Why study Soils and Biogeochemistry?
The soils and biogeochemistry track examines processes that govern the composition of the natural environment and the cycles of matter and energy through time and space. This track teaches scientific principles, ranging from the molecular to global scales, for managing soil, water and plant resources. Courses includes land use, GIS, remote sensing, soil and ecosystem management, nutrient management, soil and water pollution remediation and global change. Graduates are qualified for managerial and technical positions in advising, planning, land appraisal, research, and teaching. The track also provides excellent preparation for graduate programs in soil science, environmental toxicology, hydrology, ecology, and plant sciences.
Preparatory Subject Matter Requirements
| Course IDs | Course Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Written and Oral Expression | ||
| UWP 101 or any course from the UWP 102 or 104 series | Upper Division Writing | 4 |
| CMN 1, 3V, 3Y, or DRA 10 | Communication | 4 |
| Biological Sciences | ||
| BIS 2A | Essentials of Life on Earth | 5 |
| BIS 2B | Principles of Ecology and Evolution | 5 |
| BIS 2C | Biodiversity and the Tree of Life | 5 |
| Geology choose one of the following | ||
| GEL 1 | The Earth | 4 |
| GEL 50 | Physical Geology | 3 |
| Chemistry | ||
| CHE 2A or 2AH | General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHE 2B or 2BH | General Chemistry | 5 |
| Physics Complete either 1AB or 7ABC | ||
| Physics 1A | General Physics | 3 |
| Physics 1B | General Physics | 3 |
| Physics 7A | General Physics | 4 |
| Physics 7B | General Physics | 4 |
| Physics 7C | General Physics | 4 |
| Economics | ||
| ECN 1A, 1AV, or 1AY | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| Mathematics | ||
| MAT 16A and 16B | Short Calculus | 3, 3 |
| MAT 17A and 17B | Calculus for Biology & Medicine | 4, 4 |
| MAT 19A and 19B and 19C | Calculus for Data-Driven Applications | 4, 4, 4 |
| MAT 21A and 21B | Calculus | 4, 4 |
| Environmental Science and Policy | ||
| ESP 1 | Environmental Analysis | 4 |
Depth Subject Matter Requirements
NOTE: Students graduating with this major are required to attain at least a C average (2.0 GPA) in all courses taken at the university in Depth Subject Matter and pass all coursework. See requirements of the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science in the UC Davis General Catalog.
| Course IDs | Course Title | Prerequisites | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Environment | |||
| ESM 120 | Global Environmental Interactions | One college-level chemistry and biology course | 4 |
| Ecology (Choose one of the following) | |||
| ESP 100 | General Ecology | BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; STA 13 recommended | 4 |
| EVE 101 | Introduction to Ecology | BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; or equivalent | 4 |
| Policy | |||
| ESP 162 | Environmental Policy | ECN 1A or ECN 1AV or ECN 1AY | 4 |
| Statistics (Choose one of the following - Statistics 100 recommended) | |||
| STA 13 | Elementary Statistics | Two years of high school algebra or equivalent in college | 4 |
| STA 100 | Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences | MAT 16B or 17B or 21B with a C- or better | 4 |
| Environmental Monitoring (Choose one of the following) | |||
| ATM 124 | Meteorological Instruments & Observations | ATM 60 | 3 |
| ESM 108 | Environmental Monitoring | ESP 100 or EVE 101 or SSC 100 or WFC 100 or equivalent | 3 |
| ESP 151L | Limnology Laboratory | ESP 151 (may be concurrent) | 3 |
| ESP 179 | Environmental Impact Assessment | ESP 1 or the equivalent | 4 |
| Environmental Data Science (Choose one of the following) | |||
| ABT/LDA 150 | Introduction to GIS | None | 4 |
| ESP 106 | Environmental Data Science | STA 13 or 32 or 100 (can be concurrent) | 4 |
| Internship | |||
| ESM/ESP 92 or 192 | Internship | Upper division standing, permission of instructor Variable unit – must take at least 3 units of internship | 3 |
| Capstone | |||
| ESM 195 | Integrating Env Science & Management | Senior standing in ESM | 2 |
| Honors Thesis (Optional) | |||
| ESM 194H | Senior Honors Thesis | Senior standing, Overall GPA of 3.50 or higher Consent of the lead faculty advisor | 2-6 |
Track Courses
NOTE: Courses taken for the depth subject matter or track cannot be used to fulfill more than one major requirement.
