael Rutherford, Associate Professor
Jueyi Sui, Associate Professor
Gerald Kutney, Adjunct Professor
Bin Yu, Adjunct Professor
Jean Wang, Senior Lab Instructor
Major in Environmental Science
The Environmental Science Bachelor of Science degree is an
interdisciplinary degree in which students take a core curriculum along with an area of specialization. The core curriculum is designed to provide students with knowledge of the fundamental
biological, chemical, physical and applied aspects integral to the
field of environmental science. In addition, students receive exposure
to many of the human dimensions that underlie environmental issues. This
approach ensures a uniform preparation among students and allows for
the development of a diversity of expertise necessary to address the
complexity of present environmental problems and future unanticipated
ones.
The degree has been designed in part to address educational components
of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Environmental
Employment set out by Environmental Careers Organization (ECO Canada). The NOS forms the basis of the Canadian
Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP) accreditation process of
the Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board (CECAB).
Undergraduate students are required to take a
total of 97 credit hours of program core requirements in addition to an Area of
Specialization as indicated below. The Area of Specialization allows students
to develop expertise within an area of their interest. The major requires
elective credit hours as necessary to ensure completion of a
minimum of 124 credit hours, including any additional credit
hours necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the
University (see Undergraduate Academic Regulation 15).
Program Core Requirements
Lower Division Requirement
** PHYS 110-4 and PHYS 111-4 are strongly recommended.
3 credit hours of any 200-level CHEM courses.
Upper Division Requirement
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Environmental Impact Assessment
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Environmental Law
| | ENSC 308-3 | | Northern Contaminated Environments | |
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Environmental Modelling
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Environmental Measurement and Analysis
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Internship*
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Independent Study
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Environmental and Geophysical Data Analysis
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Environmental and Professional Ethics |
One of:
OR 3 credit hours of any upper-division ENVS courses.
Two of:
And 6 credit hours from the following (if not already taken above):
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Energy Development | |
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Biometeorology | |
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Soil Physical Properties and the Environment | |
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Fluid Mechanics
| | ENSC 404-3 | | Waste Management | |
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Storms
| | ENSC 412-3 | | Air Pollution | |
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Climate Change and Global Warming | |
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Soil Biological Processes and the Environment
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Internship
| | ENSC 451-3 | | Groundwater Hydrology | | ENSC 452-3 | | Reclamation and Remediation of Disturbed Environments | |
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Snow and Ice
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Soil Chemical Processes and the Environment
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Special Topics
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Independent Study
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Forest Soils
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Soil Formation and Classification | |
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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | |
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Hydrology
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Watershed Management | |
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Drainage Basin Geomorphology
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Geography of Cold Regions | |
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Sedimentology
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Fluvial Geomorphology
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Quaternary and Surficial Geology | |
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Advanced GIS | | GEOG 414-3 | | Weathering Processes | |
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Remote Sensing | |
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Advanced Remote Sensing
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*Students with extensive experience related to the environment may be
waived from this degree requirement with approval from the Program.
Area
of Specialization Requirement for BSc (Major) in Environmental Science
Environmental Science majors are required to
complete an area of specialization
satisfying the requirements of any available minor at UNBC as part of their
degree. A minor allows students to
specialize in a subject area relevant to the advancement, utilization and
dissemination of environmental knowledge.
Some minors may result in students taking more than the required 124
credit hours in order to obtain the Environmental Science Major. Many minors allow 100-level prerequisite
courses and an additional 6 credit hours of other courses to be used for
meeting the requirements of both the major and minor. Check the current UNBC
undergraduate calendar for the requirements of minors
available at UNBC.
BSc Honours-Environmental Science
The BSc Honours-Environmental Science provides a higher level of
specialization and research experience, especially for students
planning to proceed to postgraduate work.
Honours students are
required to complete the degree requirements for the BSc Environmental Science
Major, with the exception that Honours students must complete an undergraduate
thesis chosen from ENSC 430-6 (Undergraduate Thesis), or NRES 430-6 (Undergraduate
Thesis) in place of the requirement for ENSC 440-3 (Internship) or ENSC 499-3 (Independent Study). ENSC 440-3 or ENSC 499-3 may be taken by Honours students, but they are not required for the
Honours degree. The undergraduate thesis
must be conducted under the supervision
of a faculty member.
The minimum requirement for a BSc Honours degree is 127 credit hours.
Students are responsible to find their own undergraduate thesis research
supervisor. Faculty members are under no obligation to supervise Honours
students.
To be admitted to the Honours degree program, students must have
completed 60 credit hours and obtained a minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.33. Attaining the minimum requirement will not
guarantee admission into the Honours program, which will be at the
discretion of the Environmental Science
Program. Maintenance of a Cumulative
GPA of 3.33 is required to remain in the Honours program.
