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| Home >> Information >> Curriculum | ||||||||||||||||
| Curriculum | ||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites | ||||||||||||||||
Students must have at least three of the
seven courses listed below to be admitted and must have five upon
completion of the program. It is anticipated that most students
will fulfill many of the prerequisites through their previous work
at the undergraduate and Master's level and will have working facility
with micro-computers. For those students without adequate background,
identified courses are required to provide students with the background
necessary to successfully participate in the program.
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| Credit Hour Requirements | ||||||||||||||||
| Core: 36 credits (including 24 in ERP600)
Concentration: 24 credits minimum TOTAL: 60 credits |
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| Core Curriculum for all Concentrations (Required Courses) | ||||||||||||||||
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ERP 500 -- Physical and Biological Environmental Systems (3) (Team Taught--Fall of 1st Year)
Application of principles of systems analysis, including chaos and complex adaptive systems, to Earth biogeochemical cycles (e.g. energy, carbon, water, nutrients), inter-relations among them and disruptions to them. Topical focus will vary among: the analysis of how contaminants travel, especially through ground water, and become dispersed in the environment; the origin of soils and the movement of nutrients among plants, water and soils; the origin and distribution of natural resources such as metals and fossil fuels and of natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanism; the global carbon cycle, especially its role in global climate change. ERP 501 -- Economic Systems and Environmental Change (3) (Team Taught--Spring of 1st Year) Investigation of the social forces driving natural resource use and environmental change, including population growth, the globalization and migration of economic activity, changing land use patterns, and economic and technological trends in the major resource use sectors: energy, agriculture, water, and forestry. Principles of environmental impact assessment, ecological footprint analysis and industrial ecology are introduced. The challenge of sustainable development sets the stage for an analysis of the future adequacy of the natural resources base on which societies and economies depend. ERP 502 -- Environmental Decision-Making (3) (Team Taught--Fall of 2nd Year) Analytical concepts relevant for environmental professionals will be taught and demonstrated through case studies. Topics to be covered include risk assessment and risk management, formulation of environmental impact statements, cost effectiveness and cost benefit analysis, and methods of conflict resolution. The role of economic incentives in encouraging resource conservation, the role of multiple institutional players in environmental decision-making at various geographic scales (local, state, national, international, global), and the use of the Internet as a source of environmental information will be emphasized ERP 598 -- Applied Environmental Resources and Policy (1 credit each year in residence) Invited speakers from federal, state, or local agencies; nongovernmental organizations; academic institutions; and Environmental Resources and Policy faculty will present case studies on the conduct of environmental research, the development of environmental laws and regulation, and the implementation of environmental policies. Additionally, students will present dissertation proposals and defend their dissertations. |
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| Curriculum for Concentrations | ||||||||||||||||
| Each concentration will require mastery of one or more research tools. Specific courses and research tools will be determined by the student and the research supervisor in consultation with the student’s faculty advisory committee. The multi-disciplinary curriculum for each concentration is customized to meet the student’s individual interests and career goals.
Earth and Environmental Processes Concentration The curriculum may include courses in geology, biological science, physical science areas other than geology, geography (GIS and cartography), environmental law, remote sensing, soil science, mining and civil engineering, computer science, and statistics. Energy and Mineral Resources Concentration The curriculum may include courses in geology, biological science, physical science areas other than geology, geography (GIS and cartography), environmental law, remote sensing, soil science, mining and civil engineering, computer science, and statistics. Environmental Policy and Administration Concentration The curriculum may include courses in environmental law, political science, geography, forestry, agribusiness economics, economics, anthropology, zoology, and statistics. Emphasis will be on the processes of public policy formulation and implementation. Forestry, Agricultural, and Rural Land Resources Concentration The curriculum may include courses in agribusiness economics; plant, soil, and general agriculture, animal science, geography, forestry, remote sensing and GIS, human dimensions of natural resource management, plant biology, zoology, and statistics. Emphasis will be on the processes of changing land uses of rural landscapes and the implications for the environment and adjacent land uses. Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing and Environmental Modeling Concentration Students may elect from several specializations within this concentration including Geoprocessing, Biometrics, Environmental modeling, and Geological Modeling. Water Resources The curriculum should include courses in Water policy and Planning and Hydrological Sciences. |
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