Environmental Science
Courses
ENVS 501 Chemistry of the Environment 3.0 Credits
Covers principles of physical and organic chemistry applicable to the study and evaluation of environmental conditions, especially the pollution of air, water, and soil (including chemical changes and reactions in the environment).
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 506 Biostatistics 3.0 Credits
Covers measures of biostatistics, including central value and dispersion, sampling and distribution, statistical inference, analysis of variance, regression and correlation, and time series. Emphasizes application.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 511 Evolutionary Ecology 3.0 Credits
Studies the basic principles of evolution and ecology, including natural selection, the ecological niche ecological succession, and the food web, and effects of human activities on ecosystems. Views humans as a species.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 512 Systematic Biology 3.0 Credits
This course is an introduction to systematic biology, the science of discovering, describing and classifying organisms to construct a reference system for life on earth. Topics include concepts of species and higher taxa; sources and application of evidence for inferring phylogenetic relationships, including nucleotide sequences, morphology and fossils; characters, homology and parsimony; phylogenetic tree construction and classification; overview of nomenclature and taxonomy; and using phylogenies to discover pattern and process in evolutionary and comparative biology.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 515 Plant Animal Interaction 3.0 Credits
Plant-animal interactions provide us with some of the most remarkable examples of adaptation and co-evolution. They are also key determinants of ecosystem functions. This course will provide a survey of the diversity of plant-animal interactions, the multidisciplinary approaches used to understand their ecology and evolution, and their importance to ecosystem services that sustain human societies.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 522 Tropical Ecology 3.0 Credits
Covers the ecology of tropical forests, including biogeography, history, current processes, and effects of economic developments of rain forest and dry forest of the Old and New World tropics.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 523 Tropical Field Studies 3.0 Credits
This is a study abroad course focusing on the ecology of tropical forest ecosystems. We will visit and compare forest ecosystems in several ecological life zones. The course will combine lectures, natural history surveys, faculty-led field research problems, and learning experiences with local residents to explore the biological diversity and function of tropical forests, including the effects of human impacts. Some background in Biology or Ecology is useful.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 526 Molecular Ecology 3.0 Credits
Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and computational exercises, students will learn how molecular tools have been used to study genetic variation. They will then learn how these studies have provided answers to previously unanswered questions in fields including ecology, evolution, behavior, conservation, and forensics.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 527 Molecular Ecology Lab 2.0 Credits
Through a combination of laboratory and computational exercises, students will develop a toolkit for applied molecular studies of ecology and evolution. The course will focus on initiating or continuing a novel research project relating to one of several topics within the field of molecular ecology.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 528 Conservation Biology 3.0 Credits
This course will detail the loss of biodiversity and explore related issues, including the theories and practices of conservation biology and the solutions currently being formulated to enhance the preservation of species on our planet. The course will explore potential limitations to these strategies and provide an appreciation of the relevance of ethics, economics and politics to biodiversity conservation while promoting the potential for individual action to influence conservation efforts.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 530 Aquatic Ecology 3.0 Credits
Studies the relationships between aquatic plants and animals and their environment. Introduces the study of the ecology of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 533 Wetland Ecology 3.0 Credits
Examination of the structure, function, and dynamics of wetland ecosystems. Topics include geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, plant and animal adaptations to wetland environments, and wetland policy.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 535 Aquatic Insects and Water Quality 3.0 Credits
Healthy water quality has always been an essential part of human survival and culture. This course outlines the importance of using aquatic macroinvertebrates (principally insects) for assessing water quality and its wide use by government, consulting businesses and citizen groups. Nearly 90 groups of aquatic macroinvertebrates used in stream assessment and in sampling will be identified.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 538 Biodiversity 3.0 Credits
This course explores major patterns of biodiversity that biologists have documented across the planet. The course begins with an overview of major types of biodiversity, focusing on species diversity, and methods for measuring and analyzing biodiversity. Next it explores major patterns of biodiversity that are fundamental to ecology and conservation, and theories for the causes of biodiversity patterns.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 552 Ornithology 3.0 Credits
Birds are among the most ubiquitous, diverse, and charismatic animals and we know a great deal about their biology. This course aims to teach students who are enthusiastic about natural history about the biology of birds and covers a variety of topics including evolution, ecology, behavior, conservation, and diversity of birds and uses the world renowned specimen collections housed in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 553 Field Ornithology Lab 2.0 Credits
The Delaware Valley is the cradle of North American Ornithology. This course aims to give students a hands-on lab and field experience in identifying birds found in the Delaware Valley. Half of the classes are held outside at local parks and refuges and the remainder are in the lab where students will study specimens from the world renowned collections housed at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 554 Ichthyology 3.0 Credits
