B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P)
In this Section
Alan Rossner, Director
Concerns about environmental issues are increasingly at the forefront of governmental policy, corporate planning, and the day-to-day choices of families like yours. Government-supported research focuses on important topics such as global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and acid rain. Corporations seek new production methods and materials to decrease industrial pollution. At home we recycle our garbage and purchase products with less packaging.
Cleaning up the pollution of the past and confronting contemporary environmental challenges requires creative and multidisciplinary solutions. Those most successful in addressing these complex issues will be trained in a variety of backgrounds. They will understand the basic concepts in the life sciences and their application to real-world problems. They will appreciate the history and complexity of social and political systems. And they will be knowledgeable in environmental regulation and policy. Clarkson’s Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) program prepares its graduates to become effective leaders by providing a broad-based, interdisciplinary background.
Clarkson undergraduates experience hands-on learning that includes assisting the faculty with research projects and working on independent projects. The coursework is challenging but flexible, and the ES&P degree allows students significant freedom in choosing their emphasis in an environmental area. The curriculum is also well suited as a preparatory degree for students interested in pursuing a degree in the health sciences, including medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science.
Programs can be tailored to meet the interests of the student. To this end, Clarkson offers both a minor and a major in Environmental Science and Policy. Upon successful completion of the major, a student will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The major allows students to pursue their study of the environment in an interdisciplinary fashion. There are required courses in biology, ecology, business, chemistry, liberal arts, and mathematics. Using these as a foundation, students can use professional electives to investigate environmentally related issues of interest in more depth.
Concerns about environmental issues are increasingly at the forefront of governmental policy, corporate planning, and the day-to-day choices of families like yours. Government-supported research focuses on important topics such as global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and acid rain. Corporations seek new production methods and materials to decrease industrial pollution. At home we recycle our garbage and purchase products with less packaging.
Cleaning up the pollution of the past and confronting contemporary environmental challenges requires creative and multidisciplinary solutions. Those most successful in addressing these complex issues will be trained in a variety of backgrounds. They will understand the basic concepts in the life sciences and their application to real-world problems. They will appreciate the history and complexity of social and political systems. And they will be knowledgeable in environmental regulation and policy. Clarkson’s Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) program prepares its graduates to become effective leaders by providing a broad-based, interdisciplinary background.
Clarkson undergraduates experience hands-on learning that includes assisting the faculty with research projects and working on independent projects. The coursework is challenging but flexible, and the ES&P degree allows students significant freedom in choosing their emphasis in an environmental area. The curriculum is also well suited as a preparatory degree for students interested in pursuing a degree in the health sciences, including medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science.
Programs can be tailored to meet the interests of the student. To this end, Clarkson offers both a minor and a major in Environmental Science and Policy. Upon successful completion of the major, a student will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The major allows students to pursue their study of the environment in an interdisciplinary fashion. There are required courses in biology, ecology, business, chemistry, liberal arts, and mathematics. Using these as a foundation, students can use professional electives to investigate environmentally related issues of interest in more depth.
Students in completing the Clarkson's ES&P program are expected to meeting the following goals:
- Develop a foundation in natural sciences
- Understand how technology has impacted the environment, and how technology can also be a solution to environmental challenges
- Understand how science and public values guide policy
- Understand how policy influences scientific endeavors
- Understand how policy impacts the environment and public health
- Develop quantitative and qualitative analysis skills
- Develop skills for communicating complex scientific information to nonscientists
- Complete an independent ES&P research experience
- Practice ES&P through a professional experience
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Required Courses
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| Cr. Hrs. | Cr. Hrs. | |||
| Chemistry | 11-13 | Clarkson Common Experience | 18 | |
| Biology/Environmental Science | 18 | Technology course | 3 | |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 9 | Professional Electives | 12 | |
| Physics | 4 | Free Electives | 12-14 | |
| EHS/Industrial Hygiene | 8 | Capstone Research | 3 | |
| Policy Course | 18 | 12 | ||
| TOTAL |
120 |
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Environmental Science & Policy Curriculum
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FIRST YEAR
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First Semester
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Second Semester
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| Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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| BY140 | Biology I |
3
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BY160 | Biology II |
3
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| BY142 | Biology I Lab |
2
|
BY162 | Biology II Lab |
2
|
| CM103 | Chemistry I |
3
|
CM104 | Chemistry II |
3
|
| CM105 | Chemistry I Lab |
2
|
CM106 | Chemistry II Lab |
2
|
| EV100 | Intro to ES&P |
1
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MA181 | or MA132 Calculus I1 |
3
|
| UNIV190 | The Clarkson Seminar |
3
|
KA/UC |
3
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|
| FY100 | First-Year Seminar |
1
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| MA 180 | or MA 131Math course I |
3
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18
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16
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SOPHOMORE YEAR
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First Semester
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Second Semester
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| Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
|
| BY222 | General Ecology |
3
|
IH309 | Intro to Industrial Hygiene |
3
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| BY244 | General Ecology Lab |
2
|
IH310 | Intro to Industrial Hygiene Lab |
2
|
| EV200 | Environmental Sustainability |
2
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BY320 | Microbiology2 |
3
|
| PH131/141 | Physics I |
4
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BY322 | Microbiology Lab |
2
|
| CM241 | Organic Chemistry I |
3
|
KA/UC (Environmental Policy) |
3
|
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| EV313 | Biogeochemical Systems Science |
3
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Statistics Course |
3
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17
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16
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JUNIOR YEAR
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First Semester
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Second Semester
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| Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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| KA ( Micro Economics)3 |
3
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EV360 | Environmental Economics |
3
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| KA (Environmental Law)3 |
3
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Prof./Sci/Math/Eng Elective |
3
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| IH Elective |
3
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Prof./Sci/Math/Eng Elective |
3
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| EV300 | Environmental Leadership |
1
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KA/UC |
3
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| Prof. Sci./Eng/Math |
3
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EV399 | Capstone Proposal Project (Optional) |
1
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| LW270 | Law & Society I |
3
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PHIL370 | Environmental Ethics (KA) |
3
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16
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16
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SENIOR YEAR
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First Semester
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Second Semester
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| Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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Course | Title |
Cr. Hrs.
