Faculty
Professor and Chair, W. Budd; Professors, F. Ford, W. Hendrix; Associate Professer, E. Franz; Assistant Professor, R. Gill; Program Coordinator at WSU Tri-Cities and Associate Professor, R. Schreckhise; Program Coordinator at WSU Vancouver and Associate Professor, B. Tissot; Academic Coordinator for General Science at WSU Tri-Cities, E. Moore, Jr; Senior Research Scientist, A. Brooks; Professors Emerti, G. Hinman, G. Young.Program
Program
Degrees Granted: Master of Science in Environmental Science; Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences). The Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning offers courses of study leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Environmental Science, and PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences (PhD offered jointly with Department of Natural Resource Sciences).
The Program is closely associated with the Environmental Research Center, the Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, the Water Research Center, the International Program Development Office and other University research units.
Environmental science involves the study of natural and modified environments and their interactions with biotic (including human) systems. Environmental science emphasizes comprehensive understanding of the environmental/ecological context of decision-making, assessment of beneficial and disruptive impacts, and methodologies to analyze, integrate and manage these complex systems.
The course of study for each student is flexibly designedin a unique multi-optional, interdisciplinary context. Environmental science majors can choose options in eight areas: agricultural ecology, biological science, environmental education, environmental quality control, hazardous waste management, natural resource management or systems.
General requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Envi-ronmental Science include upper division or graduate level courses in physical, biological, social, or applied science; ecology; mathematics, statistics, or computer sciences; environmental impact assessment; graduate seminar and advanced topics in Environmental Science; an option with a minimum of 10 credit hours of courses; and a thesis or special project. A minimum of 32 hours of graduate credit is required. The Program has been successful in placing master's graduates in a variety of positions with federal, state, and local agencies, industry and academia, as environmental and resource management specialists.
Before applying for admission to the master's program, a student should have completed an undergraduate curriculum that included examination of a physical, biological, or social system in sufficient depth to serve as background for advanced investigation of one or more of these systems in an ecological context, and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Previous course work also is required in sociology or cultural anthropology, environmental science overview, biological science, chemistry or physics, and calculus or statistics.
Course work and research collaboration with leading scholars on the ES/RP Graduate Faculties ensure that options and specializations continually shift emphasis to reflect current advances in environmental science and regional planning. Recent developments, for example, have included an emphasis on ecosystem management and geographic information systems. The opportunity to develop such emphases in response to new developments is a distinguishing feature of the Program.
The PhD degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, sponsored jointly by the Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning and the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, emphasizes coursework and research relevant to understanding and managing environmental and natural resource science issues. General requirements for completing the PhD degree include advanced courses in the areas of ecosystems, statistics, modeling, issues and ethics, and the specialized subject area of the dissertation. A minimum of 72 credits, including an acceptable dissertation, is required. Prerequisites for admission include the general requirements of the Graduate School, ten semester credits in basic biological and/or physical sciences, and acceptance of the student by a faculty advisor. Deadlines for initial consideration for admission to the PhD degree program are February 15 for fall semester and October 15 for spring semester.
Three letters of recommendation, transcripts from colleges attended, and a statement of goals are required in addition to the application for graduate school. Applications for Teaching and Research Assistantships and Fellowships are available upon request. A TOEFL score of at least 580 is required for students whose first language is not English.
Environmental Science and Regional Planning
502 Human Health and the Environment 3 Graduate-level counterpart of ES/RP 402; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 402 and 502.
503 Natural Resource Planning 3 Same as NATRS 503.
504 Ecosystem Management 3 Analysis of ecosystem processes; dual emphasis on ecological principles and development of methods and concepts to evaluate policies for management.
509 Applied Radiological Physics 3 (2-3) Prereq calculus course; Phys course; Rec ES/RP 406. Production, interactions and measurement of radiation, with application to radiological health protection concerns. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 409 and 509.
510 Applied Radiation Dosimetry 3 (2-3) Prereq ES/RP 409/509 or course in radiological physics. Determination of exposure and doses from external and internal sources of radiation, with applications to environmental, occupational and medical protection.
511 Legal Process 3 Rec ES/RP 444. Legal process in general and role of the judiciary in natural resource management. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and UI (Law 511).
513 Environmental Epidemiology 3 Prereq Stat 412; Rec Micro 420, Stat 422. Environmental epidemiologic methods to investigate environmental problems and familiarity with relevant scientific literature.
514 Environmental Biophysics 2 Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 414; additional requirements. Physical environment of living organisms (temperature, humidity, radiation, wind); heat and mass exchange and balance in plant and animal systems. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 414 and 514. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Bot 532).
516 Radiation Biology 4 (3-3) Prereq introductory radiological physics, or one course each in biology, and radiological physics; Rec ES/RP 406. Effects of ionizing radiation at the molecular, cellular, organ and organism level. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 416 and 516.
517 Fate and Effects of Environmental Contaminants 3 Prereq graduate standing. Rec biochemistry, organic chemistry. Rationale perspective on the environmental behavior and biological, effects of contaminants.
519 International Development and Human Resources 3 Same as Anth 519.
524 Environmental Health Assessment 2 Prereq one course each in biology, calculus, chemistry, general ecology and physics. Rec ES/RP 406. Environmental transport, fate and effects of radioactive and hazardous materials. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 424 and 524.