This course will explore fish and the link between their diversity in form and ecological function. This combined lecture-lab course will cover the basic systematics, evolutionary relationships, biogeography, structure, physiology, life history, and ecology of fishes and lampreys.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 555 Biogeography 3.0 Credits
This course is a survey of the field of Biogeography, the study of biological diversity across space and time. Factors and evolutionary history that influence both the ecology and evolution of organismal diversity will be covered. Topics will range from how species distributions arise to how we define species and how we reconstruct the influence and importance of both ecology and evolutionary history on their distributions.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 562 Urban Ecology 3.0 Credits
This course seeks to understand urban areas as meaningful ecological and socio-ecological systems. This acknowledges that humans are biological organisms that are not only members of ecological communities, but also organisms that are unique in their ability to alter and influence the nature of their interactions with the environment. This course examines the study of ecology in urban landscapes, as well as how organisms respond to and influence the abiotic and biotic nature of urban areas.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 564 Animal Behavior 3.0 Credits
The mechanisms, ecology and evolution of the activities of animals in relation to their natural environment. Topics include development and control (neutral and hormonal) of behavior, adaptations for survival, feeding, and predator avoidance, strategies of habitat selection, communication, reproduction, and social behavior.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 572 Environmental Assessment 3.0 Credits
This course will introduce students to the types of ecological and environmental assessments commonly used to predict and determine environmental impacts. The importance of environmental regulation as it relates to the design, implementation, analysis and interpretation of environmental studies will be discussed. Content topics include environmental assessment of water, soil, and vegetation, as well as considerations that must be accounted for in preparing environmental assessments and analyses including land use, scale, economic factors, public health, and historic & archeological resources.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 576 Environmental and Ecological Remediation 3.0 Credits
Many sites have been contaminated by past activities, including both intentional and accidental releases of chemicals and toxic wastes. As such, these sites are generally assessed and characterized for risk and health hazards of contaminants to both humans and the environment. This course examines legislative/regulatory mechanisms and strategies for the ‘clean-up’ and remediation of sites for future safe utilization (e.g. brownfields).
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 582 Field Botany of the New Jersey Pine Barrens 4.0 Credits
This course focuses on plant identification skills that are necessary to conduct scientific botanical surveys. The vascular flora of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, including rare plant species, is emphasized with special reference to habitat and community analyses. Non-vascular species are examined but not emphasized.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated 1 times for 5 credits
Prerequisites: ENVR 511 [Min Grade: C] or ENVS 511 [Min Grade: C]
ENVS 583 Ecology of the New Jersey Pine Barrens 4.0 Credits
Course focuses on the ecology of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Students learn field survey methods, identify index species (flora and fauna), perform community analyses, and use equipment for measuring abiotic variables (soil and water). Field exercises focus on key aspects of the regional ecology: fire, soil and water.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: ENVS 511 [Min Grade: C] or ENVR 511 [Min Grade: C]
ENVS 585 Systems Ecology 3.0 Credits
Systems Ecology will provide the tools to integrate and synthesize disciplines of sciences to understand the development, disruption, and dynamics of ecosystems. Students will learn general systems theory about how elements of an ecosystem interact with other parts of the system and how exogenous or external variables drive ecosystem processes. The course will show how to combine field data with simple mathematics in step by step calculations to describe, study, and emulate complex systems.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 587 Restoration Ecology 3.0 Credits
Ecological restoration is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity or sustainability. Using a combination of lectures, readings, field trips, and project work, this course covers conceptual and theoretical foundations that underlie restoration efforts, and link these to the real-world application of principles used in past and ongoing restoration projects.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 588 Marine Field Methods 4.0 Credits
Course focus is on the ecology of local marine environments. Students learn marine field survey methods, identification of marine organisms, habitat analyses, and use of equipment for measuring abiotic variables. Students sample fish, plankton and invertebrate species aboard the 25 foot Drexel research vessel, Peter Kilham.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: ENVS 511 [Min Grade: C] or ENVR 511 [Min Grade: C]
ENVS 590 Marine Ecology 3.0 Credits
This course studies major processes in the marine environment, especially relationships between organisms and the factors that influence their abundance.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 591 Freshwater and Marine Algae 3.0 Credits
Origin and evolution of various algal groups, principles and methods of algal systematics, algal ecology, and use of algae as environmental indicators. Field trips to local streams, ponds and wetlands where students will collect algal samples and record environmental data. Lab work will include sample processing and algal identification.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 593 Entomology 3.0 Credits
This course introduces students to some of the major topics in the field of entomology.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 594 Entomology Lab 2.0 Credits
This course introduces students to some of the major practical topics in the field of entomology. The course consists of lab work, collecting trips, and creation of an insect collection.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 601 Advanced Environmental Chemistry 3.0 Credits
