Environmental Science

Dr. Laura Toran, Program Director

Beury Hall, Room 223
215-204-2352
ltoran@temple.edu

Dr. Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian

Beury Hall, Room 315B

215-204-2321

altd@temple.edu

Students 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. Among the many environmental problems central to our program are groundwater contamination, suburban sprawl, river basin management, environmental justice, and the greening of abandoned urban spaces. Our graduates find employment with government environmental agencies, citizens’ organizations, consulting firms, and corporate environmental affairs departments.

The Bachelor of Science degree is offered through the College of Science and Technology.  A related Bachelor of Arts degree is offered through the College of Liberal Arts.  There is further explanation in the "Intercollegial Programs" section of this Bulletin.

Bachelor of Science

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)

• Mathematics 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement: Earth & Environmental Science 2096, Environmental Studies/Economics 3596, Environmental Science (ENVS) 4198, Environmental Studies 4896, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3097, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4096, History/Environmental Studies 4297, Philosophy/Environmental Studies 2596.

• Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.

• The General Education Curriculum consists of approximately 25-26 s.h.  See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

2. College Requirements

• 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (73-79 s.h.)

• Three (3) Biology courses are required (11 s.h.): Biology 1111, 2112 and 2227.

• Three (3) Chemistry courses with labs are required (12 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033, 1032/1034 and 2201/2203.

• Three (3) Earth & Environmental Science courses are required (11-12 s.h.): Earth & Environmental Science 2001, 3021 and 3011 or Geography & Urban Studies 3062.

• Two (2) Economics courses are required (6 s.h.): Economics 1102 and Environmental Studies/Economics 3596.

• One (1) Environmental Science course is required (3 s.h.): Environmental Science 4198.

• One (1) Environmental Studies course is required (3 s.h.): Environmental Studies 1051 or Geography & Urban Studies 1051.
• Five (5) Environmental Science electives are required. Three of the electives must be Natural Science courses and of these two must be from the same department.  One of the electives must be from the social science or policy elective courses. Select electives from the following lists (15-20 s.h.):

• Natural Science Electives: Biology 2233, Biology 2241, Biology 3225, Biology 3244, Biology 3245, Biology 3254, Biology 3307, Biology 3311, Biology 3316, Biology 3321, Biology 3336, Biology 4327, Botany 1112, Earth & Environmental Science 2021, Earth & Environmental Science 2042, Earth & Environmental Science 2061, Earth & Environmental Science 2096, Earth & Environmental Science 3042, Horticulture 2114, Landscape Architecture 2758.

 

• Social Science/Policy Electives: Environmental Studies/Anthropology 3175, Environmental Studies/Anthropology 4117, Environmental Studies/Anthropology 4796, Community & Regional Planning 1027, Community & Regional Planning 2014, Community & Regional Planning 2114, Community & Regional Planning 2213, Community & Regional Planning 2524, Community & Regional Planning 3256, Economics 1101, Economics 3512, Economics 3513, Environmental Engineering Technology 4761, Environmental Studies 3025, Asian Studies/Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3052, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 2051, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3051, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3054, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3062, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 3097, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4015, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4051, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4056, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4071, Environmental Studies/Geography & Urban Studies 4096, History/Environmental Studies 3214, History/Environmental Studies 4297, Journalism 3253, Philosophy/Environmental Studies 2157, Philosophy/Environmental Studies 2596, Political Science/Environmental Studies 3152, Political Science/Environmental Studies 3265, Public Health 2102, Religion/Environmental Studies 3001, Religion/Asian Studies/Environmental Studies 3904, Sociology/Environmental Studies 3511.

• Topic Electives: Environmental Science 3000, Environmental Science 4082, Environmental Science 4085, Environmental Studies/Anthropology 3170, Environmental Studies/Anthropology 3189, Environmental Studies 4896, Environmental Studies 3000, Horticulture 2334, Horticulture 2353, Horticulture 3514, Landscape Architecture 2144.

• Three (3) Mathematics courses are required (12 s.h.): Mathematics 1041, 1042 and one of the following: Mathematics 2031, Biology 3312, Statistics 2103.

Note: Earth & Environmental Science 3091 is not available for major credit.

Note: A grade of C or higher in Chemistry 1031 and Chemistry 1032 is required to take Biology 1111 and Biology 2112. A grade of C or higher in Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 is required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

Please note that this is a suggested academic plan. Depending on your situation, your academic plan may look different.

(F) - Fall only course

(S) - Spring only course

Students who complete CST majors typically receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.

*Environmental Science Electives

In addition to the required courses and their prerequisites, B.S. majors must take five (5) courses from the list of approved electives. Three of these courses must be Natural Science courses and of these two must be from the same department.  One of the electives must be a Social Science/Policy elective course.  Please note that your electives can be taken prior to the fourth year as long as you have successfully completed the pre- and co-requisites.

Calculation of Major GPA

The list of courses that are used to calculate major GPA is determined by the department. Students should consult with their academic advising unit for the applicable courses. In general, courses that could not apply toward the major as an elective or a required course are not counted for the major GPA. This would include Chemistry 1027, for example.

Distinction in Major

To graduate with Distinction in Major, students are required to achieve a 3.5 GPA for courses required for the major.  If the difficulty of courses chosen as electives is high, then a 3.3 GPA will earn Distinction in Major.  This determination will be made by the appropriate faculty.