John Morelli, Department Chair
(585) 475-7213, john.morelli@rit.edu
http://www.rit.edu/cast/cetems
Program overview
The BS degree in environmental sustainability, health, and safety is focused on social responsibility for our activities and being good stewards of the products we make and the services we provide. The program prepares students to work as environmental sustainability, health, and safety professionals in both industry and government. Students gain a strong foundation in science, applied environmental, health and safety science and technology, sustainability and social responsibility, and are provided with the basic tools of financial management, team building, and leadership.
Students are ready to eliminate, reduce, and control the release of pollutants into the environment and to manage health and safety hazards associated with an organization’s activities, products, and services. The program emphasizes globally sustainable and socially responsible approaches and prepares professionals to become leaders in moving toward a more sustainable and socially responsible future.
The most rewarding aspect of an environmental management and technology career is that students can start making a difference right away. There is so much that can be done at every level that students will feel good about their contributions from their first day on the job.
Curriculum
Environmental sustainability, health and safety, BS degree, typical course sequence (quarters)
| Course | Qtr. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| 0630-200 | ESHS Seminar | 1 |
| 0608-199 | First-Year Experience | 2 |
| 1016-225 | Algebra for Management Science | 4 |
| 1011-215, 216, 205, 206 | General and Analytical Chemistry I, II and Lab | 9 |
| 0630-201 | Principles of ESHS | 4 |
| 1004-212, 232 | Human Biology II and Lab | 4 |
| 1005-210 | Field Biology | 4 |
| 0688-327 | Environmental Communications | 4 |
| 1011-202 | Foundations of Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| Liberal Arts* | 12 | |
| Second Year | ||
| 1017-211 | College Physics I | 4 |
| 1016-226 | Calculus for Management Science | 4 |
| 1017-212 | College Physics II | 4 |
| 1016-319, 320 | Data Analysis I, II | 10 |
| Economics | 4 | |
| 0608-225 | Problem Solving and Communication with Computers | 2 |
| 0630-370, 372 | Environmental Geology and Lab | 4 |
| 0630-450, 451 | Occupational Health and Lab | 4 |
| Liberal Arts* | 12 | |
| Wellness Education† | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| 0630-352 | Industrial Wastewater Management | 4 |
| 0630-380, 382 | Hydrology and Lab | 4 |
| 0101-301 | Financial Accounting | 4 |
| 0630-454 | Occupational Safety | 4 |
| 0630-350 | Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | 4 |
| 0630-354 | Air Emissions Management | 4 |
| 0630-360, 362 | Environmental Monitoring and Measurement and Lab | 4 |
| 0509-211 | Ethics | 4 |
| 0606-099 | Cooperative Education Preparation | 0 |
| 0630-499 | Cooperative Education | Co-op |
| Fourth Year | ||
| 0630-480 | EHS Law | 4 |
| 0630-463 | Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability | 4 |
| 0102-320 | Organizational Behavior | 4 |
| 0630-450 | Occupational Health | 4 |
| 0630-461 | EHS Accident Causation and Prevention | 4 |
| 0633-505, 506 | Construction Safety/Lab | 4 |
| Free Elective | 4 | |
| Liberal Arts* | 4 | |
| 0630-499 | Cooperative Education | Co-op |
| Fifth Year | ||
| 0630-515 | Corporate EHS Management | 4 |
| ESHS Capstone Proposal | 2 | |
| Professional Electives | 8 | |
| Liberal Arts* | 8 | |
| Free Elective | 8 | |
| 0630-591 | ESHS Capstone Project | 2 |
| 0630-499 | Cooperative Education | Co-op |
| Total Quarter Credit Hours |
193 | |
* Please see Liberal Arts General Education Requirements for more information.
† Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information.
Electives
A wide variety of electives within the curriculum permits students to develop various competency areas or pursue areas of interest in greater depth.
