Graduate Course List

Offered: Fall

Advance your knowledge of assessing contaminated sites, waste places, and disturbed sites to ensure efficient and effective remediation and restoration programs. In this course, you will be trained in standard assessment approaches used in analyzing the socioeconomic and biophysical conditions of the impacted sites, and exposed to fundamental law, regulations, and policies.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 200 or Introductory Course Soils Course or Instructor Consent

Offered: Fall Spring

Develop the writing skills necessary to effectively write technical reports, theses and dissertations, and journal articles. In this course, you will conduct a literature review on a subject of your choice, with the goal of effectively grouping review materials into a properly formatted paper worthy of submission for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Along the way, learn about impactful scientific writing, plagiarism, and peer reviews.

• 3 units

Offered: Spring

Microbes drive Earth’s biogeochemistry, but humans have significantly impacted the fluxes of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. In this interdisciplinary class, you will cover major microbial biogeochemical cycles, and how these cycles are impacted by, and feedback to, global change. To understand the research in this area, you will learn methods in both microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, ranging from molecular meta-omics to the use of isotopes as biogeochemical tracers, with a particular emphasis on the challenges and opportunities of integrating these two disciplines.

• 3 units
• Also offered as: ECOL 410, GEOS 410, PLS 410
• Course Requisite: Background in biology or biogeochemistry and openness to interdisciplinary learning

Offered: Spring

Grow your ability to effectively communicate science, learning journalism techniques to translate environmental science topics into language anyone can understand. In this course, you will develop writing concepts that apply to any scientific field, as well as grant proposals, public reports, media, and web-based publishing.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: A, B, or better in ENGL 102 and any math class
• Course Attribute: Honors Contract Course

Offered: Fall Spring

Get a grasp on how solar energy, atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial environment, and biosphere interact with each other at global and regional scales. You will evaluate the dynamic nature of Earth's systems, evaluating their evolution over geological times as well as projected future changes to the climate and ozone layer. This course emphasizes conceptual understanding of mechanisms, data sets and modeling techniques, using elementary math and physics principles for a comprehensive understanding of our environment’s physical aspects.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: MATH 122B AND PHYS 102 or PHYS 141

Offered: Fall

Study the interface between human activities and microbiology, from the diversity of microorganisms to microbial interactions with pollutants and the fate of microbial pathogens in the environment. You will learn about microbiological techniques and microbial environments, detection of bacteria and their activities in the environment, microbial biogeochemistry, bioremediation, and water quality.

• 3 units
• Also offered as: MIC 425
• Course Requisites: MIC 205A

Offered: Fall Spring

In this capstone course designed for graduating students, you will explore environmental monitoring, characterization, and remediation through lectures, labs and field trips. The course and concurrent lab develops basic skills in applied sciences including basic statistics, field surveying, near-surface air measurements, automated data acquisition, soil and groundwater sampling and monitoring, soil and water biological properties, water pathogen monitoring, and GIS.

• 3 units (class) + 1 unit (lab)
• Course Requisite: ENVS 305
• Course Attribute: Engagement:Sustainability

Offered: Fall

Want to dive deeper in soil forming processes and the role of soils in ecosystem processes? In this course and lab designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, you will learn basic skills in describing soil morphology, soil classification and US Soil Taxonomy.The course includes a laboratory section that consists of both in-lab exercises and field trips to observed soils in the Tucson Basin.

• 4 units
• Course Requisites: ENVS 200

Offered: Fall

Advance your knowledge of green infrastructure but examining the built environment of arid regions focused on Tucson case studies. In this course you will learn about the use of vegetation, soils and natural processes to manage water and create healthier urban environments with real-world examples. 

• 3 units
• Also offered as: LAR 450, PLG 450, SBE 450
• Course Requisite: Prior coursework in related fields and familiarity with Excel
• Course Attribute: Engagement: Discovery, Engagement: Sustainability, Honors Contract Course

Offered: Spring

Get hands-on experience with water harvesting principles and techniques on University of Arizona projects. In this course, you will participate in engaged learning through campurs and site tours, along with a number of design and analysis assignments and a major final design project.

