Catalog Description

Environmental Science Minor

Dr. Bruce Wiggins, Coordinator
Phone: 540-568-6196
email: wigginba@jmu.edu

The Environmental Science Minor is a multidisciplinary program that can be elected by any student. For example, students pursuing programs ranging from the physical, natural or social sciences, to education, journalism, or business, all benefit from this broadly based environmental curriculum. The program draws from courses that focus on the application of scientific concepts and principles to the understanding of environmental problems and their solutions. The minor draws upon the expertise of faculty in the areas of biology, chemistry, geography, geology, physics, integrated science and technology.


Why be an Environmental Science Minor?

  • The Environmental Science minor provides a scientific background to those students interested in environmental law, environmental economics, and environmental sustainability.
  • The Environmental Science minor broadens your understanding of how sciences are linked to environmental questions.
  • The Environmental Science minor complements any major by focusing on courses related to environmental issues.


A score of 4 or greater in AP Environmental Science substitutes for GGEOL 115 or ISAT 112.

The minimum requirement for a minor in Environmental Science is 24 credit hours taken from the four categories outlined below. No more than 2 courses from a single subject area can count toward the completion of the Environmental Science minor. Students wishing to complete more than one of the Environment Minors (Environmental Management, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies) may receive dual credit for the capstone course (ENVT 400), but may not receive dual credit for any other courses that might be shared by the minors.

1) Students must take at least one of the following:


 Credit Hours Prerequisites
BIO 124. Ecology and Evolution 4 Yes
GGEOL 102. Environment: Earth 3 None
GGEOL 115. Earth Systems and Climate Change 3 None
GISAT 112. Environmental Issues in Science and Tech. 4 None
GEOG 210. Physical Geography 4 None

2) Students must take at least 15 credit hours from the following. (Only two courses with the same course subject may be taken from the courses listed below.)


 Credit Hours Prerequisites
BIO 451. Ecological Systems 4 Yes
BIO 452. Population Ecology 4 Yes
BIO 453. Microbial Ecology  4 Yes
BIO 454. Introduction to Biometrics 4 Yes
BIO 456. Landscape Ecology 4 Yes
BIO 457. Biological Applications of GIS 4 Yes
BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology  4 Yes
BIO 465. Environmental Toxicology 4 Yes
BIO 466. Ecotoxicology Seminar 3 Yes



CHEM 354. Environmental Chemistry Field Camp  3 Yes
CHEM 450. Nuclear and Radiation Chemistry 3 Yes



GEOG 215. Geospatial Tools I - Cartography & GIS 3 None
GEOG 216. Geospatial Tools II - Rem. Sensing & GPS 3 None
GEOG 290. Human Interact. w/ Physical Environment 3 Yes
GEOG 340. Biogeography 3 Yes
GEOG 365. Cartography & Geospatial Visualization 3 Yes
GEOG 366. Introduction to GIS 3 Yes
GEOG 385. Principles of Remote Sensing 3 Yes



GEOL 211. Introduction to Oceanography 3 None
GEOL 310. Management of Marine Resources 3 None
GEOL 320. Meteorology 3 None
GEOL 340. Soils and Land Use  3 Yes
GEOL 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters 3 Yes
GEOL 377. Earth Surface Processes 3 Yes
GEOL 395. Geomorphology 3 Yes
GEOL 410. Engineering Geology 3 Yes
GEOL 460. Hydrogeology 3 Yes



MATH 321 ANOVA/DOE 3 Yes
MATH/BIOL 354E Biometry 4 Yes
MATH 421 Applied Multivariate statistics 3 Yes
MATH 322 Applied Linear Regression 3 Yes
MATH 324 Applied Nonparametric Statistics 3 Yes
MATH 328 Time Series Analysis 3 Yes



ISAT 302. Instrum. & Meas.  of the Environment 1 None
ISAT 320. Fund. of Env. Sci. & Tech. I  3 Yes
ISAT 321. Fund. of Env. Sci. & Tech. II 3 Yes
ISAT 420. Environmental Analysis and modeling 3 Yes
ISAT 423. Environmental Remediation 3 Yes
ISAT 425. Environmental Hydrology 3 Yes
ISAT 427. Industrial Hygiene 3 None
ISAT 428. Industrial Ecology 3 None



PHYS 215. Energy and the Environment  3 Yes
3) All students must take one of the following courses (3 credit hours).

 Credit Hours Prerequisites
ANTH 373  Anthroplogical Perspectives on Environment 3 Yes
ECON 305  Environmental Economies 3 Yes
ECON 340  Economics of Natural Resources 3 Yes
ENG 371  Literature and the Environment 3 None
ENG 471  Eco-Criticism and Environmental Ethics 3 None
GEOG 325  Environmental Ethics 3 None
HIST 427  US Environmental History 3 Yes
ISAT 421  Environmental Policy and Regulation 3 Yes
SCOM 354  Communication, Environment and Environmentalism 3 None
SOCI 311  Sociology of the Environment 3 None

4 ) All students must complete the following Capstone course (3 credit hours).   Students must have completed 15 hours of their environment minor in order to enroll in the capstone. 

ENVT 400, Capstone Experience            3