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Department of Environmental Science

Environmental Science is the study of how the parts of nature and human societies operate and interact. It is devoted to the preservation of natural resources and biodiversity for sustainable development, and the control of biological, chemical and physical agents in the environment (air, water, soil, and groundwater) to prevent adverse effects on human and other living organisms.

Undergraduate Degrees

  • Environmental Science B.S.
    • Environmental Biology Specialization
    • Environmental Chemistry Specialization
    • Environmental Geology Specialization
    • Physical Geology Specialization

Graduate Degrees

Minors


Why Study Environmental Science at UHCL?

Hands-On Learning Opportunities in ENSC

  • Water quality analyses
  • Field sampling: soil, sediment, water, plants, fish
  • Mineral and rock identification in lab and field
  • Mapping using GPS, drones and GIS
  • Freshwater, saltwater and benthic community studies
  • Plot, transect and point-quarter vegetation analyses
  • Lab testing of environmental samples using GC/MS, ICP, Hg-analyzer (DMA), spectrophotometry, enzyme and chlorophyll analyses
  • Geology and ecology field trips
  • Tours of area environmental facilities

Our Facilities

What Makes ENSC at UHCL Unique

  • UHCL location near petrochemical industries and ecologically important landscapes (Armand Bayou Nature Center, Galveston Bay)
  • Faculty dedicated to teaching
  • Problem-solving focused training
  • Unique interdisciplinary curriculum
  • Opportunities for independent study research with faculty
  • Small class sizes
  • Field experiences
  • Amazon expedition study abroad program

Increase Your Professional Value

The multi-disciplinary approach of our program will prepare you for careers in:

  • Petroleum industry
  • Chemical and biochemical industry
  • Environmental health and environmental safety
  • Environmental consulting
  • Environmental conservation
  • Water resources and management
  • Soil and groundwater remediation
  • Wetland delineation
  • Environmental toxicology
  • Water/Wastewater treatment
  • Marine biology
  • Government/public sector
  • Research and development
  • Environmental analysis service and R&D labs
  • Flood and subsidence?
  • Regulatory compliance officers (emission inventories, permitting)

Research Opportunities

Environmental Biology

  • Coastal, freshwater and wetland ecology studies
  • Environmental toxicology
  • Ecotoxicology in estuarine and coastal wetland communities
  • Comparative vertebrate anatomy and physiology
  • Coastal birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish
  • Benthic macroinvertebrate community analyses
  • Pollution studies
  • Tropical rainforest ecology and water quality studies

Environmental Chemistry

  • Water chemistry studies
  • Sustainable remediation utilizing plants and microbes
  • Analysis of emerging contaminants
  • Biodegradation of surfactants, explosive chemicals, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds
  • Soil and sediment studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, explosives and endocrine disrupting compounds

Environmental Geology

  • Water chemistry studies
  • Sustainable remediation utilizing plants and microbes
  • Analysis of emerging contaminants
  • Biodegradation of surfactants, explosive chemicals, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds
  • Soil and sediment studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, explosives, and endocrine disrupting compounds

Physical Geology

  • Structural Geology
  • Natural Hazards
  • Mineralogy and Petrography
  • Planetary Geology

Admission Requirements

Graduate

  • Environmental Science M.S.
  • Admission Deadline

    Standard Graduate Admission Deadline

  • Application

    Apply online through the UHCL Graduate Application Portal.

  • Requirements
    • 3.0 GPA
    • GRE optional but encouraged to submit to support application if GPA <3.0.
      • Target scores minimum 290 total (150 on Quant)
    • Foundation courses (C or better): Calculus I, Organic Chemistry 1/Lab, Statistics, Physics I and II/Labs
    • Bachelor Degree in Natural Science or other degree if background includes at least 34 hours of Natural Science and 6 hours of Math

 

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