• 3 units
• Also offered as: ECOL 454, WFSC 454
• Course Attribute: Engagement: Discovery, Engagement: Sustainability, Honors Contract Course

Offered: Spring

This course introduces the principal chemical constituents and processes occurring in soils and sediments so you can better evaluate and address environmental issues. You will learn the conceptual framework for understanding chemical reactions in heterogeneous natural systems as well as applying chemical thermodynamics and kinetics to unravel biogeochemistry of earth.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 200 AND (CHEM 152 OR CHEM 162).

Offered: Fall

Explore the physical and chemical processes influencing the behavior of contaminants in the environment. Topics include equilibrium and kinetic theory of solubilization-dissolution, volatilization, sorption, hydrolysis, photolysis, surface catalysis and radioactive decay. In this course, you will learn properties of organic compounds in relation to their environmental behavior, and how to predict the fate of organic contaminants. 

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: CHEM 152 or CHEM 162

Offered: Spring

Learn the theoretical and practical basis for understanding and quantifying physical and hydrological properties of soils. You will dive into the hydro-physical processes on the Earth's surface, including mass and energy exchange and transport processes in saturated and partially saturated soils. This course will teach you about modern measurement methods and analytical tools for hydrological data collection and interpretation.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 200, PHYS 2013; Concurrent registration MATH 125
• Course Attribute: Engagement: Discovery, Engagement: Innovation and Creativity

Offered: Fall

Explore the role of riparian areas, estuaries, and constructed wetlands in the environment. This course will focus on plants as wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling in the environment, and bioremediation.

• 4 units
• Also offered as: ECOL 474, WFSC 474

Offered: Fall

Find out all about the biology and ecology of our freshwater and marine algae. In this course, you will examine the evolutionary history and life cycles of algae, as well as the management of aquatic resources against increasing eutrophication, potential harmful algal blooms, and toxicity. You will also examine the cultivation and rearing of algae for human use. The course will include short field trips to local aquatic environments during the class period.

• 4 units
• Also offered as: ECOL 475, WFSC 475

Offered: Spring

Dive into ecotoxicology, a complex discipline that combines ecology, biology, chemistry epidemiology, statistics, as well as soil, water and atmospheric science. You will learn about a broad range of anthropogenic stressors and toxicants, and their effects on individuals and populations. This course will cover known environmental toxins and their effects; methods to study the nature, extent, movement, and exposure routes of environmental contamination; techniques to quantify toxicant effects; and current regulatory framework and tools used to govern and manage contaminants.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: CHEM 142 OR CHEM 152 or CHEM 162, AND MCB 181R and ECOL 182R

Offered: Fall

Advance your knowledge of assessing contaminated sites, waste places, and disturbed sites to ensure efficient and effective remediation and restoration programs. In this course, you will be trained in standard assessment approaches used in analyzing the socioeconomic and biophysical conditions of the impacted sites, and exposed to fundamental law, regulations, and policies.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 210 or Introductory Course in Environmental Science or Instructor Consent

Offered: Spring

Human activity impacts our climate and environment, including mining and other resource extraction activities, agriculture, urban development, industrial activities, and waste production. You will learn the impact of these activities, as well as solutions to manage and redevelop for the sake of ecosystems and human health. This course will introduce the concepts and methods governing the sustainable management, restoration, and redevelopment of human-impacted lands. The topics covered include: soil quality concepts; the energy water- food nexus; redevelopment of brownfields and other impacted lands; reclamation of mining and other resource-extraction sites; natural-disaster cleanup; urban agriculture and community gardens.

• 3 units
• Course Requirements: ENVS 305 is recommended
• Course Attributes: Engagement: Professional Development, Engagement: Sustainability

Offered: Fall  

Investigate the environmental challenges from the perspective of soil nutrients. In this course designed for graduate and upper-level undergraduates, you will dig deep into the common biogeochemical mechanisms that control soil resources to explain ecosystem functioning and learn about potential remediation.

