Cal Poly Humboldt
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Through an interdisciplinary approach to interactions between the biological/physical world and human institutions, students will (1) apply science to understanding ecosystems and natural resources; (2) understand the policy and social implications of environmental issues; (3) gain knowledge and skills to understand, analyze, address and manage the consequences of human actions on the physical, biological, and cultural world; (4) gain knowledge and skills to seek out the information and resources necessary to understand complex environmental issues; (5) develop the writing, speaking, and electronic communication skills needed to communicate with the public and professionals concerning the environmental sciences; (6) apply critical thinking skills as the basis for decision making and sound value judgments.

Graduates should find work with state, federal, and local governments, nonprofit conservation organizations, private sector consulting firms (particularly those dealing with environmental impact analysis, environmental planning, wetlands delineation, environmental restoration, geospatial applications in natural resources, energy technology and planning, and natural resource management), or go on to professional and graduate schools to study ecology, environmental law, environmental planning, human dimensions of natural resources, outdoor recreation management, geospatial science, natural resources management, wilderness management, public administration, or environmental policy.

Environmental Resources Engineering students will learn to apply fundamental science and engineering principles to solve complex environmental resource management problems. Four resource areas are addressed in curriculum: water, air, land, and energy. Specific topics include water treatment, water resources planning, groundwater hydrology, renewable energy development, energy efficiency analysis, soil remediation, ecological restoration, solid waste management, desalination, environmental fluid mechanics, river hydraulics, constructed wetlands design, and wastewater treatment and reuse. An interdisciplinary approach in this program prepares students to understand and solve problems and to consider the trade-offs among social, economic, and ethical objectives.

Environmental Studies provides students with tools for understanding the complex relationships between human communities and both "natural" and built environments. The program cultivates critical analysis of environmental problems using tools from a variety of disciplines, helps students discern among environmental ideas and messages as well as communicate them effectively, and enables them to act as informed citizens and professionals. This requires knowledge of ecological science and deep understanding of human systems, all informed by careful reflection upon ethical concerns and societal values.

This minor provides students with scientific information and a sense of the social, political, and ethical issues involved in environmental decisions. The minor helps students prepare for careers in environmental law, environmental planning, and a variety of natural resource professions.

Planners must understand the complexity and dynamics of a biophysical world and work within the context of human social, political, cultural, and economic systems that impose demands on natural resources. Graduates find careers in environmental analysis and land-use planning with consulting firms, local, state, and federal governments, and natural resource-oriented companies and agencies.

Course requirements for this minor include:
Environmental & Natural
Resources Planning Minor
GEOG 106 (3) Physical Geography
ESM 105 (3) Natural Resource Conservation
ESM 210 (3) Public Land Use Policies & Management
ESM 360 (3) Intro to Environmental Planning Methods

Plus two courses from the following:
ESM 325 (3) Environmental Law & Regulation
ESM 365 (3) Local Government Planning
ESM 425 (3) Environmental Impact Assessment

The Environmental Policy minor trains students to understand and address environmental issues in their political, social, and scientific context, designing policies that balance the need for resources with the need to conserve the environment. The Ecological Restoration concentration emphasizes renewing degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention, reestablishing ecological integrity and sustainability by restoring native species and ecological linkages.

Course requirements for the minor include:
ESM 105 (3) Natural Resources Conservation
ESM 210 (3) Public Land Use Policies & Management
ESM 325 (3) Environmental Law & Regulation
ESM 425 (3) Environmental Impact Assessment
PSCI 306 (3) Environmental Politics

Take one course from the following:
ECON 423 (3) Environmental & Natural Resource Economics
NAS 332 (3) Environmental Justice
PSCI 317 (4) Public Policy Process
PSCI 352 (4) Water Politics
PSCI 364 (4) Technology & Development
PSCI 373 (4) Politics of Sustainability
PSCI 412 (4) Legal Research
WSHD 430 (3) Water Rights/Water Law

Indigenous Peoples, Natural Resource Use and the Environment Minor- https://www.humboldt.edu/programs/native-american-studies

A list of all minors that touch on sustainability themes can be found here:
http://www2.humboldt.edu/green/get-involved/curriculum/minors.php