Minor in Aquatic Science
The minor in Aquatic Science provides students with an
opportunity to focus on aquatic processes associated with different water
environments, such as rivers, lakes and groundwaters. Emphasis is given to
physical, chemical and biological processes that govern the movement, fate and
management of water on timescales of seconds to decades.
Students are required to take 35 credit hours. Of these, 14
credit hours are foundational courses in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics;
12 credit hours are required aquatic science courses; and 9 credit hours are
selected from a list of suggested elective courses. In addition to the 14
credit hours of foundational courses at the 100 level, an additional 6 credit
hours of upper-division courses can also be used to meet the requirements of a
major or another minor.
Elective
Courses*
Nine credit hours from the following list:
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Aquatic
Plants
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Fish
Ecology
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Fluid
Mechanics
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Environmental
and Geophysical Data Analysis
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Snow
and Ice
| | GEOG 311-3 | | Drainage
Basin Geomorphology | | GEOG 405-3 | | Fluvial
Geomorphology |
*Students must ensure
that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Minor in Atmospheric Science
The minor in Atmospheric Science provides students with an opportunity to
focus on atmospheric processes.
Atmospheric
Science, or meteorology, is the study of Earth’s atmosphere, weather and
climate. The minor in Atmospheric Science provides students with an opportunity
to focus on atmospheric processes that occur near Earth’s surface. Emphasis is
given to physical and chemical processes that govern the development of weather
systems on timescales of days and that regulate Earth’s climate on timescales
of decades.
Students
are required to take 35 credit hours. Of these, 17 credit hours are
foundational courses in Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics, and Physics; 12
credit hours are required atmospheric science courses; and 6 credit hours are
selected from a list of suggested elective courses. In addition to the 17
credit hours of foundational courses at the 100 level, an additional 6 credit
hours of upper-division courses can also be used to meet the requirements of a
major or another minor. NOTE: Some upper-division courses may be taught in
alternate years; students should consider this when planning their course
schedules.
Required Courses
Elective Courses*
Six credit hours from the following list:
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Air
Pollution
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Environmental
and Geophysical Data Analysis
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Snow
and Ice | | GEOG 310-3 |
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Hydrology | |
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Watershed Management |
*Students must ensure
that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Minor in Environmental Science
The minor in Environmental Science offers an introduction to four
environmental systems: aquatic, atmospheric, ecological, and
terrestrial, as well as pollution and management, with the ability to
develop more depth in one or two areas. Students in this minor will
gain an exposure to fundamental biological, chemical and physical
aspects integral to the field of environmental science.
The minor in Environmental Science requires the completion, from the
courses listed below, of 21 credit hours, 12 of which must be at the
upper-division level. A maximum of two courses (6 credits hours) used
to fulfill program requirements for a major or another minor may also
be used to fulfill requirements for a minor in Environmental Science.
Students must select at least one course from each of the following
categories (important: all courses listed for the minor have
prerequisites; it is the student's responsibility to ensure that they
have the required prerequisites):
Aquatic Systems
Atmospheric Systems
Ecological Systems
Terrestrial Systems
Environmental Pollution and Management
Minor in Soils and the Environment
Processes and their dynamics at the interface between the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere are critical to the regulation of environmental quality from the micro-scale of millimetres to macro-scale climatic conditions. The minor in Soils and the Environment provides students with an opportunity to focus on the Earth’s “Critical Zone,” the thin outer layer which supports terrestrial life on the planet. The emphasis is on key biological, chemical and physical processes active in soils, and how they influence environmental conditions.
Students are required to take 34 credit hours. Of these, 16 credit hours are prerequisites to FSTY 205 and ENSC 435, 15 credit hours are required soils courses, and 3 credit hours are selected from a list of suggested elective courses. In addition to the 16 credit hours of prerequisite courses at the 100 level, an additional 6 credit hours can also be used to meet the requirements of a major or another minor.
Required Courses
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Introductory Biology I | |
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Introductory Biology II
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CHEM 100-3
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| General Chemistry I
| CHEM 101-3
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| General Chemistry II
| CHEM 120-1
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General Chemistry Laboratory I
| CHEM 121-1
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| General Chemistry Laboratory II | |
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Soil Physical Processes and the Environment
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Soil Biological Processes and the Environment
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Soil Chemical Processes and the Environment
| | FSTY 205-3 |
| Introductory Soil Science | | FSTY 425-3 |
| Soil Formation and Classification |
Elective Courses*
Three credit hours from the following list:
*Students must ensure they have the appropriate prerequisites to take these courses.
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