ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

An Undergraduate Certificate Program of the Department of Biology

The Department of Biology offers an undergraduate certificate program in environmental management for students interested in environmental issues. The program consists of a minimum of 27 hours of coursework, many of which could be counted, with appropriate planning, towards the fulfillment of BS or BA requirements. The curriculum is designed to provoke a substantive appreciation of the biological, physical and social aspects of environmental problems and methods for their analysis and resolution. The certificate is a separate diploma, and is recorded on the student's official academic transcript. It should be of particular interest to students wishing to pursue graduate work or seeking employment in the environmental field. Experience with other similar programs across the country indicates that it could make the student's degree more marketable. All majors are eligible to enroll.

Inquires should be directed to Dr. Mark R. Walbridge, Director, Environmental Management Certificate Program, Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-4444. Phone: (703) 993-1050.

CERTIFICATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATE CORE (4 courses)
   
   1. BIOL 377 Applied Ecology
   2. One of the two:
           GEOG 303 Conservation of Resources and Environment
           GECA 503 Problems in Environmental Management
   3. One of the three:
           ECON 103 Contemporary Economic Principles and Issues I
           GOVT 241 Introduction to Public Administration
           GOVT 357 Introduction to Public Planning
   4. One University Course in Statistics from:
           BIOL 312 Biostatistics
           DESC 200 Statistical Analysis for Decision Making   I
           GEOG 300 Statistical Methods for Spatial Analysis
           PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychology
           SOCI 221 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
           STAT 250 Introductory Statistics I
   
   
2. PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE (1 or 2 courses)
   
           BIOL 309 Introduction to Oceanography
           BIOL 535 Ancient Plants and their Environment
           BIOL 550 Limnology
           BIOL 577 Biogeochemistry: A Global Perspective
           GEOG 102 Physical Geography
           GEOG 309 Introduction to Meteorology and Climate
           GEOL 205 Environmental Geology
           GEOL 313 Hydrogeology
           GEOL 317 Geomorphology
           GEOL 403 Geochemistry
           GEOL 405 Geology of Mineral and Energy Resources
           USE 350 Water Supply and Distribution
   
   
3. BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE (1 or 2 courses)
   
           BIOL 307 Ecology
           BIOL 309 Introduction to Oceanography
           BIOL 344 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
           BIOL 345 Plant Communities
           BIOL 371 Animal Distributions
           BIOL 375 Population Biology
           BIOL 440 Field Biology
           BIOL 446 Environmental Physiology
           BIOL 449 Marine Ecology
           BIOL 471 Evolution
           BIOL 513 Food, Energy, and Insects
           BIOL 526 Paleoecology
           BIOL 532 Animal Behavior
           BIOL 535 Ancient Plants and their Environment
   
   
4. BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE (1 or 2 courses) continued
   
           BIOL 536 Ichthyology
           BIOL 537 Ornithology
           BIOL 543 Tropical Ecosystems
           BIOL 546 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology
           BIOL 547 Terrestrial Plant Ecology
           BIOL 550 Limnology
           BIOL 577 Biogeochemistry: A Global Perspective
           HEAL 450 Epidemiology
   
   
5. SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE (1 course)
           ANTH 305 Hunter-Gatherer Societies
           ANTH 365 Human Diversity
           ANTH 370 Ecology and Culture
           ANTH 440 Applied Anthropology
           CONF 501 Introduction to Conflict Resolution
           ECON 350 Regional and Urban Economics
           ECON 360 Economics of Developing Areas
           GEOG 301 Political Geography
           GEOG 304 Geography of Population
           GEOG 305 Economic Geography
           GEOG 306 Urban Geography
           GEOG 316 Geography of Latin America
           GEOG 325 Geography of North Africa and the Middle East
           GEOG 406 Suburban Geography
           GOVT 318 Interest Groups, Lobbying, and the Political Process
           GOVT 357 Introduction to Public Planning
           GOVT 364 Public Policy Making
           GOVT 366 Public Policy Analysis
           GOVT 537 Selected Problems of the Third World Development
           MGMT 312 Management of Organizations
           NURS 543 Global Health: Trends and Policy
           PHIL 555 Environmental Ethics
           PRLS 300 People with Nature
           PRLS 402 Environmental Impacts of Recreational Use
           PRLS 526 Heritage Interpretation and Visitor Services
           PUAD 502 Theory and Practice of Public Administration
           SOCI 306 Demographic Analysis (Population Problems)
           SOCI 541 Survey Research
           USE 300 Urban Systems Planning and Management I
           USE 400 Urban Systems Planning and Management II
           USE 451 Wastewater Management I
           USE 452 Wastewater Management II
           USE 453 Solid Waste Treatment
   
   
6. ENVIRONMENTAL METHODS (1 course)
           GEOG 310 Cartography I
           GEOG 411 Introduction to Computer Cartography
           GEOG 412 Aerial Photography Interpretation
           GEOG 416 Satellite Image Analysis
           GECA 550 Mapping Foundations
           GECA 553 Geographic Information Systems
           GECA 579 Remote Sensing
           GECA 580 Digital Remote Sensing
           GECA 585 Quantitative Methods
           DESC 301 Decision Models in Business and Operations Management
           DESC 352 Methods and Models of Management Science
           USE 340 Water Resource Engineering

TOTAL MINIMUM HOURS: 27

NOTES:

1. Substitutes for the above-listed courses require permission of the Certificate Director.
2. Courses listed in more than one category can only satisfy the requirements of one.
3. Biology majors are required to complete 2 courses in Physical Perspective.
4. Geology and Geography majors are required to complete 2 courses in Biological Perspective.
5. All other majors can choose either Physical or Biological Perspective for 2 courses.
6. It is highly recommended that Certificate students develop a proficiency in computer programming.
7. Only courses with a grade C or better can be counted towards the Certificate.
8. Undergraduates must complete at least 12 semester hours of course work at the 300 level and above, and may not include more than 12 semester hours of 100 level courses.
9. Post-baccalaureate students must complete at least 12 semester hours of courses at the 500 level or above.

Answers to questions commonly asked by Certificate students

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