Curriculum & Courses | Environmental Science

Curriculum & Courses

Graduate Environmental Science Courses

Click here for a PDF chart that lists the typical semesters our courses are offered. See below for descriptions.

Core Requirements

You must take at least one semester of Biology Seminar (BIOL 5860) and one graduate level statistics course (suggestions follow).

BIOL 5860. Biology Seminar Series. 1 hour. Weekly seminar series covering a broad range of biological research topics. Invited speakers are prominent local, regional or national researchers.

BIOL 5130. Biostatistics I. 3 hours. Introduction to statistical models, experimental design, data presentation and hypothesis testing in biological research. Statistical interference includes tests for normality, skewness, kurtosis, and two-sample data sets for goodness of fit, contingency, means, medians and non-parametric methods. Introduces probability and SAS software. Prerequisite: MATH 1100.

BIOL 5140. Biostatistics II. 3 hours.

GEOG 5185. Statistical Research Methods. 3 hours. Application of fundamental statistical techniques to natural sciences research . Prerequisite(s): consent of department. Meets with GEOG 4185.

GEOG 5190. Advanced Quantitative Techniques. 3 hours. Application of advanced statistical procedures including multivariate techniques to analysis of point and areal patterns and spatial data. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 3190 or consent of department.

PSYC 5700. Quantitative Methods I. 4 hours. (3;1) Graduate-level introduction to statistical methods of data analysis including introduction to robust methods, effect size estimation, correlational methods (e.g., regression), ANOVA. Assumes knowledge from undergraduate course. In lab, students learn to use computer programs for quantitative data exploration and analysis. Prerequisite(s): an introductory course in statistics.

A. Ecology and Evolution Group

BIOL 5005. Topics in Biology: Molecular Ecology. 3 hours.

BIOL 5035. Behavioral Ecology. 3 hours. Investigation of how organisms, primarily animals, change their behavior as they interact with other organisms and their environment, in the context of evolution. Discussion of genetic, hormonal, neurological, developmental, learning, and cultural mechanisms underlying the production of behaviors such as foraging, avoiding predators, mating, habitat selection, social behavior, communication, and parental care. Assumes knowledge from introductory biology. Ecology and evolution are also preferred but not required.

BIOL 5040.Topics in Env and Ecol: Conservation Biology. 3 hours.

BIOL (5051 & 5052). Community Ecology. 4 hours. Structure, dynamics and diversity of biotic communities and ecosystems. Focus on population interactions, niche relationships and processing of matter and energy. Prerequisite(s): 6 hours of biology including BIOL 2140.

BIOL 5085. Fish Diversity and Ecology. 4 hours. Emphasis on evolution, diversity, biology, ecology, and management and conservation of fishes. Field techniques and species identification, with focus on fishes of Texas. Prerequisite(s): Concent of department. Must also enroll in laboratory. Mandatory field trip attendance.

BIOL 5230. Physiological Ecology. 4 hours. Physiological, behavioral, and biochemical adaptations of animals to environmental limiting factors, including temperature, oxygen, water, salinity, light, and toxic chemicals.

BIOL 5260 & 5261. Principles of Evolution. 4 hours. Genetic, systematic, ecological, historical and geographical concepts of evolution. Prerequisite(s): consent of department.

BIOL 5440. Stream Ecology. 4 hours. Ecological principles of how stream dynamics influence the biological and hydrologic patterns and processes occurring in stream ecosystems. Laboratory studies designed to teach techniques and to test hypotheses related to environmental assessment.

BIOL 6070. Ecology of Benthic Organisms. 4 hours (3; 2; 1). Adaptations, biotic interrelationships, and population characteristics of bottom-dwelling aquatic organisms in both lentic and lotic habitats.

GEOG 5960. Geography Institute: (when taught as) Ecosystem Science. 3 hours. Ecosystem science studies interactions between organisms and the physical environment as an integrated system and seeks to understand the factors that regulate the quantity and flow of materials and energy through ecosystems. Course lectures will cover the history and use of the ecosystem concept, factors governing the distribution and structure of ecosystems, relationships between ecosystem structure and function, and the influence of natural and human processes on ecosystem dynamics. Current topics and methods in ecosystem science will be discussed in class and examined through case studies.

B. Physical & Chemical Group

BIOL 5005. OMICS Regulation. 3 hours.

BIOL 5380. Fundamentals of Aquatic Toxicology. 3 hours (3; 3). Theory and methodologies used by scientists, regulatory agencies and industry to measure the impact of man's activities on freshwater aquatic ecosystems. The course has its foundations in history but concentrates on current methodologies and theories.

GEOG 5700. Global Environmental Change. 3 hours. This course will explore current scientific and policy perspectives on key issues of global environmental change. Potential topics include terrestrial and ocean acidification, land-use and land cover-change, climate change, desertification, and biodiversity loss. Through reading, lecture, discussion, and written assignments, students will learn to critically examine the scientific evidence for such phenomena and the attendant consequences for Earth's physical chemical, and biological systems. Policy responses to GEC will be compared, assessed, and then debated following student-to- student exchange of written commentary.

BIOL 6200. Bioinstrumentation and Analytical Techniques. 4 hours.

BIOL 6390. Techniques in Environmental Analysis. 3 hours. Theory and application of advanced analytical chemistry techniques for metals and organics in biological and environmental samples. Introduces methods from trace metals analysis and identification techniques. Laboratory teaches state-of-the-art spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques.

