Environmental Science Bachelor of Science Degree

Environmental scientists solve problems relating to power generation, waste reduction and recycling, pollution control, land use, and land cover change, preserving biodiversity and ecological services, transportation, forestry, agriculture, economics, and a wide range of other areas. They study our relationship to nature and to each other, developing solutions that prevent or reverse environmental deterioration and work toward sustainability.

RIT’s Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science

Meeting the challenges that face environmental scientists requires problem-solving abilities based in science, mathematics, the social sciences, and other disciplines. RIT’s environmental science major is an interdisciplinary degree with a strong foundation in biology, mathematics, chemistry, and geographic information systems. The major provides you with both the education and hands-on experiences you’ll need to be successful in the field.

Environmental Science Courses

In the environmental science major, you’ll complete courses in biology, chemistry, ecology, environmental studies, geographic information systems, geography, public policy, and other areas of study. Your study of environment science includes concentration courses from the following topic areas:

• Cell and molecular biology: Explore molecular biology, environmental microbiology, population genetics, and evolutional biology.
• Chemistry: Study clean energy, climate change, environmental chemistry, and infectious diseases.
• Ecology and field biology: Investigate evolutionary biology, urban ecology, wetlands, and freshwater ecology.
• Economics: Understand global economic issues, natural resource economics, urban economics, and macro-and micro-economics.
• Mathematics: Utilize graph theory, differential equations, linear algebra, and more.
• Organismal biology and evolution: Study zoology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and marine biology
• Public policy: Learn about policy formation and its impacts on environmental policy, energy policy, and science and technology policy.
• Remote sensing and digital image processing: Explore how remote sensing and imaging can impact the assessment of natural resources and detect change in ecosystems.
• Statistics: Analyze data models and statistical techniques used in computational molecular biology.

Enhance Your Environmental Science Degree with a Minor or Immersion

RIT’s 185+ minors and immersions offer you an opportunity to pair your environmental science degree with a range of topics that can enhance your studies, provide a deeper understanding of a sub-topic of environmental studies, sustainability, or ecology (such as biology: ecology and evolution, climate change: an interdisciplinary problem, environmental studies, geographic information systems, urban studies, and water resources, to name a few), or allow you to explore a personal area of interest.

Meaningful, Hands-On Environmental Field Work

Explore the Galápagos Islands
In our semester-long course, Galápagos: Ecology and Evolution, you’ll meet during spring semester to learn about the wildlife and geology of the Galápagos islands, and about their influence on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The Galápagos is still an area of vibrant research and students will be introduced to current ecological, genetic, and geological studies. The class will explore ongoing difficulties of balancing human needs with environmental conservation in the Galápagos. At the end of the course, you’ll spend 14 days on the Galápagos Islands where you’ll visit various sites on the islands, with excursions focusing on its unique wildlife and geology.

Study Urban Ecology in Sweden
Travel to Malmo, Sweden, for two weeks to work and learn alongside students from Malmo University where you’ll explore green infrastructure, sustainable design, and low impact transportation systems in Sweden. You’ll also collaborate on group projects and participate in field trips around Malmo, collecting data and conducting analyses.

Explore additional study abroad opportunities where you can add a global perspectives to your environmental science degree.

Tait Preserve at RIT
You’ll benefit from a variety of field experiences onsite at RIT’s Tait Preserve, a diverse landscape of hills, deciduous hardwood forests, and open meadows in addition to the 60-acre Redman Lake and Irondequoit Creek, which flows through the property. The preserve is home to a menagerie of animals, including deer, turkey, beaver, fox, coyotes, and a wide variety of spectacular migratory and non-migratory birds. Students and faculty utilized these natural resources to conduct research across various disciplines.

Furthering Your Study of Environmental Science

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

Pair your environmental science BS degree with a master’s degree to further broaden your knowledge:

• Environmental Science BS/MS: In this comprehensive accelerated dual degree in environmental science, you’ll build a foundation in core biological, geospatial, and environmental concepts and skills. Along the way, you’ll collaborate with community partners like the Seneca Park Zoo and Rochester Science Museum to develop solutions to pervasive problems like habitat loss, invasive species and stormwater pollution. The course work in the environmental science MS incorporates additional advanced environmental concepts, public policy education, data analysis skills, and independent research and fieldwork addressing key environmental challenges like microplastic pollution, climate change, wetland restoration, and more. This accelerated program prepares you for careers at places like the Nature Conservancy, US Environmental Protection Agency, LaBella Associates, Microvi Biotechnologies Inc., and more.
• Environmental Science BS/Science, Technology and Public Policy MS: The BS in environmental science coupled with MS in science, technology and public policy offers an advanced degree for students seeking to couple their scientific interests with interests in government, policy, and the social sciences.
• +1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.

Many graduates choose to pursue one of RIT’s graduate degree programs in environmental studies and sustainability, such as the MS in environmental science, MS in environmental health and safety management, MS in sustainable systems, or the Ph.D. in sustainability.