The world around us
Students who graduate with this major can pursue careers in:
- Agribusiness
- Local and state conservation
- Laboratories
- Environmental assessment
- Water management
- Environmental education and outreach
What makes the environmental science major at BVU unique from other schools is that it is a ‘science’ major with a much more defined set of classes teaching the fundamental concepts needed in biological science, conservational science, and physical science to be competitive in the job market.
Biological science prepares students for careers in conservation work with the DNR and similar conservation organizations, while physical science studies prepares students for careers in consulting companies with organizations that conduct environmental assessments on environmental contamination and cleanup.
Talk to Us
We'd love to get to know you. Tell us a bit about yourself, and we'll be in touch with the scoop about BVU.
Go Mobile
In 2016, BVU hosted its first mobile app Hackathon in conjunction with the computer science department to build an environmentally-themed app. The winning team took home a $1,000 prize!
Scholarships & Grants
School of Science students have access to special funds to participate in internships and field courses. Some have recently used this money to attend a Predator Ecology course in Northern Minnesota.
Restoration
BVU students have been involved in ecological assessments of an environmental restoration project at the Whiterock Conservancy, a non-profit land trust that oversees a 4,300-acre nature preserve near Coon Rapids.
100 Percent
BVU grads are in demand. A survey found that 100 percent of Environmental Science majors from the Class of 2017 were either employed or enrolled in graduate or professional school within six months of graduation.
Special Access
The equipment for professionals
Have you seen our greenhouse or analytical lab yet? In the greenhouse, students are given the opportunity to manage plants found around campus and grow plants for community projects. Managing the greenhouse allows the students the opportunity to become more familiar with different areas of botany, an area of environmental conservation, and to gain management skills.
The analytical lab gives students access to the large amount of equipment available. Environmental science students have the opportunity to conduct water quality research, utilizing our very own Storm Lake and other local bodies of water. This allows graduates to graduate with the analytical skills sought after by employers.
Be In Demand
Clean up polluted areas, advise policymakers, work to reduce waste
Environmental scientists and specialists work in offices and laboratories. Some may spend time in the field gathering data and monitoring environmental conditions firsthand. Most environmental scientists and specialists work full time.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 11 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Heightened public interest in the hazards facing the environment, as well as the increasing demands placed on the environment by population growth, is expected to spur demand for environmental scientists and specialists.
Learn moreInternships
- Henry Doorly Zoo
- Natural Resources Conservation Services and Animal Rescue of Carroll, Iowa
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Aquatic Invasive Species Unit
Careers
- Pueblo Chemical Depot, Environmental Compliance Representative
- Sioux County, Park Ranger and Naturalist
- Ecology Institute, Environmental Education
Graduate School
- Creighton University
- University of Iowa
- Iowa State University
Major in Environmental Science (54-55 credit hours)
Core Courses
- BIOL 163 Biological Principles I
- CHEM 151 General Chemistry I
- CHEM 152 General Chemistry II
- ENVS 102 Environmental Science Laboratory
- ENVS 103 Introduction to Environmental Science
- ENVS 110 Physical Geology
- ENVS 201 Conservation Ecology
- ENVS 210 Global Climate Change
- ENVS 320 Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems(GIS)
- ENVS 400 Supervised Project
- ENVS 495 Internship
- ENVS 498 Senior Capstone Seminar
- MATH 140 Elementary Applied Statistics
- MATH 145 Elementary Functions
- PHIL 340 Environmental Ethics
- PHYS 115 Environmental Physics
Option 1: Physical Science
Three of these four classes must be taken.
- ENVS 215 Agriculture and the Environment
- ENVS 305 Introduction to Soil Science
- ENVS 312 Environmental Chemistry
- ENVS 317 Environmental Hydrology
Option 2: Biological Science
Three of these four courses must be taken.
- BIOL 210 Zoology
- BIOL 222 Botany
- BIOL 333 Island Ecology
- BIOL 426 Ornithology
- BIOL 427 Herpetology
- BIOL 428 Mammalogy
Minor in Environmental Science (21 credit hours)
- ENVS 103 Introduction to Environmental Science
- ENVS 110 Physical Geology
- ENVS 201 Conservation Ecology
- ENVS 210 Global Climate Change
- ENVS 495 Internship
- ENVS 498 Senior Capstone Seminar
- MATH 140 Elementary Applied Statistics
- PHIL 340 Environmental Ethics
Faculty
Melinda Coogan
Professor of Biology
Benjamin Maas
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Geology
BVU Hosts 2018 Iowa Academy of Science Annual Meeting
More than 320 people gathered for the event, including middle and high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and professionals from across the state of Iowa.
Read More
BVU Introduces Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Resource Management
The announcement of the institute aligns with recent and emerging trends showing there is high demand for college graduates with a degree in agricultural programs.
Read More
Science Students Take Part in "No-Limits" Initiative
Thanks to a $2.7 million endowment from Harry Stine and the Stine Family Foundation, BVU's science curriculum goes beyond lectures, taking lessons of the classroom into the real world.
Read More