General Catalog 2024-2025
Earth and Environmental Sciences
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About the Department
Dr. Mara Brady, Chair
Science II Building, Room 114
559.278.3086
csm.fresnostate.edu/ees/
Do you want to have a career that has a positive impact and helps your community? A major in the Earth and Environmental Sciences prepares you for a career where you can explore, understand, and monitor the earth to protect it and the people who live on it. The Earth and Environmental Sciences are interdisciplinary, integrating principles of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, as well as quantitative and critical thinking skills, to address geological and environmental challenges. Our close-knit department gives students the chance to get to know each other and faculty personally. Every student has the opportunity to conduct research or complete an internship before they graduate. Our program emphasizes field and laboratory investigations of the environment and its geological context and history. Over 18 courses include field trips where we take advantage of the university’s proximity to the Sierra Nevadas, the California Coast Ranges, coastal California, and the desert provinces. Our unique location gives faculty and students access to an unparalleled outdoor laboratory, all within short trips from the university.
Degree Programs
Environmental Sciences, B.S. offers an interdisciplinary approach to the natural sciences with an emphasis on biology, chemistry, and earth science. This degree is designed for students interested in areas such as soils, pollution abatement, water resources, ecosystem protection, restoration, or management. Coursework and research emphasizes field and laboratory investigations of the environment. Every student has an opportunity to complete a research project or internship before they graduate. The department’s close relationship with state agencies and the private sector enables many students to pursue internships or part-time employment in environmental work while they complete their degrees. Most of our environmental science graduates work at environmental consulting firms or state agencies.
Interesting Classes You Might Take
- Climate Change Solutions
- Geochemistry
- Soil and Water Sciences
- Environmental GIS
- Environmental Sampling
What You Can Learn
- Applied skills for employment in the wide variety of career paths (environmental consulting, policy, planning, government agencies, environmental monitoring, restoration etc.)
- Quantitative approaches and solutions to environmental challenges
- Improve critical thinking skills and their application to scientific questions and approaches
Geology, B.S. prepares students for employment in geo-hazard reduction and resource exploration, protection, or exploitation. Geologists participate in finding, conserving, and/or responsibly acquiring critical resources such as surface- and ground- water, petroleum, lithium, gold, stone, and much more. Geologists are trained to understand, plan for, forecast, and mitigate the effects of disastrous events like floods, landslides, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions as well as reconstruct earth history using things like fossils or radioactive isotopes. Every student has an opportunity to complete a research project or internship before they graduate. The department’s close relationship with state agencies and the private sector enables many students to pursue internships or part-time employment in environmental work while they complete their degrees. This degree satisfies the education requirement for the California Professional Geologist (PG) license. Most of our geology graduates work in surface- and ground- water protection and supply management.
Interesting Classes You Might Take
- Natural Disasters and Earth Resources
- Hydrogeology
- Sedimentology
- Engineering Geology
What You Can Learn
- Applied skills for employment in the wide variety of career paths (environmental consulting, state and federal agencies, groundwater management, environmental geology, petroleum, etc. )
- Quantitative approaches and solutions to environmental challenges, geo-hazard reduction, and resource management
- Improve critical thinking skills and their application to scientific questions and approaches
Geology, M.S. expands upon the B.S. in Geology or provides the opportunity to change careers from any other field. The program provides a graduate degree for students who want to work in industry or government on the professional level, for students who want to teach earth science in junior college, or for students who wish to pursue further graduate study at the Ph.D. level. The M.S. in Geology reduces the length of work experience needed to qualify for California’s Professional Geologist (PG) license. The degree allows specialization in one or more geoscience subdisciplines and is a typical degree for project management in industry. Our applied geology option specializes in engineering geology, hydrogeology, or exploration geology fields, which have the strongest employment potential.
Water Resources Management, M.S. is an online degree program offered through the Division of Continuing and Global Education. Water is one of the world’s most valuable resources and the sustainable management of its supply is absolutely crucial to society. This program is designed to meet the growing demand for advanced knowledge in water resources and their use in the urban, industrial, and agricultural environment. The degree includes political and policy aspects of water use as well as an understanding of the economics involved.
A Minor in Geology gives students the opportunity to gain recognized expertise in geology to supplement their major course of studies. The 20-unit curriculum is determined in consultation with an advisor and its flexibility allows the student some focus on area(s) of interest. The geology minor is especially beneficial to civil and geotechnical engineers, construction managers, soil scientists, and agriculture majors, among others.
A Minor in Water gives students the opportunity to gain recognized expertise in water-related topics to supplement their major course of studies. This minor was designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to address the Central Valley’s ongoing water issues. The 18-unit interdisciplinary curriculum allows students to determine which courses to take based on special interests.
Career Opportunities
Environmental Sciences
California has the highest employment level of Environmental Scientists and Specialists in the country with an annual average salary of $101,190. Environmental Scientist positions nationally are growing at 6% per year, which is faster than average for all occupations in the United States (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Environmental Scientists & Specialists ). Search for more career opportunities and information under Labor Market Statistics on our Career Development Center website.
What You Can Earn
- Environmental Consultant (entry-level), $65,000 (in this region)
- Environmental Manager, $101,507 (in this region)
- Air Quality Specialist, $60,000-84,000 (CA State Position, this region)
Source: Qualified job postings as of February 2021
Geology
California has the second highest employment level for Geoscientists in the United States with an annual salary of $98,440. Geoscience jobs are growing by 5% per year, which is faster than average for all occupations in the United States (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Geoscientists). California has the highest level of employment for Hydrologists with an annual salary of $126,500 (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Hydrologists). Search for more career opportunities and information under Labor Market Statistics on our Career Development Center website.
What You Can Earn
- Geologist I, $61,000 (in this region)
- Petroleum Geologist II, $94,000 (in this region)
- Environmental Consultant (entry-level), $65,000 (in this region)
- Environmental Manager, $101,507 (in this region)
Source: Qualified job postings as of February 2021
ProgramsCertificatesBachelorMasterCredentialMinor
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