BIOL 6390. Techniques in Environmental Analysis. 3 hours. Theory and application of advanced analytical chemistry techniques for metals and organics in biological and environmental samples. Introduces methods from trace metals analysis and identification techniques. Laboratory teaches state-of-the-art spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques.

GEOG 5195. Geospatial Analysis. 3 hours.

GEOG 5700. Global Environmental Change. 3 hours. This course will explore current scientific and policy perspectives on key issues of global environmental change. Potential topics include terrestrial and ocean acidification, land-use and land cover-change, climate change, desertification, and biodiversity loss. Through reading, lecture, discussion, and written assignments, students will learn to critically examine the scientific evidence for such phenomena and the attendant consequences for Earth's physical chemical, and biological systems. Policy responses to GEC will be compared, assessed, and then debated following student-to-student exchange of written commentary.

GEOG 5960. Geography Institute: (when taught as) Oceanography.

C. Environmental Health Group

BIOL 5370. General Toxicology. 3 hours. Introduction to the basic principles of toxicology. Focus on absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of toxicants; target organ toxicity; mechanisms of toxic action; carcinogenesis; and risk assessment. Prerequisite(s): 8 hours each of biology and chemistry. Meets with BIOL 4370.

BIOL 5375. Molecular Toxicology. 3 hours.

BIOL 5820. Computational Epidemiology. 3 hours. Application of computational methods to problems in the field of public health. Design and implementation of disease outbreak models. Same as CSCE 5820 and GEOG 5960 (Geog. Institute). Meets with CSCE 4820.

GEOG 5140. Medical Geography. 3 hours. Locational aspects of disease and health care, spatial patterns of diseases, health facilities, and health care policies and problems. Individual project required. Prerequisite(s): consent of department. Meets with GEOG 4120.

GEOG 5960. Geography Institute: GIS in Health. 3 hours. Spatial analysis, geographic information system (GIS) and computational methods for public health applications including disease mapping, disease clustering and exposure modeling. Location-allocation methods for measuring access to health care services also are discussed. Meets with GEOG 4580.

GEOG 5960. Geography Institute: Computational Epidemiology. See BIOL 5820, above.

D. Social Science Group

BIOL 5053. Subantarctic BioCultural Conservation. 3 hours.

BIOL 5054. Tracing Darwin's Path. 3 hours.

BIOL 5100. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment. 3 hours. Principles and practices of preparing environmental impact assessments and statements. Addresses how to understand the effects that projects, plans and policies have on the environment and the impact those effects have on specific resources, ecosystems and human communities. Methods for identifying impacts, describing the affected environment, predicting and assessing impacts and selecting the proposed action from a group of alternatives for meeting specific needs will be examined. A detailed review of an environmental assessment and environmental impact statement are required.

BIOL 6341. Advanced Environmental Impact Assessment. 3 hours. Advanced topics in preparing environmental impact assessments and statements by examining deficiencies and inadequacies of environmental assessments and impact statements (i.e., was the analysis adequate), as defined by U.S. District, Appeals and Supreme Court decisions.

PHIL 5000. Environmental Ethics. 3 hours. An examination of the philosophical origins of environmental philosophy and the basic positions in the field of environmental ethics. Key authors in environmental philosophy are surveyed, as well as topical considerations of a variety of schools of thought with emphasis on theories of environmental value, legal and moral rights for nature, animal liberation and Western philosophical and religious traditions.

PHIL 5010. Seminar in the Philosophy of Ecology. 3 hours. Traces the evolution of ecology from its roots in 19th-century natural history to the present with an emphasis on the prominent paradigms and conceptual trends, such as organicism, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, disturbance and flux. Also explores the sociocultural contexts in which ecology emerged and now exists, including the so-called second scientific revolution and the two-culture split.

E. Organismal Biology Group

BIOL 5055. Ornithology. 3 hours. Classification, distribution, ecology, adaptations, and behavior of birds. Emphasis on both local and global species. Prerequisite(s): 12 hours of biology or consent of department. Corequisite: BIOL 5056 (lab), 1 hour. Laboratory emphasis on field identification, behavior and habitats of birds.

BIOL 5057. Mammalian Ecology and Evolution. 4 hours. Introduction to the Class Mammalia. Emphasis on diversity, ecological roles, evolution, conservation, and the importance of mammals in human culture. Prerequisite(s): 6 hours of biology or consent of department.

BIOL 5070. Insect Biology. 4 hours. Morphology, physiology, ethology, classification and control of insects and related arthropods. Prerequisite(s): 6 hours of biology.

BIOL 5085. Fish Diversity and Ecology. 4 hours. Emphasis on evolution, diversity, biology, ecology, and management and conservation of fishes. Field techniques and species identification, with focus on fishes of Texas. Prerequisite(s): Concent of department. Must also enroll in laboratory. Mandatory field trip attendance.

BIOL 5300. Physiological Ecology. 3 hours.

BIOL 5503. Plant Physiology. 3 hours. Plant physiology from the molecular to organismal level with ecosystem considerations. Topics include nutrient acquisition and distribution, biochemistry and metabolism, growth and development.

BIOL 5505. Comparative Animal Physiology. 3 hours. Comparison of structure and physiological function in a wide variety of animals. Emphasis on thermoregulation and on respiratory, circulatory, excretory, endocrine and digestive systems. Prerequisite(s): 8 hours of biology.

BIOL 5570. Aquatic Insects of North America. 3 hours.