Technical electives
Students take at least three professional electives from one of the sequences shown below. With departmental approval, professional electives may be selected from existing courses in other RIT colleges. Also, independent study projects may be pursued for credit in cases where students demonstrate unusual ability and obtain sponsorship of a faculty adviser.
| Course | Qtr. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Consulting | ||
| 0630-444 | Remedial Investigation and Corrective Action | |
| 0630-490 | Project Management | |
| 0630-500 | Contaminant Hydrology | |
| 0630-570 | Environmental Risk Management and Communication | |
| Health and Safety | ||
| 0633-530 | Mechanical and Electrical Controls | |
| 0633-401 | Fire Protection | |
| 0303-415 | Ergonomics | |
| Alternative Energy | ||
| 1055-300 | The Greening of RIT (Honors) | |
| 1011-305 | Introduction to Hydrogen Technology | |
| 0521-451 | Energy Policy | |
| 0630-500 | Special Topic: Alternative Energy Resources | |
| 0304-629 | Renewable Energy Systems | |
| 0304-633 | Sustainable Energy Management | |
| Sustainability | ||
| 0106-401 | Operations and Supply Chain Management | |
| 0630-465 | Product Stewardship | |
| 0508-490 | Biodiversity and Society | |
| 0508-491 | Sustainable Communities | |
| 0630-505 | Resource Reduction | |
| Emergency Management | ||
| 0634-401 | Emergency Preparedness Law | |
| 0634-471 | Emergency Planning and Methodology | |
| 0634-474 | Counter Terrorism for the First Responder | |
| 0634-481 | Emergency Operations | |
Environmental sustainability, health and safety, BS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| ESHS-100 | Enironmental Sustainability Health and Safety Seminar | 3 |
| LAS Foundation 1: First year Seminar | 3 | |
| MATH-161 | LAS Perspective 7A: Applied Calculus | 4 |
| CHMG-111 | LAS Perspective 5: General-Organic Biochemistry | 4 |
| LAS Perspective 1, 2 | 6 | |
| ESHS-150 | Principles of Enironmental Sustainability Health and Safety | 3 |
| PHYS-111 | LAS Perspective 6: College Physics I w/lab | 4 |
| CHMG-112 | LAS: General-Organic Biochemistry | 4 |
| ENGL-150 | LAS Foundation 2: First-Year Writing | 3 |
| Wellness Education | 0 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ESHS-200 | LAS: Environmental Geology | 3 |
| ESHS-201 | Environmental Mointoring and Measurement I | 2 |
| PHYS-112 | LAS: College Physics II w/lab | 3 |
| BIOL-101 | General Biology I | 3 |
| BIOL-103 | General Biology Lab | 1 |
| TCOM-327 | Enironmental Health and Safety Communication | 3 |
| ESHS-250 | Introduction to Hydrology | 3 |
| ESHS-251 | Environmental Mointoring and Measurement II | 2 |
| ESHS-310 | Solid & Hazardous Waste Management | 3 |
| BIOL-102 | General Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL-104 | General Biology II Lab | 1 |
| ESHS-320 | Occupational Safety | 3 |
| Third Year | ||
| ESHS-330 | Industrial Wastewater Management | 3 |
| LAS Perspective 3 | 3 | |
| ESHS-340 | Occupational Health | 3 |
| ESHS-341 | Occupational Health Lab | 1 |
| LAS Immersion 1 | 3 | |
| STAT-145 | Introduction to Statistics I | 3 |
| ESHS-299 | Cooperative Education Preparation | 0 |
| ESHS-499 | Cooperative Education (spring, summer) | Co-op |
| Fourth Year | ||
| ESHS-460 | Enironmental Health and Safety Accident Causation and Prevention | 3 |
| ESHS-500 | Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability (WI) | 3 |
| ESHS-526 | Exposure Assessment and Analysis | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Immersion 2, 3 | 6 | |
| ESHS-325 | Construction Safety | 3 |
| ESHS-480 | Enironmental Health and Safety Law | 3 |
| ESHS-350 | Air Emissions Management | 3 |
| MGMT-215 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| ESHS-499 | Cooperative Education (summer) | Co-op |
| Fifth Year | ||
| ESHS-499 | Cooperative Education (fall) | Co-op |
| ESHS-515 | Corporate Environmental Health and Safety Management | 3 |
| ESHS-590 | Capstone Project | 3 |
| Professional Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 4 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 126 | |
Cooperative education
A minimum of four quarters of cooperative education is required in the program. Students start their first co-op experience in the spring of their third year. Co-op provides students with the opportunity to apply their skills in multiple, real-world situations before they graduate. Our co-op students are especially valuable to organizations because they are well-qualified and well-prepared to take on the many interesting environmental projects organizations seem never to have the time to get done otherwise. Co-ops range from field research to office work, and employers range from government to industry. Co-ops are often located in the Rochester area or near a student’s hometown, but some more adventurous individuals seek jobs across the continent or overseas.
Admission requirements
For information on undergraduate admission, including freshman and transfer admission guidelines, please refer to the Undergraduate Admission section of this bulletin.