B.Sc. Environmental Science Major
The purpose of this programme is to provide students with an interdisciplinary but thorough education in the science of the environment. A student will become versed in the chemical and physical aspects of the environment (atmosphere, energy, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, etc.) with the goal of understanding global phenomena such as climate change, pollution, environmental impact, and resource management in a quantitative, physical science-based approach. Along the way, a student will gain knowledge of the Earth’s ecosystems and how they are affected in both negative and positive ways by human activity. A broad selection of electives related to this field of study will allow students to pursue their own interests as they relate to the environment as well. Given that the search for solutions of complex environmental problems involves not only scientific, but also economic (and social and political) aspects, this programme is designed with an Economics component to better prepare the student in facing such issues in his or her professional life.
Students in this programme will have the benefits of extremely small class sizes, individual instruction, an intimate environment, and mentoring professors. A student graduating from this programme will be qualified to pursue further studies in graduate school or environmental law, or seek employment in the ever expanding fields and disciplines involving environmental issues.
Entrance Requirements
Students are considered for admission into a B.Sc. Environmental Science Major programme after the completion of a Québec Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC), or completion of a high-school grade 12, or the equivalent level of education from international origins. Students entering this programme with a Diploma of Collegial Studies are admitted into a 3-year programme of 93 lecture credits (including the English Writing Proficiency exam -- EWP). Students entering with a grade 12 high-school diploma are admitted to a 4-year programme of 123 lecture credits (including the EWP).
Entrance requirements are the same as those for other B.Sc. programs, namely:
- Code R score at least 23 (for students with a DEC from a Québec cegep),
- 75% average in 5 high-school grade 12 courses (including one math, one English and two other sciences; not including physical education).
Program Requirements
Students in the 3-year programme must fulfill the following credit requirements:
| English Writing Profiency | 3 credits | 1 exam(or EWP 099) |
| Environmental Science core | 33 credits | 11 courses |
| Concentration Stream | 21*credits | 7 courses |
| Env. Studies and Geo. cognates | 9 credits | 3 courses |
| Economics cognates | 12 credits | 4 courses |
| Free Electives | 15 credits | 5 courses |
| Total | 93 credits | 30 courses |
Students in the 4-year programme must fulfill the following credit requirements:
| English Writing Profiency | 3 credits | 1 exam(or EWP 099) |
| U0 science courses | 21 credits | 7 courses |
| U0 humanities requirement | 6 credits | 2 courses |
| Environmental Science core | 33 credits | 11 courses |
| Concentration Stream | 21*credits | 7 courses |
| Env. Studies and Geo. cognates | 9 credits | 3 courses |
| Economics cognates | 12 credits | 4 courses |
| Free Electives | 18 credits | 6 courses |
| Total | 123 credits | 40 courses |
* The “environmental physics” concentration stream requires 22 credits, since one of the required courses is 4 lecture credits (not the normal 3).
Notes:
- Students with a Québec DEC who are missing some/all of the collegial equivalents of the seven Bishop’s U0 science courses: Bio 191, Che 191/192, Mat 191/192 and Phy 191/192 (see 4-yr programme table below) will have these courses added to their 3-year programme credit requirements, causing the total programme length to extend beyond the normal 3 years.
- Many science lecture courses have co-requisite laboratories, worth one additional “laboratory” credit. While the laboratories are mandatory, the lab credits earned do not count as lecture credits in meeting the programme’s total (lecture) credit requirements, as per the lists above.
