Environmental Science
Bachelor of Science
Quick Facts
Top 3%
Online Bachelor's
Program in the Nation
- U.S. News & World Report, 2024
TOP 25
Public Flagship
University
- U.S. News & World Report, 2024
We will prepare you to find innovative and sustainable solutions to today’s critical environmental challenges, including pollution and climate change. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable faculty will engage you in the process of creating new scientific knowledge that, in turn, will enable you to impact a rapidly changing world.
An online bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Arizona empowers you with a diverse and practical skillset in science, communication, critical thinking and leadership, enabling you to tackle any issue affecting our land, air and water systems.
Our graduates work on the sustainable management of land and water resources; the environmental impact of resource extraction, agriculture and urbanization; and the remediation and restoration of disturbed environments.
*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.
The curriculum for this degree program include:
Learn about the fundamentals of our soil, vital to terrestrial life and a critical component of many environmental issues. Understanding soil management is key to sustainable environmental stewardship. In this course and corresponding lab, you will consider soils as complex systems with unique functions and behaviors arising from chemical, physical and biological components in both classroom, laboratory and field settings.
Discover how we can solve environmental challenges facing humanity, including climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and water shortages. This course focuses on collaborative activities and active learning to help you grasp the physical, biological, and human processes as well as economics, ethics and policy, underlying major environmental issues.
The critical zone extends from the top of the vegetation canopy through the groundwater table, supporting life on Earth with air, water and soil. However, human activity alters the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, thus changing the structure of function of Earth’s ‘living skin.’ This course integrates core concepts of geology, hydrology, ecology and soil science to provide a foundational understanding of the critical zone and its role in addressing environmental problems.
This course teaches you the fundamental skills and statistical approaches necessary to solve environmental issues. Using Excel software, you will explore and visualize real-world data to derive meaningful and useful interpretations. Additionally, you will learn how to effectively interpret, visualize and analyze biological and environmental data.
Ascertain how pollutants behave in our environment. You will be introduced to abiotic and biotic scientific processes in soil and water that affect the fate and transport of pollutants. This course lays the groundwork for understanding strategies behind mitigating the effects of pollution on human health and the environment, as well as risk assessments for managing pollution and contamination.
Get a grasp on how solar energy, atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial environment, and biosphere interact with each other at global and regional scales. You will evaluate the dynamic nature of Earth's systems, evaluating their evolution over geological times as well as projected future changes to the climate and ozone layer. This course emphasizes conceptual understanding of mechanisms, data sets and modeling techniques, using elementary math and physics principles for a comprehensive understanding of our environment’s physical aspects.
Study the interface between human activities and microbiology, from the diversity of microorganisms to microbial interactions with pollutants and the fate of microbial pathogens in the environment. You will learn about microbiological techniques and microbial environments, detection of bacteria and their activities in the environment, microbial biogeochemistry, bioremediation, and water quality.
This course introduces the principal chemical constituents and processes occurring in soils and sediments so you can better evaluate and address environmental issues. You will learn the conceptual framework for understanding chemical reactions in heterogeneous natural systems as well as applying chemical thermodynamics and kinetics to unravel biogeochemistry of earth.
Advance your knowledge of assessing contaminated sites, waste places, and disturbed sites to ensure efficient and effective remediation and restoration programs. In this course, you will be trained in standard assessment approaches used in analyzing the socioeconomic and biophysical conditions of the impacted sites, and exposed to fundamental law, regulations, and policies.
Gain valuable insight into the field of environmental science with guest presentations, University of Arizona career services visits, and interactive lecturers. This course is designed to help environmental science majors and students exploring major options broaden their understanding of diverse environmental science occupations, the job application process, and career pathways.
Outcomes
Skills
Earning your Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science will build core skills, including:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Data analysis
- Field research
- Laboratory research
- Microbiology
- Molecular biology
- Natural resource management
- Research and analytical methods
- Soil science
- Technical writing
- Water quality
Potential Career Paths
Depending on your emphasis, the Environmental Science BS program will prepare you to pursue careers in the following fields:
Areas of Emphasis
![scientist looking through microscope](/https/online.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/az_card_image/public/2021-02/environmental_science-soil_air_and_water_track.jpg?itok=KiO53J44)
Want to expand your knowledge about our ecosystems? This path in our environmental science program emphasizes strategies to help you solve difficult issues faced by civilization in its stewardship of Earth’s physical resources. Course topics include: environmental chemistry, environmental physics, environmental microbiology, biostatistics, geographic information sciences and professional development for environmental careers.
Graduates work as scientists, technicians, consultants and project managers. Some of these jobs may require an advanced degree or certification, but with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science focusing on soil, air and water, you’ll be well on your way to a successful career.
Courses in this emphasis may include:
Chemical and biological properties of soil as they affect soil nutrient availability and crop production. Principles of plant nutrition and nutrient acquisition are also discussed. Additional topics: fertilizers and fertilization, irrigation water quality, soil salinity, environmental impacts of fertilizers, and principles of soil and plant tissue testing.
In this interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate class, major microbial biogeochemical cycles, and how these cycles are impacted by, and feedback to, global change will be covered. Current methods in both microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, ranging from molecular meta-omics to the use of isotopes as biogeochemical tracers, with a particular emphasis on the challenges and opportunities of integrating these two disciplines will be discussed. Lectures will be mixed with journal club-style readings and discussions, so active participation is essential. |
Basic techniques for isolation and characterization of environmental soil and water microflora including methods for enumeration and measurement of physiological activity. |
Study of lakes and streams; biological characteristics, as related to physical, chemical, geological, and historical processes operating on fresh waters. |
![students in the forest looking at water sample](/https/online.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/az_card_image/public/2021-02/environmental_science-leadership_sustainability_and_communication_track.jpg?itok=5RwFhZIT)
Learn how to advocate for our environment! This path in our environmental science program teaches you environmental laws, regulations and policies so you can devise policies in response to pollution, waste management, biodiversity, natural resource management and climate change.
Course topics include: fundamentals of environmental science and sustainability, environmental justice, communicating science and environmental ethics.
Graduates work in government, private and public sectors focusing in sustainability, advocacy and policy.
Courses in this emphasis may include:
This course integrates core concepts of geology, hydrology, ecology and soil science to provide a foundational understanding of the critical zone and its role in addressing environmental problems. |
This course addresses this challenge by exploring and focusing on how to generate environmental science solutions at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and community levels. You will not only gain a fundamental understanding of the natural sciences, health, and justice, they will learn how to apply the science to solve real-world problems. Through the lens of environmental justice, this class will emphasize race, socioeconomics, and gender to explore the ways in which diverse individuals and societies are generating solutions to environmental quality and health challenges.
In this course, you will learn journalism techniques to translate environmental science topics into language a layperson could appreciate. The writing concepts will apply to any field of science, as well as grant proposals, public reports and media including web-based publishing. Learn techniques for converting numbers into relevant statistics. You will "workshop" in groups and work closely with the instructor to produce publication-quality articles on assigned or agreed-upon topics. |
This course is a guided journey through real-world environmental law; U.S. legal system, major environmental laws-criminal and civil; common marketplace problems and solutions; high profile cases; essential professional skills. |