Environmental Science & Resource Management

Programs Offered

Today’s environmental problems call for individuals who are educated in more than one discipline, highly trained in technical skills, and aware of the political, economic, and social dimensions of environmental decisions. The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) provides solid training in basic physical, biological, and social sciences, and application of management science to reduce adverse impacts of human activity on the environment and to maximize the benefits that accrue from environmental resources.

In the narrowest sense, environmental science is the study of the impact of human systems on physical and biological systems, and the dependence on natural resources by human systems. In a broader sense, environmental science is the study of the interaction and co-evolution of human, physical, and biological systems. Natural science is the study of physical and biological systems. Social science is the study of human systems - economic systems, political systems, human perceptions, and human interactions. Environmental science requires integral knowledge of both natural and social science. Resource management is concerned with the most effective means of avoiding damage to environmental assets and extracting beneficial uses of environmental resources, within the context of social institutions. Effective resource management considers benefits and costs, uncertainties and risks, limits of knowledge, institutional constraints, and social and political forces.

The B.S. program has two emphases: environmental science and resource management. This program prepares graduates specializing in environmental science who understand basic principles of resource management, and graduates specializing in resource management who understand basic principles of environmental science. Most required courses are those offered in related disciplines. The curriculum fosters cross-disciplinary communication in the several required courses common to both degree programs and particularly in the Environmental Science & Resource Management courses.

Careers

This curriculum prepares students for professional careers in Environmental Science & Resource Management and for subsequent graduate study. For graduates completing the program of study required for the BS degree in Environmental Science & Resource Management, there are ample career opportunities working on environmental problems in industry, government, and non-profit organizations. The degree will also prepare students for graduate programs in either Environmental Science or Resource Management. For example, students might pursue a Ph.D. in Environmental Science at UCLA or in Environmental Science and Policy at UC Santa Barbara.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the ESRM program will be able to:

Identify the scientific, social scientific and humanistic aspects of environmental issues;
Identify, locate, evaluate, synthesize and present current research and information on environmental issues;
Define environmental problems from the perspectives of both environmental science and resource management;
Identify possible causes and propose solutions to environmental problems from the perspectives of both environmental science and resource management;
Evaluate proposed solutions to environmental problems from the perspectives of both environmental science and resource management;
Use the methodologies of the natural and social sciences to formulate testable hypotheses concerning environmental problems and issues;
Collect, organize, analyze, interpret and present quantitative and qualitative data; and
Make use of current, technological tools in the collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of data.

Faculty

Donald Rodriguez, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Program Chair, Environmental Science & Resource Management
Academic Advisor
Bell Tower West, Room 1176
(805) 437-8494
donald.rodriguez@csuci.edu

Sean Anderson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Resource Management
Academic Advisor
Bell Tower West, Room 1265
(805) 437-8984
sean.anderson@csuci.edu

Chris Cogan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Resource Management
Academic Advisor
Bell Tower West, Room 1178
(805) 437-3319
chris.cogan@csuci.edu

Ed Nuhfer, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Science & Resource Management
Director of Faculty Development
Bell Tower West, Room 1116
(805) 437-8826
ed.nuhfer@csuci.edu

Cooperating Faculty

William Hampton Adams, Ph.D., Associate
Professor of Anthropology
Sage Hall, Room 2155
(805) 437-8866
bill.adams@csuci.edu

Simone Aloisio, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry
Aliso Hall, Room 207
(805) 437-8999
simone.aloisio@csuci.edu

Rainer Buschmann, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History
Sage Hall, Room 2145
(805) 437-8995
rainer.buschmann@csuci.edu

Tracylee Clark, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication
Bell Tower East, Room 2834
(805) 437-3305
tracylee.clark@csuci.edu

Amy Denton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
Aliso Hall, Room 201
(805) 437-8458
amy.denton@csuci.edu

Scott Frisch, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science
Sage Hall, Room 2133
(805) 437-2770
scott.frisch@csuci.edu

Sean Kelly, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science
Sage Hall, Room 2041
(805) 437-3309
sean.kelly@csuci.edu

Philip Hampton, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry
Aliso Hall, Room 104
(805) 437-8869
philip.hampton@csuci.edu

Brad Monsma, Ph.D., Professor of English
Bell Tower West, Room 1185
(805) 437-8948
brad.monsma@csuci.edu

Dennis Muraoka, Ph.D., Professor of Economics
Bell Tower West, Room 2115
(805) 437-8861
dennis.muraoka@csuci.edu

Paul Rivera, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics
Sage Hall, Room 2135
(805) 437-8988
paul.rivera@csuci.edu

Dan Wakelee, Ph.D., Associate Dean
Bell Tower West, Room 1181
(805) 437-8542
dan.wakelee@csuci.edu

Contact Information

http://esrm.csuci.edu/

Programs

Major(s)

Minor(s)

Environmental Science & Resource Management, Minor