Bachelor of Science - Environmental Sciences - Geospatial and Environmental Analysis Option

Program Description Effective management of agricultural and other managed land resources requires individuals to have sound fundamental understanding of the processes and relationships in land systems, combined with excellent skills in modern land inventory and analysis techniques including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, and an appreciation for the intricacies of land resources and land use practices. The Land Resource Sciences curricula are designed to provide classroom, laboratory, and field training. Graduates of this program will: (i) possess a broad knowledge of land processes, (ii) be able to critically analyze and solve land resource problems, and (iii) work in teams to develop and implement effective land management strategies. They will be the premier land resource users and managers in the 21st century. This degree is for students interested in land resources and their management at landscape scales. All human activities depend on the world's land and water resource base. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all depend upon activities occurring and interacting across broad extents of the Earth's land surface. This curriculum is based on the philosophy that our well-being requires knowledge-based decision making involving land and natural resources across these large areas. Students build on knowledge of the basic natural sciences with course work in geology, biology, geography, soils, and ecology. Then, courses in remote sensing, geographic information systems, global positioning and statistics provide tools for gathering, processing, analyzing, and displaying information about land resources across large areas. Finally, students learn how to integrate land resource information with social and financial realities to support balanced management decisions. Throughout the program, students are encouraged to gain hands-on experience with land, people and information through field trips, internships, and the capstone field course. The knowledge and skills of land resource analysis and management are needed wherever there are land resources. Graduates in the LRES Geospatial & Environmental Analysis option can be the environmental scientists and managers most capable of providing information for sound management of the land resource base.