Minor in Environmental Sciences
The Minor in Environmental Science provides foundational training for students interested in environmental sciences. After a broad introductory course, the minor provides a menu of courses that focus on the biology/ecology, chemistry, and systems components of environmental science. This minor augments a student's major program by adding an interdisciplinary understanding of how scientific factors shape environmental problems and how science interfaces with society and policy regarding topics such as climate change, sustainability, and natural resources. The minor will broaden the possible applications of the student’s major program to provide complementary skills in areas such as environmental analysis, field methods, and data interpretation and to prepare the student to address environmental science within their chosen profession.
This minor is available as an elective to students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University with the exception of those enrolled in the Major in Earth and Environmental Sciences program, who may not enroll in this minor. This minor provides an environmental science enrichment that particularly enhances those majoring in fields such as (but not limited to):
- Anthropology
- Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Education
- Applied Conservation Biology
- Biology
- Biosystems Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Cropping Systems Science
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Economics and Management
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Sciences and Management
- Environmental Soil and Water Science
- Environmental Studies and Sustainability (ESS)
- Fish Ecology and Management
- Forestry
- Geography
- Horticulture
- Integrated Science – Secondary Education
- Integrative Biology
- Microbiology
- Plant Biology
- Science and Society
- Sustainable Parks, Recreation and Tourism
- Wildlife Ecology and Management
- Zoology
With the approval of the department and college that administer the student’s major degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy this minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. However, at least 6 credits counted towards the requirements for this minor must be unique. Unique credits must not be used to fulfill another university, college, or major requirement in the student’s program.
The minor is administered by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences within the College of Natural Sciences. Students who wish to consider or plan to complete the requirements for the minor should consult the undergraduate advisor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Environmental Science Minor Requirements
The minor requires a minimum of 15 credits including at least 10 credits with GLG course codes and with at least one course selected from each of the following content areas.
One of the following introductory courses (4 credits)
- GLG 200 Introduction to Environmental Science and Global Change (4 credits)
- GLG 201 Introduction to Earth and Planetary Sciences (4 credits)
One of the following environmental biology and ecology courses (3 or 4 credits)
- GLG 304 Physical and Biological History of the Earth (4 credits)
- GLG 435 Geomicrobiology (4 credits)
- GLG 446 Ecosystems Modeling, Water and Food Security (3 credits)
- FW 410 Upland Ecology and Management (3 credits)
- FW 416 Marine Ecology and Management (3 credits)
- FW 417 Wetland Ecology and Management (3 credits)
- FW 420 Stream Ecology (3 credits)
- FOR 340 Forest Ecology (3 credits)
- IBIO 355 Ecology (3 credits)
One of the following environmental chemistry courses (4 credits)
- GLG 321 Mineralogy and Geochemistry (4 credits)
- GLG 421 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
One of the following environmental systems courses (3 or 4 credits)
- GLG 303 Oceanography (4 credits)
- GLG 330 Biogeochemistry (3 credits)
- GLG 380 Natural Resources, the Energy Transition and the Environment (3 credits)
- GLG 411 Hydrogeology (3 credits)
- GLG 412 Glacial Geology and the Record of Climate Change (4 credits)
- GLG 431 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 credits)
- GEO 306 Environmental Geomorphology (3 credits)