Program Codes:
BAENVS
Bachelor of Arts
Environmental science operates at the intersection between humans and the natural world. It is a complex field that requires students to understand how physical, chemical and biological phenomena on varying scales interact with human systems and the structures and challenges imposed by governmental policies, economics, and social problems. The success of an environmental professional at addressing environmental problems requires an interdisciplinary perspective and knowledge about how to sensitively select and use the right tools to assess and address problems.
Mercyhurst’s Environmental Science program has been designed as a natural science-focused program including a slate of liberal arts courses that prepares students for a broad range of possible careers in environmental consulting, sustainability leadership, conservation and restoration science, green energy and environmental education. Coursework includes deep upper level disciplinary and interdisciplinary coursework to provide students with diverse hands-on technical skills and practical experience within the respective environmental science geology and biology curricula.
The program is complementary to a number of the university’s existing majors. Special facilities available to students in this program include two major natural areas owned by the University within the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed: the Jean B. and J. Douglas James Ecological & Wildlife Preserve and the Mary Jo and Ed Maier Field Station.
Mercyhurst is a full member and active participant in the Regional Science Consortium, a collaborative, non-profit organization which focuses on and coordinates educational and research projects for Lake Erie and the upper Ohio River Basin, offering college courses and research opportunities to students from more than a dozen regional colleges and universities at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Consortium facilities available to Mercyhurst biology students include well-equipped research and teaching laboratories, classrooms, greenhouse, natural history collections, sampling equipment and research vessels.
Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Mercyhurst University Environmental Science Program is to educate students in physical, biological and social sciences, making them reflectively aware of the natural environment in which they live, equipped to serve as globally responsible stewards of the Earth and its resources, and prepared to advance successful solutions to address environmental issues. Central keys to advance this mission are a commitment to immersing students in a broad exposure to the diverse perspectives that are necessary to address complex environmental problems, combined with deep experiential disciplinary learning through rigorous field-centered class and laboratory activities, practical hands-on field experiences, collaborative faculty-student research, and travel-learning experiences that will take students beyond the boundaries of our local environments.
Advising
To ensure that students in the program are successful in the long term, the advising program will institute a Sophomore Review process, directed by each student’s primary advisor. During the review process, the student, with guidance from the advisor, will be required to develop a detailed curricular plan for the third and fourth year of the student’s program. This process provides environmental science students the benefit of varied disciplinary perspectives for developing skill building and capstone project course decisions, which will have a profound effect on the subsequent success of the student in advancing to a professional position or graduate school.
The Environmental Science Program has identified six learning outcomes that all students should meet before they earn their degree. Upon completion of the Environmental Science curriculum all students should be able to:
Departmental Core - 8 credits
Students are introduced to the basic materials of the Earth and the processes that shape them/it. The course covers plate tectonics (including volcanic activity and earthquakes) as well as surface-related processes of weathering and erosion, glaciation, and ground and surface water. Students are engaged in active discussion and hands-on exercises during the course of the semester.
GEOL_102
A hands-on approach to further exploring and understanding topics covered in GEOL 100.
GEOL_100
A course designed for students considering a science major or interested in environmental issues, providing a survey of topics in environmental science including the ecosystem concept, risks and economics of pollution, and specific environmental pollution, air pollution, toxic wastes, pesticides and energy resources.
ENVS_101
Basic field and laboratory investigation into environmental problems of local concern, providing an introduction to the scientific method and the techniques used by biologists, geologists, and chemists in environmental investigations.
ENVS_100
Science Courses (Choose 6. Labs do not count towards the six.) - 18-24 credits
An introduction to the major divisions of nonvascular and vascular plants. Includes basic studies of plant taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, growth, evolution and ecology.
BIO 146
BIO 211
Field and laboratory experiences in plant morphology, identification, ecology, and experiments in plant physiology.
BIO 210
Introduction to the diverse ecosystems of California including coastal beach and dune, tide pools, redwood forest, oak woodland, numerous montane forests, subalpine woodland, and high desert. This course is a course done during a 12-day field trip to northern California following conclusion of spring semester, staying in campgrounds in tents and/or cabins overnight. Students will learn the dominant plants of California ecosystems, important aspects of their ecology, and the history and future of human disturbance in those ecosystems.
This course includes the study of water and temperature regulation, high altitude, exercise and circadian physiology. It also includes a major library research project.
BIO 146
This course introduces students to the field of conservation biology and its main goal of biological preservaion of all forms. Students will learn some of the basic principles of population genetics, population ecology, and community ecology that are necessary for understanding how to protect individual species and populations. In addition, much of the class will examine the complex, interdisciplinary approach conservation biologists take in achieving their goals, including policy,ethics, and the nuts and bolts of how to protect habitat and build/manage protected areas.
Overview of the chemical and physical properties of the material constituents of the Earth and terrestrial planets with an emphasis on rocks and the minerals they contain. Topics include mineral structure and composition, bonding, optical properties, mineral and rock chemistry, and structure and composition of the earth. The role of minerals in our environment is also discussed as appropriate.