| Course IDs | Course Title | Prerequisites | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | |||
| SSC 100 | Principles of Soil Science | College-level course in each of CHE, PHY, BIS, and GEL recommended | 5 |
| Select four soils and biogeochemistry courses | |||
| ESM 100 | Principles of Hydrologic Science | CHE 2B; Math 16B; PHY 7A or 9A | 4 |
| HYD 134 | Aqueous Geochemistry | CHE 2B | 6 |
| SSC 102 | Environmental Soil Chemistry | SSC 100 or equivalent and general chemistry | 3 |
| SSC 105 | Field Studies of Soils in CA Ecosystems | SSC 100 and 120 or equivalent recommended | 5 |
| SSC 107 | Soil Physics | SSC 100; ESM 100; MAT 16A or the equivalent | 5 |
| SSC 109 | Sustainable Nutrient Management | SSC 100 or the equivalent | 4 |
| SSC 111 | Soil Microbiology | BIS 2C recommended | 4 |
| SSC 112 | Soil Ecology | SSC 100 or equivalent recommended | 3 |
| SSC 118 | Soils in Land Use and Development | SSC 100 or equivalent recommended | 4 |
| SSC 120 | Soil Genesis, Morphology, & Classification | SSC 100; GEL 50 recommended | 5 |
| Select two environmental policy courses | |||
| ESM 121 | Water Science & Management | PHY 10 or GEL 1 | 3 |
| ESP 165 | Climate Policy | ECN 1A or 1AV or 1AY or ESP 1, or consent of instructor | 3 |
| ESP 166 | Ocean & Coastal Policy | ESP 1 or consent of instructor | 3 |
| ESP 171 | Urban & Regional Planning | ESP 1 or ESP 161 or ESP 179 recommended | 4 |
| ESP 172 | Public Lands Management | ECN 1A and POL 1 recommended | 4 |
| ESP 174 | Environmental Justice Policy & Practice | ESP 1 or equivalent recommended | 4 |
| ESP 179 | Environmental Impact Assessment | ESP 1 or equivalent | 4 |
| SOC 160 | Sociology of the Environment | SOC 1 or 2 or 3 recommended | 4 |
| Select one land-use analysis course | |||
| ESM 185 | Aerial Photo Interp. & Remote Sensing | Upper division standing | 4 |
| SSC 118 | Soils in Land Use & the Environment | SSC 100 or equivalent recommended | 4 |
| GEL 134* | Env Geology & Land Use Planning | One course in Geology or consent of instructor | 3 |
| Select two biological or physical processes courses | |||
| ATM 133 | Biometeorology | MAT 16B; one course in a biological discipline or consent of instructor | 4 |
| ATM 160** | Intro to Atmospheric Chemistry | CHE 2B | 4 |
| ESM/PLS 144 | Trees & Forests | PLS 2 or BIS 2C | 4 |
| ESP/GEL 116N | Oceanography | GEL 1 or 2 or 16 or 50 | 3 |
| ESP/GEL 150A | Physical & Chemical Oceanography | ESP 116N; PHY 7B or 9B; MAT 16C or 17C or 21C; CHE 2C or GEL 55 | 4 |
| ESP/GEL 150C | Biological Oceanography | Offered at the Bodega Marine Lab | 4 |
| ESP 151 | Limnology | BIS 2A and 2B; BIS 2C and ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended | 4 |
| ESP 155 | Wetland Ecology | BIS 2A or equivalent; ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended | 4 |
| PLB/EVE 117 | Plant Ecology | BIS 2A-C; PLB 111 recommended | 4 |
| PLS 130* | Grassland Ecology | PLS 2 or BIS 2B or BIS 2C or consent of instructor | 3 |
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