Covers thermodynamic and kinetic principles and their application to the study of chemical changes and reactions in the water or air environments.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: ENVR 501 [Min Grade: C] or ENVS 501 [Min Grade: C]
ENVS 605 Atmospheric Chemistry 3.0 Credits
Introduces the principles of atmospheric physics and photochemical kinetics as a prelude to understanding the atmospheric chemical system. Examines the chemistry of the natural atmosphere to prepare for the understanding of how pollutants interact with natural species. Considers pollution of the stratosphere and the troposphere.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 609 Environmental Surveying and GIS 3.0 Credits
This course is a field intensive course that gives students hands on training on state-of-the-art surveying gear. Students will learn the principals of surveying used by field ecologists or geoscientists, including types of surveying gear, how to use it in the field, and how to analyze collected data.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 610 Physiological Ecology 3.0 Credits
Examines mechanisms by which physiological factors affect and limit the distribution and abundance of animals, including physiological and behavioral thermoregulation, heat and cold tolerance, acclimation, metabolism, osmoregulation and dehydration tolerance, feeding strategies, digestion and feeding patterns, energy and water budges, toxins and optimality theory.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 612 Biophysical Ecology 3.0 Credits
Covers energy balances and methods of heat transfer in organisms, including convection, conduction, radiation, evaporation, and metabolism and steady-state and transient energy balances, including mass balances, water uptake and evaporation.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 615 Advanced Environmental GIS 3.0 Credits
This course is structured to build upon techniques and skills learned in an introductory level GIS class. This advanced course is technically oriented and will introduce high-level geospatial analyses in an environmental science context. Provides instruction and theory of geospatial modeling, mapping, and future trends.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: ENVS 708 [Min Grade: D] or ENVE 555 [Min Grade: D]
ENVS 617 Stream Assessment 3.0 Credits
Most stream and river ecosystems are stressed by human activities, and aquatic ecologists are frequently called upon to assess problems, make scientific evaluations and provide management recommendations. A main goal of this course is to provide problem-solving experiences in stream assessment based on example real-world environmental questions. The assessments will provide students opportunities to address issues they may face as ecologists, engineers, managers and policy makers.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 618 Coastal Biogeochemistry 3.0 Credits
This course covers fundamental biogeochemical and ecological concepts necessary to critically examine influential and current relevant literature. Topics include eutrophication, hypoxia, ocean acidification, climate change, and greenhouse gas exchange in nearshore coastal waters such as estuaries, coastal rivers and watersheds, mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes, wetlands, mud and sand flats, and coral reefs. Analytical tools such as stable isotopes, ecosystem models, and process measurements will be used.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 670 Advanced Topics in Evolution 3.0 Credits
Discusses and evaluates selected topics such as population and quantitative genetics, genomics in evolutionary analysis, fitness concepts and modes of selection, species concepts and modes of speciation, evolution of development and complex adaptations, biological diversification over space and time, adaptive radiation and extinction, historical biogeography. Topics for each term will be selected based on current research and interest.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 708 Environmental GIS 3.0 Credits
This introductory course is technically oriented and will provide a foundational understanding of GIS in an environmental context. Covers GIS principles and practices and applies spatial investigation procedures to analyze geographic data, including mapping and computer systems, attribute and spatial data models, data organization in GIS, GIS data analysis, and future trends for this technology.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 797 Research 0.0-20.0 Credits
Requires actual formulation and investigation of a research problem and a written report.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS 864 Graduate Research Seminar 1.5 Credit
The BEES Graduate Research Seminar is a weekly series of scientific presentations by faculty, graduate students and outside speakers. The seminars are opportunities for learning about and discussing ongoing research in the Department and current issues in biodiversity, earth and environmental science.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS 891 Research Methods I 3.0 Credits
Introduces research methods and literature, procedures for the collection and analysis of data, and preparation of technical papers.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS 898 Master's Thesis 0.0-20.0 Credits
Master's thesis.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS 998 Ph.D. Dissertation 0.0-20.0 Credits
Requires each student working on a dissertation to file a written report each term with his or her supervisory committee and the program graduate advisor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS I599 Independent Study in ENVS 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS I699 Independent Study in ENVS 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS I799 Independent Study in ENVS 0.0-9.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS I899 Independent Study in ENVS 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS I999 Independent Study in ENVS 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS T580 Special Topics in Environmental Science 0.0-9.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS T680 Special Topics in Environmental Science 0.0-9.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS T780 Special Topics in Environmental Science 0.0-9.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
ENVS T880 Special Topics in Environmental Science 0.0-9.0 Credits
Covers topics of current interest to faculty and students. Specific topics for each term are announced prior to registration. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
ENVS T980 Special Topics in Environmental Science 0.0-12.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