526 Population Analysis 1 Same as NATRS 526. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 426 and 526.
527 Environmental Chemistry 2 Natural water chemistry, organic processes, kinetics, thermodynamics, modeling in lake, river and sea water. Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 427; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 427 and 527.
528 Environmental Management Systems 3 (2-3) Introduction to EMS standards; procedures and requirements for EMS certification; creations and auditing of an EMS.
529 Population Theory 1 Development of the theory of population dynamics from Mathus to the present. Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 429; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 429 and 529.
530 Fundamentals of Industrial Safety 2 Prereq graduate standing or by interview only. Fundamentals for recognizing and controlling hazards and losses to protect the safety and health of workers.
531 Fundamentals of Environmental Toxicology 3 Prereq BC/BP 364, Chem 240, Zool 353. Fundamentals of toxicology; environmental fate and biological deposition and effects of natural products, drugs, food chemicals, and pollutants.
532 Applied Environmental Toxicology 3 Prereq ES/RP 531 or P/T 505. Overview of the field of environmental toxicology; interactions of zenobiotics with natural systems.
534 Industrial Ecology: Theory and Practice 3 Complex relationships and interactions among industrial activities, the environment, and society and the need for a sustainable system.
535 Resolving Environmental Conflicts 4 (3-3) Same as R S 535. Graduate-level counterpart of ES/RP 435; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 435 and 535.
544 Environmental Assessment 4 Rec Bio S 372. Analysis of envi-ronmental impact statements and their legal framework; methods of environmental assessment and team development of an impact statement. Credit not granted for both Env S 444 and 544. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Geog 544).
545 Hazardous Waste Management 3 Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 445. Environmental, technical, and political aspects of hazardous waste management; evaluative methods, risk assessment, and current management requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 445 and 545. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (EnvS 545).
548 Environmental Law 3 By interview only. Environmental planning and protection, regulation of air and water pollution, waste disposal, use of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, and remedies for environmental injury. Cooperative course taught by UI (Law 947), open to WSU students.
549 Public Land Law 3 History of public lands, special problems arising from ownership of land by government, legal issues incident various uses of public land including land sales, mineral extraction, livestock grazing, timer harvest, recreation, wildlife protection and preservation. Cooperative course taught by UI (Law 948), open to WSU students.
550 System Dynamics Models of Environmental Systems 3 Prereq graduate standing. Analysis of environmental system dynamics; development and use of simulation models using the Stella software on Macintosh. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (EnvS 550).
551 Energy Production and the Environment 2 Prereq biology course; ecology course; Rec ES/RP 406. Evaluation of the impacts of nuclear and other forms of energy production on humans and the environment. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 451 and 551.
552 Environmental Microbiology 3 Same as Micro 552. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 452 and 552.
555 Environmental Planning 3 State, local and federal approaches to environmental planning and their interactions in private and public land use and development decisions. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and U of I (ENVS 555).
556 Insecticides: Toxicology and Mode of Action 1 Same as Entom 556.
557 Herbicides: Toxicology and Mode of Action 1 Same as Entom 557.
558 Pesticide Topics 1 Same as Entom 558.
565 Biogeochemistry and Global Change 4 (3-1) Survey of how life affects the chemistry of the surface of earth. Same as GEOL 565.
560 Watershed Management 3 Same as NATRS 560.
567 Advanced Applications in GIS 4 (1-6) Advanced applications in GIS will provide an opportunity to develop understanding of GIS concepts using ARC/INFO geographic information systems.
569 (565) Ecosystem Ecology and Global Change 3 Prereq Biol 372; Chem 106. Historic and current factors controlling the function of ecosystems and their response to natural and human-caused global change. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 469 and 569.
571 Meteorology 3 Same as C E 571. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 471 and 571.
573 Engineering Risk Assessment for Hazardous Waste Evaluations 3 Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 473; additional requirements. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to assessing risks to public health and environment from chemical contaminants; toxicology, exposure assessment, risk characterization and environmental modeling; critical reviews of specific toxins and actual waste site studies. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 473 and 573. Cooperative course taught by UI (ChE 580), open to WSU students.
575 Geographic Information Systems 3 Prereq ES/RP 385. Computerized management of data organized on regional geographic bases; preparation overlays, coding, and manipulation of data for regional planners and land managers. Cooperative course taught by UI (Geog 475), open to WSU students.
584 Engineering Aspects of Aquatic Biology 4 (3-3) Same as C E 584.
585 Aquatic System Restoration 3 (2-3) Same as C E 585.
586 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 (2-6) Rec DOS knowledge. Geographic information systems technology. Graduate level counterpart of ES/RP 486; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both ES/RP 486 and 586.
590 Special Topics 2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Geog 590).
591 Special Topics 2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 hours.
592 Special Topics V 1-4 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 hours.
593 Seminar in Environmental Science and Regional Planning 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 8 hours. Seminar with student, faculty and outside speakers
594 Environmental and Natural Resources Issues and Ethics 2 or 3 Same as NATRS 594
595 Graduate Internship V 2-5 By interview only. Practical work experience in appropriate agencies; for graduate career students. S, F grading.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
700 Master's Research, Thesis, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.