Advanced Coursework

As EVS students complete their core studies, they select a track – Geological, Biological, and Geographical Science – through which they will complete their studies at UT Austin for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science. This upper-division coursework will allow students to gain deeper insight into a particular aspect of environmental science without sacrificing the interdisciplinary perspective essential for sound understanding of environmental challenges.

Geological Sciences Track (Jackson School of Geosciences)

EVS students in the Geological Sciences Track build upon their foundational studies with Plate Tectonics & Earth History, Earth Materials, Sedimentary Rocks, and Field & Stratigraphic Methods.  This coursework is supplemented with Environmental Isotope Geochemistry, Groundwater Hydrology, and Chemical and Physical Hydrogeology.  Students in the Geological Sciences Track also take additional math and physics courses.

Students in the Geological Sciences Track make their academic home in the Department of Geological Sciences within the Jackson School of Geosciences.  

Biological Sciences Track (College of Natural Sciences)

EVS students in the Biological Sciences Track follow their foundational studies with three more  pillars in their environmental studies:  Genetics, Evolution, and Conservation.  Students in the Biological Sciences Track also take additional math and physics courses, including a course in statistics.  This coursework is supplemented with taxon-based diversity classes (such as Ichthyology, Field Ornithology, Entomology, and Botany) and studies in physiology, neurobiology, and behavior (such as Endocrinology, Infectious Diseases, Animal Behavior, and Medical Mycology).

Students in the Biological Sciences Track make their academic home in Biological Sciences within the College of Natural Sciences. 

Geographical Sciences Track (College of Liberal Arts)

EVS students in the Geographical Sciences Track follow their foundational studies with two more cornerstones to their education:  The Natural Environment (GRG 301C) and A Changing World (GRG 304E).  Students then move on to chose from courses in a variety of geography-related topics, including Climate, Severe and Unusual Weather, Environmental Hazards, Quaternary Landscapes, Mountain Geoecology, Rivers & Landscapes, Geomorphology, Medical Geography, Comparative Ecosystems, Biogeography, Vegetation Ecology, and Remote and Geographic Information Sensing.

Students in the Geographical Sciences Track make their academic home in the Department of Geography and the Environment within the College of Liberal Arts.