Bachelor of Science, Major in Environmental Science (Pollution Abatement)

Environmental Science Degree

Coordinator: Ross Guida   (936) 294-1233

Website: Department of Environmental and Geosciences

Environmental scientists seek to protect both environmental and human health by assessing problems and seeking to find solutions through field, lab, and/or computer-based work. Working in environmental science-related jobs can involve collecting and analyzing soil, water, or air samples, mapping wetlands and disasters, or modeling how pollution is moving through rivers, aquifers, and the air. Environmental Scientists may even find themselves informing the general public about hazards or testifying in court cases.

Environmental Scientists:

  • Work in the private sector, government, or non-governmental positions
  • Work in environmental consulting and for environmental engineering firms
  • Work on enforcing or improving environmental regulations, laws, and policies
  • Advise government officials responsible for developing policies
  • Assess possible environmental and health impacts of development projects
  • Serve as community advocates to ensure clean water and air for vulnerable populations

No matter the sector they work in, environmental scientists are typically broadly trained across multiple disciplines. Course work for environmental science is hands-on and lab-science heavy, including Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, and Soil Science. In addition to being well versed in analyzing data using mathematical and statistical methods, environmental scientists must also have strong writing and oral communication skills. Further, it is important that environmental scientists understand societal impacts and the context of their physical science work through additional perspectives drawn from human geography, sociology, and political science.

Academic Programs

The Environmental Science degree has a choice of three tracks/concentrations and is designed to fit the particular academic interests of our students and better prepare them for life beyond SHSU, particularly in terms of employment opportunities or graduate study. Students majoring in Environmental Science focus their studies within one of three concentrations: 1) Sustainability; 2) Pollution Abatement; or 3) Water Resources. All three concentrations require several core lab science courses in Biology, Chemistry, Geography, and Geology to provide an interdisciplinary foundation for upper-level coursework. Sustainability allows for more elective courses for those that want a broad Environmental Science background and more social science courses. Pollution Abatement is designed for students that want to focus on Biology and Chemistry-related Environmental Science work. Water Resources provides students with a strong foundation to assess water-related issues and includes courses in Aquatic Biology, Surface Water, Groundwater, and Water Quality-related applications. Across the Environmental Science concentrations, students gain experience in labs and the field. Students are also encouraged to pursue internship opportunities that can be counted toward prescribed major elective hours.

Highlights

Combining the strengths of SHSU’s Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental and Geosciences programs, Environmental Science is a great choice for students that want to help communities and solve problems. It’s also a great choice for students that like science but have a hard time picking just one area of scientific interest. Students get diverse perspectives from different physical scientists and take some selected social science courses to understand how Environmental Science fits in a broad societal context. While the home of the program is located on the third floor of the Lee Drain Building, where the Geographic Information System (GIS) lab, remote sensing lab, Geology labs, and GPS units are located, students in Environmental Science have access to Chemistry labs and the state-of-the-art Biological Lab Sciences building. Multiple trips to SHSU’s Field Station are also included through multiple courses. Students in Environmental Science have access to the College of Science and Engineering Technology's two 12-passenger vans for field trips and equipment across multiple contributing physical science departments.  In order to enhance learning, all of our rooms are outfitted with video-projection systems, and our lecture rooms have sound systems and dedicated computers with internet access that are used by the instructors for teaching purposes. A number of our students obtain internships with Houston-area firms and organizations and other companies and agencies across the state and beyond. Students also work with faculty members on a range of research projects. While there are some online elective course options, Environmental Science includes multiple hands-on, lab-oriented courses. The degree also regularly offers a number of field opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom. Some of these field courses involve travel and/or international experiences and have included trips to central Texas, the Texas coast, Hawaii, Central America, Europe, and Africa.

Career Opportunities

Because of the breadth of Environmental Science, there is a wide variety of career opportunities for graduates. These opportunities include careers in the following:

  • Environmental Consulting
  • Environmental Planning
  • Environmental Policy and Politics
  • Environmental compliance (inc. for Construction and Oil and Gas companies)
  • Water management and policy
  • Waste remediation and management
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Sustainability officer
  • Conservation
  • Environmental Protection
  • Environmental Law
  • Emergency Management
  • Lab analyst (air, soil, water, contamination, etc.)
  • Public Health
  • Department of Transportation
  • City, county, state, and federal government
  • Education
  • Military

Environmental Scientists’ broad backgrounds allow them to solve problems that require multiple disciplinary perspectives. Environmental scientists often work in the field, lab, or both. Many also write up reports that relate to development and current regulations and policies.

Suggested Minors

  • NO MINOR IS REQUIRED WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR
  • If students choose to do a minor, it may add time to their degree plan.

Additional information: Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit.