Environmental concerns are among the most important and controversial problems confronting people in the world today. Environmental issues such as acid deposition, hazardous and toxic waste management and disposal, global climate change, the maintenance of a safe water quality, wetland reconstruction, rain forest loss, the general deterioration of the Earth's biosphere, and biological diversity are areas of challenge in environmental science. The goal of the environmental science program at the School of Natural Resources is to understand these and other issues as a means for improving the quality of life. In order to do so, it is important to understand the scientific processes and principles of the natural environment. Environmental science graduates work in a variety of environments and with many differing organizations, agencies, industries, and consulting firms.
Some graduates go on to professional programs such as law or medicine.
Employment in the areas of hazardous and solid waste management, water quality management, air pollution control, and land management are typical. Career opportunities are quite diverse and expanding everyday. This option deals with the management and solutions to these problems. Students study a variety of subjects ranging from civil engineering to microbiology. Water Quality Option Imagine the water that came out of your faucet at home was not safe for drinking or bathing, or that the birds that visit your backyard feeder no longer came because the wetlands they used for rest during migration had disappeared.