Required Courses – 3 Year Programme Schedule (90 lecture credits + EWP + labs)
| Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|
U1 | ENV 101 (Intro. Env. Science) | ENV 144 (Intro. Environmental Chem.) |
ENV 104 / ENV 184 (Anal. Chem.) | ENV 167 (Thermal & Fluid Phy.) | |
ENV 105 / ENV 185 (Org. Chem. I) | ESG cognate 1 (chosen from list below) | |
PHY 101 (Stats for Exp. Sci.) | Stream Course 1 | |
ESG 127 (Intro. Phys. Geog.) | FREE OPTION 1 | |
| ||
U2 | ECO 102 (Microeconomics) | ECO 103 (Macroeconomics) |
ENV 177 / ENV 187 (Ecology) | ENV 244 / ENV 248 (Env. Chem. II) | |
ESG cognate 2 (from list below) | ENV 277 / ENV 287 (Adv. Ecology) | |
Stream Course 2 | ESG cognate 3 (chosen from list below) | |
Stream Course 3 | Stream Course 4 | |
| ||
U3 | ENV 267 (Economy of the Env.) | ENV 377 (Ecological Economics) |
ENV 375 (Environmental Physics) | Stream Course 6 | |
Stream Course 5 | Stream Course 7 | |
FREE OPTION 2 | FREE OPTION 4 | |
FREE OPTION 3 | FREE OPTION 5 | |
Required Courses – 4 Year Programme Schedule (120 lecture credits + EWP + labs)
| Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|
U0 | ENV 101 (Intro. Env. Science) | CHE 192 / CHE 082 |
CHE 191 / CHE 081 | PHY 192 / PHY 082 | |
PHY 191 / PHY 081 | MAT 192 | |
MAT 191 | HUMANITIES OPTION | |
ELA 116 | FREE OPTION 1 | |
U1 | ENV 104 / ENV 184 (Anal. Chem.) | ENV 144 (Intro. Environmental Chem.) |
ENV 105 / ENV 185 (Org. Chem. I) | ENV 167 (Thermal & Fluid Phy.) | |
PHY 101 (Stats for Exp. Sci.) | ESG cognate1 (chosen from list below) | |
BIO 191 / BIL 191 | Stream Course 1 | |
ESG 127 (Intro. Phys. Geog.) | Stream Course 2 | |
U2 | ECO 102 (Microeconomics) | ECO 103 (Macroeconomics) |
ENV 177 / ENV 187 (Ecology) | ENV 244 / ENV 248 (Env. Chem. II) | |
ESG cognate 2 (from list below) | ENV 277 / ENV 287 (Adv. Ecology) | |
Stream Course 3 | ESG cognate course 3 (from list below) | |
Stream Course 4 | FREE OPTION 2 | |
U3 | ENV 267 (Economy of the Env.) | ENV 377 (Ecological Economics) |
ENV 375 (Env. Physics) | Stream Course 6 | |
Stream Course 5 | Stream Course 7 | |
FREE OPTION 3 | FREE OPTION 5 | |
FREE OPTION 4 | FREE OPTION 6 | |
Concentration Streams
In addition to completing the required courses listed above, all students must choose either the Environmental Chemistry, or the Environmental Physics concentration stream. There are 7 courses to complete in the chosen concentration stream as per the lists below.
Environmental Chemistry Stream – 7 courses | Environmental Physics Stream – 7 courses |
|---|---|
(courses with a * have an associated lab) | (courses with a * have an associated lab) |
CHE 102 Inorganic Chemistry (winter) | PHY 106* Waves and Optics (winter) |
CHE 103* Physical Chemistry I (winter) | PHY 212 Electric Circuits & Electronics |
CHE 221* Elements and Minerals (winter) | PHY 270 Ordinary Differential Eqns. (fall) |
CHE 223* Physical Chemistry II (fall) | CSC 111* Programming Methodology (fall) |
CHE 225* Organic Chemistry II (fall) | MAT 106 Advanced Calculus I (fall) |
CHE 226* Organic Chemistry III (fall) | MAT 107 Advanced Calculus II (winter) |
CHE 227* Molecular Spectroscopy (fall) | MAT 108 Matrix Algebra (fall) |
Environmental Studies and Geography Cognate Courses
All ENV students (3 year and 4 year) must choose 3 ESG courses from the following list:
ESG 226 Oceans I
ESG 227 Oceans II
ESG 250 Geomorphology
ESG 251 Soils and Vegetation
ESG 265 The Atmosphere and Weather
ESG 361 Glacial Environments
ESG 367 Climate Change
Required Course List by components – 3 yr. Programme (90 credits + EWP + labs)
I. Environmental Science Core (11 courses / 33 credits + labs)
ENV 101 – Introduction to Environmental Science
ENV 104 / 184 – Analytical Chemistry – An Environmental Approach (and lab)
ENV 105 / 185 – Organic Chemistry I (and lab)
ENV 144 – Environmental Chemistry I – Energy and the Atmosphere
ENV 167 – Thermal and Fluid Physics
ENV 177 / 187 – Introduction to Ecology (and lab)
ENV 244 / 248 – Environmental Chemistry II (and lab)
ENV 277 / 287 – Advanced Ecology (and lab)
ENV 375 – Environmental Physics
ESG 127 – Physical Geography
PHY 101 – Statistics
II. Concentration Stream (7 courses / 21 or 22 credits + labs)
All Env students choose one concentration stream as per the table above
III. Environmental Studies & Geography Cognate Courses (3 courses / 9 credits)
All ENV students must choose 3 ESG courses from the list above