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| Elective |
3
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ES432 | Risk Analysis (Tech) |
3
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| Prof. Sci./Eng./Math |
3
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Free Electives |
6
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| EV400 | Capstone |
3
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Prof. Elective |
3
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| Prof. Sci./Eng./Math | EV401 | Capstone |
1
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| POL371 | Environmental Law |
3
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| POL470 | Environmental Policy |
3
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15
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13
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- Various environmental courses will meet knowledge area requirements. A technology course will be required if one of the major courses does not fulfill this requirement.
- Or suitable Biology/Chemistry/Engineering course
- Or suitable technology course
EC150 or EC350 is required as a prerequisite for Environmental Economics (EV360) and will satisfy a knowledge area requirement.
NOTES — Some electives may require additional prerequisites.
Students must be registered for at least 14 credits to qualify for Dean’s List or as a Presidential Scholar.
PROFESSIONAL ELECTIVES
Professional Electives are defined as electives appropriate to the professional and career objectives of students and the ES&P Program. Professional electives are typically upper-level courses (300-level or above) chosen with the advice and consent of the student’s advisor, and focused on a minor, concentration or double major (in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health Science, Law, or Communication, for example). The following courses are considered professional electives.
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SCIENCE
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| BY300 | Readings in Org. Biology | BY214 | Genetics | |
| BY302 | Introduction to Botany | BY301 | Readings in Cellular and | |
| BY312 | Advanced Cell Biology | Molecular Biology | ||
| BY316 | Immunobiology | BY310 | Developmental Biology | |
| BY322 | Microbiology | BY314 | Bioinformatics | |
| BY326 | Invertebrate Biology | BY320 | Microbiology | |
| BY340 | Behavioral Ecology | BY323 | Microbiology for Eng. | |
| BY358 | Animal Learning | BY328 | Conservation Biology | |
| BY412 | Molecular Biology | BY342 | Vertebrate Biology | |
| BY426 | Intro. to Biophysics | BY420 | Evolution | |
| BY435 | Freshwater Invertebrate | BY431 | Limnology | |
| Bio. | BY438 | Biostatistical Analysis | ||
| BY451 | Biochemistry II | BY450 | Biochemistry I | |
| CM242 | Organic Chemistry II | CM221 | Spectroscopy | |
| CM244 | Organic Chemistry Lab | CM223 | Spectroscopy Lab | |
| CM304 | Environmental Science II | CM460 | Biochemistry | |
| IH320 | Principles of Ergonomics | IH405 | Methods for Analysis | |
| IH406 | IH Control Methods | IH416 | Principles of Toxicology | |
| MA231 | Calculus III | & Epidemiology | ||
| MA383 | Applied Statistics | MA232 | Elementary Diff. Equations | |
| PH142 | Physics for Life | PH132 | Physics II | |
| Sciences II | PH426 | Introductions to BioPhysics | ||
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ENGINEERING
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| CE301 | Eng. Measurement | CE340 | Intro. to Env. Engineering | |
| CE413 | Geology for Engineers | CE478 | Solid Waste Management and | |
| CE470 | Hydraulic Engineering | Landfill Design | ||
| CE474 | Environmental Hydrology | CE477 | Atmospheric Chemistry | |
| CE480 | Environmental Quality | CE479 | Water and Wastewater | |
| CE490 | Senior Design | Treatment Proc. | ||
| ES330 | Fluid Mechanics | CE481 | Haz. Waste Management | |
| ES532 | Risk Analysis | CE586 | Industrial Ecology | |
| ES220 | Statistics | |||
| BUSINESS | ||||
| IS300 | Information Systems | LW466 | The Law of the Workplace | |
| LW471 | Law and Society II | EC364 | Structure of American Industry | |
| EC388 | Game Theory and | OS386 | Organizational Behavior | |
| Economic Strat. | ||||
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LIBERAL ARTS
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| ANTH270/EV225 | Env., Tech., and Society | POL302 | Soc. and Political Thought | |
| POL220 | American Politics | in 20th Century | ||
| SOC/POC351 | Globalization | SOC/POL470 | Environmental Policy | |
| HIST230 | Science and Society | SOC/ANTH397 | Cities and Social Justice | |
| POL400 | Constitutional Law | POL250 | Politics in C-N Perspective | |
| COMM310 | Mass Media and Society | PHIL341 | Professional Ethics | |
| COMM325 | Intercultural | PHL243 | American Environmentalism | |
| Communication | COMM313 | Professional Communication | ||
| COMM412 | Org. Communication | COMM341 | World Wide Web | |
| POL380 | Law & Bioethics | COMM/EV428 | Public Debate and Env. | |
| POL392 | Environmental Political Theory | |||
Professional electives in the ES&P Program. Additional courses may be taken pending permission from the student’s advisor. Some professional electives require additional prerequisites.