• 3 units
• Course Requisites: ENVS 200

Offered: Fall  

Learn about the theoretical and computational basis for understanding and quantifying (coupled) transport of heat, gas, water, solutes and colloids in saturated and unsaturated soils. In this course, you will learn hands-on training with state-of-the art computer codes (HYDRUS 2D/3D) to model transport processes of soils.

• 3 units
• Also offered as: BE 506, HWRS 506
• Course Requisites: MATH 254

Offered: Spring

Study small molecules produced from metabolism in a rapidly expanding area of research that enables scientists to better understand the physiological state of an organism and its response to the environment. In this course, you will learn about the use of targeted and non-targeted studies in metabolomics, the application of mass spectrometry, and an introduction to data processing, analysis and metabolite identification.

• 3 units
• Course Requisites: CHEM 142/144 or CHEM 152 or CHEM 162/164 and MCB 181R; or equivalent or Instructor Consent

Offered: Spring (odd years only)

Focus on the interrelation of soils and landscapes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, with an emphasis on Arizona, in this course designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In this course, you learn about the physical and chemical processes and mineralogy of weathering and soil formation.

• 3 units 
• Course Requisite: ENVS 431/531

Offered: Spring (odd years only)

This course emphasizes the transport and fate of contaminants in our subsurface environment. Develop a thorough understanding of the primary factors and processes that control the transport of contaminants in our soil and groundwater, solve mathematical equations to determine major transport pathways, and assess a real-world contaminated site.

• 3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 570 or HWRS 518 or HWRS 531

Offered: Spring (even years only)

Understand the principles and methods for characterizing and remediating contaminated sites through real-world examples and hands-on practical experience. In this course, you will integrate hydrologic, geological, chemical, biological concepts for defining and describing feasibility and effectiveness of site remediation.

• Also offered as: HWRS 566
• Course Requisite: ENVS 574 (or equivalent) or HWRS 531 (or equivalent)

Offered: Spring

Learn the fundamentals of coding, data analysis and data visualization using the R language. In this course, you will use code examples to understand the statistical as well as the scientific viewpoint, exploring real-world data and deriving meaningful interpretations.

•  3 units
• Course Requisite: ENVS 275 or MATH 263, introductory college-level statistics course or Instructor Consent

Offered: Spring (even years only)

Grasp the fundamental chemical and adhesive properties of macromolecules at interfaces. In this course (taught in even years only), you will learn about the fundamental physico-chemical forces that govern adsorption of macromolecules at interfaces and inter-particle adhesion.

• 3 units
• Also offered as: CHEE 572
• Course Requisites: CHEM 152 or CHEM 162 or Instructor Consent

Offered: Fall  Spring

Listen to lectures and panel discussions about different topics and interest in the interdisciplinary field of environmental science. 

•  1 unit

Offered: Fall  Spring

Graduate students will develop critical thinking, as well as oral presentation and writing skills related to their professional goals.

•  1 unit

Mentorship can be learned but not taught. The goal of this course is to accelerate the process of becoming an effective scientific mentor. This course will provide graduate students with a framework, opportunities

Offered: Fall  Spring

Graduate students will develop practice oral and poster presentations in front of an audience (and camera), practice chairing a session, and develop a relevant resume/CV appropriate for a professional career.

•  1 unit

Individual research not related to thesis or dissertation preparation by graduation students.

•  1-6 units

Students on the non-thesis track will write a professional report, approved by your committee and the department head, in the field of environmental or soil science in lieu of a thesis.

• 1-9 units

Research for the master's thesis (whether library research, laboratory or field observation or research, artistic creation, or thesis writing).

• 1-9 units

Research for doctoral dissertation (whether library research, laboratory or field observation or research, artistic creation, or thesis writing).

• 1-9 units