Environmental science students receive a broad range of environmental courses. They may choose to focus on water resources or applied ecology. Students are often involved in faculty research programs and present results of their research at local and national conferences.
Students studying water resources focus on the flow and quality of water in various environments including streams, lakes, and aquifers, and students receive comprehensive training in the biology, chemistry, and ecology of water bodies. The focus is on human-influenced and natural processes affecting water quality. Courses emphasize water quality assessment and control, soil and water conservation, and watershed management and planning.
Applied ecology is the study of interrelationships between organisms and their environment, within the context of seeking to understand and mitigate impacts of human activities on those systems. Students are provided with the core science background necessary to conduct environmental field and laboratory research. Students then gain familiarity with specific ecological systems, concepts, and methods through courses such as Field Ecosystem Ecology, Forest Ecology, Wetlands Ecology, Environmental Entomology, and Limnology.
For students interested in becoming certified to teach science in Maine, a concentration in secondary teacher education is offered as part of the B.S. in environmental science.
Environmental Science and Policy courses tend to be laboratory-intensive and quantitative. We encourage students to acquire advanced skills in utilizing analytical tools such as statistical software, mapping applications, and geographic information systems (GIS). This combination of a strong science core with applied environmental technologies allows a graduate in environmental science to pursue either graduate study in the sciences or immediate entry-level employment with an environmental engineering firm, government agency, or non-governmental organization.