GEOL 100
GEOL_212
A hands-on approach to understanding the topics explored and discussed in GEOL 211.
GEOL_211
This course explores the socioeconomic and cultural implications of human interactions with the physical environment. Principal topics will include: Issues associated with fossil fuel extraction and use as well as the development of renewable energy sources. Using these topics, we will examine the idea of environmental racism and injustice towards various cultures and nations. We will also explore future energy needs that result from an energy independent United States and the consequent effects on the green energy field and global relationships with oil and gas producing nations.
This course touches upon the description, classification, and genetic interpretation of rocks. Special emphasis will be placed on igneous and metamorphic rocks, but sedimentary rocks will also be reviewed to help place the other two rock groups into their appropriate geologic context.
GEOL-100 GEOL-211
GEOL_214
A hands-on approach to understanding the topics explored and discussed in GEOL 310.
GEOL_213
This course will address processes that occur at volcanoes. The varieties and underlying causes of volcanism will be examined through lectures, discussions, and in class activities. Hazards and benefits associated with volcanoes will also be studied with a special emphasis on how humans have interacted with volcanoes with various degrees of success.
GEOL 361
In this laboratory section, we will take a hands-on approach to addressing concepts presented in GEOL 360. This approach may include the use of hand samples and thin sections, geochemical and geophysical data, geologic maps and cross sections, and geospatial computing programs.
GEOL 360
Dendrochronology deals with time as recorded by tree rings. Information extracted from tree rings can subsequently be used to make predictions about past climate and paleo-environmental conditions, geologic and anthropological events, and even fire cycles. This class will present the fundamental principles of how to conduct dendrochronologic studies and will emphasize the techniques of collecting and interpreting tree ring data. Applications of dendrochronology will also be explored.
The course will look at the atmospheric and physical oceanographic reasons for climate change, by quantifying present climate, examining past climates, and examining anthropogenic reasons for present global warming.
Non-Science Courses (Choose 1) - 3 credits
People depend on plants for food, clothing, shelter, medicines, and a host of other daily needs. This course examines the varied and complex interrelationships between plants and people. Major topics include domestication processes, the Green Revolution, intentional and unintentional modification of plant communities, and an examination of those plants that provide drugs, food, beverages, and fibers necessary to daily life.
This course introduces students to economic theories of poverty, ways to measure it (and the problems associated with these measures), and a description of the success and failures of public policies designed to curtail it. It features a blending of economic reasoning from theoretical and empirical perspectives, which will become part of the students' toolkits in their further endeavors, and a critical comparison of the economics approach and Catholic social teaching. The students will come out of the course becoming critical and intelligent participants in public policy debates and learn to form their own policy recommendations based on their analysis.
The special topics seminars invite students to engage in an intensive study of a particular theme, historical moment, author or interdisciplinary topic. Drawn from American, British or European traditions, courses might include Writing and the Environment or Existentialism and Literature. Students may take multiple seminar topics under this course number.
This class is premised on the belief that environmental problems are ultimately political conflicts. Accordingly, we focus not only on the substance of environmental issues, but also on the public policy process, and on the skills, tactics and factors that influence the outcomes of the policy process.
Environmental Health is an introduction to the role of environmental exposures in human health and disease. Though the focus is on humans, because the human ecological footprint is expanding and has few natural boundaries, the impacts of human activities on the broader environment and non-human systems are equally important to our understanding of the role of environment on health. It is an applied science course that will focus on finding solutions to the many challenges posed by environmental health hazards including chemical, biological and radiation exposures at work, at home and at play-and the choices we must make to minimize personal exposures while participating in an expanding global economy. A major emphasis is on understanding the role of public health in environmental health science while linking these disciplines to broader goals of preserving environmental quality and protecting human health.
A person born in Japan can expect to live to 83 while a person born in Eswatini is unlikely to see their 32nd birthday. There are dramatic differences in the health and well being of populations around the world. What explains these disparities and what can be done about them? These questions and more are fundamental to the core of global health. This course will use case studies, interactive exercises and simulations to teach students the core principles of global health while encouraging them to think globally and act locally. Students will learn about cutting-edge methodologies in global health including the use of mobile phones to monitor health, the use of Gapminder software to study population health trends, and modeling techniques to simulate the impact of proposed public health policy interventions.
An examination of key texts, historical movements, and ideas pertaining to the relationship between "religion" and "the environment." Several religious traditions are considered, including: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Native American religions.
100 or 200 level RLST or CST course
Environmental Capstone (Choose 1.) - 3 credits
Practical off-campus experience in a consulting company, non-profit organization, or governmental agency. Students carry out field, laboratory, or other tasks appropriate for a professional environmental scientist. In addition to routine work responsibilities, participants are expected to complete an independent project involving data analysis and prepare a formal written report on the experience.