IV. Economics Cognate Courses (4 courses / 12 credits)
ECO 102 – Introduction to Microeconomics
ECO 103 – Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECO 237 / ENV 267 – Economy of the Environment
ECO 337 / ENV 377– Ecological Economics
V. Free Elective Courses (5 courses / 15 credits)
TOTAL 30 courses + labs
Required Course List by components – 4 yr. Programme (123 credits + EWP + labs)
I. UO Science and Humanities Requirements (9 courses / 27 credits + labs)
BIO 191 / BIL 191 – Introductory Biology (and lab)
CHE 191 / 081 – General Chemistry I (and lab)
CHE 192 / 082 – General Chemistry II (and lab)
MAT 191 – Calculus I
MAT 192 – Calculus II
PHY 191 / 081 – Introductory Physics I: Mechanics (and lab)
PHY 192 / 082 – Introductory Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism (and lab)
ELA 116 – Effective Writing
Humanities Elective Course 1xx – chosen from CLA, ENG, HIS, LIB, PHI, REL
II. Environmental Science Core (11 courses / 33 credits + labs)
ENV 101 – Introduction to Environmental Science
ENV 104 / 184 – Analytical Chemistry – An Environmental Approach (and lab)
ENV 105 / 185 – Organic Chemistry I (and lab)
ENV 144 – Environmental Chemistry I – Energy and the Atmosphere
ENV 167 – Thermal and Fluid Physics
ENV 177 / 187 – Introduction to Ecology (and lab)
ENV 244 – Environmental Chemistry II
ENV 277 / 287 – Advanced Ecology (and lab)
ENV 375 – Environmental Physics
ESG 127 – Physical Geography
PHY 101 – Statistics
III. Concentration Stream (7 courses / 21 or 22 credits + labs)
All ENV students choose one concentration stream as per the table above
IV. Environmental Studies & Geography Cognate Courses (3 courses / 6 credits)
All ENV students must choose 3 ESG courses from the list above
V. Economics Cognate Courses (4 courses / 12 credits)
ECO 102 – Introduction to Microeconomics
ECO 103 – Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECO 237 / ENV 267 – Economy of the Environment
ECO 337 / ENV 377– Ecological Economics
VI. Free Elective Courses (6 courses / 18 credits)
TOTAL 40 courses + labs
Recommended Courses for Free Electives
Students in the four-year programme must complete six free electives courses while the three-year students only complete five free electives. All courses in the concentration stream not chosen are recommended, plus any in the lists below:
Biology
BIO 110 Introductory Cell Biology
BIO 115 / BIL 115 Diversity of Life I (fall)
BIO 118 / BIL 118 Genetics (winter)
BIO 221 Biogeography
BIO 359 Human Genetics
BIO 360 Molecular Genetics
Biochemistry
BCH 110 General Biochemistry
BCH 338 Environmental Biochemistry and Toxicology
Chemistry
CHE 222 / CHE 282 Inorganic Chemistry III (winter)
CHE 224 / CHE 284 Physical Chemistry III (winter)
CHE 464 Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling
CHE 465 Topics in Advanced Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
Mathematics
MAT 103 Environmental Modeling
MAT 109 Linear Algebra (winter)
MAT 279 Scientific Programming
Physics
PHY 117 Introduction to Mechanics (fall)
PHY 220 Statistical and Thermal Physics
PHY 271 Mathematical Methods of Physics (winter)
Environmental Studies and Geography
ESG 100 Introduction to Environmental Studies
ESG 126 Introduction to Human Geography
ESG 224 Human Impact on the Environment
ESG 249 Resource Management
ESG 266 Environmental Policy
ESG 267 Global Environmental Change: a Physical Perspective
ESG 358 International Environmental Issues
ESG 366 Ethical Perspectives on Environmental Problems
Marketing & Economics
ECO 270 Public Economics (winter)
BMK 350 Marketing Strategies for Environment Sustainability
For courses offered by the various departments, see their websites or the University Academic Calendar.
Information on specific courses
ENV101 - Introduction to Environmental Science
ENV104 - Analytical Chemistry
ENV105 - Organic Chemistry I: Introductory
ENV144 - Environmental Chemistry I: Atmosphere and Energy
ENV167 - Thermal and Fluid Physics
ENV177 - General Ecology
ENV184 - Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
ENV185 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
ENV187 - General Ecology Laboratory
ENV244 - Environmental Chemistry II
ENV248 - Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
ENV267 - Economics of the Environment
ENV277 - Advanced Ecology
ENV287 - Advanced Ecology Laboratory
ENV375 - Environmental Physics
ENV377 - Ecological Economics
