Environmental Science Major (TAS)
Mission Statement
The environmental science major at Ramapo College educates students to understand environmental complexities at local, regional and global scales from a scientific perspective. Students learn an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to environmental problem solving, while gaining essential laboratory, field, communication, analytical and learning skills. Specific areas of emphasis include ecology (ecosystem dynamics, conservation, biodiversity), geology (paleoclimate, history of life, geologic resources), chemistry (reaction equilibrium in environment, contaminant analysis, chemical instrumentation) and physics (climate change, alternative energy sources, green technology). Graduating students are both prepared for continuing their studies in graduate programs, and for entering the work force as environmental scientists in education, industry and government.
Program Goals
Graduates should be able to:
- demonstrate an in-depth understanding of fundamental environmental principles, principally from a multi-disciplinary, scientific perspective;
- integrate knowledge across the scientific disciplines that deal with the environment;
- obtain and critically evaluate authoritative information on environmental issues (e.g., from peer reviewed scientific journal articles, technical reports);
- use scientific methods, rigorous research design, field and lab methodologies, quantitative problem-solving skills, statistical analysis, and team research to help identify and address environmental problems;
- prepare high-quality, scientific research reports and oral presentations based on original data and literature review;
- effectively communicate with diverse audiences.
Successful students will:
- demonstrate knowledge about environmental principles and applications [all courses];
- integrate knowledge and skills from different scientific disciplines [ENSC 210, 405; GEOL 326]*;
- identify geological and biological materials in the field, and apply geological and ecological field methods to collect data [GEOL 105, ENSC 210, 416]*;
- know how to utilize and apply current technologies for environmental data collection and problem solving, and recognize the lace of computer models for environmental problem solving [ENSC 345, 405]*;
- design and conduct original research, analyze and interpret the data using statistical methodologies [ENSC 340, 345, 416]*, and critically evaluate published research [GEOL 326, ENSC 405, 416]*;
- communicate effectively in a variety of formats, including oral presentations on scientific topics related to the environment [ENSC 103, 345, 405; GEOL 326]*, a research paper (e.g., grant proposal, scientific manuscript) and scientific poster based on original research [ENSC 416], literature review papers from the 100- to 400-levels [e.g., GEOL 105, 326, ENSC 405, 416]*, and field and laboratory reports [CHEM 323, ENSC 210, 340, GEOL 105, 326]*.
* Check the College Catalog for the most up-to-date requirements.
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Additional Information
- What Can I Do With a Degree in Environmental Science?
- Environmental Science Convener Website (Faculty, Facilities, Affiliations, Co-ops, Internships, Undergraduate Research Opportunities, and more)
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