Why study Watershed Science?
The watershed science track trains students in the principles of hydrology, climate as it relates to water, water law, public policy, and links to ecology and soils. Water is a key resource in the western US and in much of the developed World. Watersheds are the natural geographic unit for water management and science, and encompass issues like water quality, water supply, flood management, biodiversity, and climate change. Students in this track are likely to pursue careers in water and watershed management, environmental consulting, government agencies, and environmental non-profits. The track is also very good preparation for graduate school in ecology, hydrology, environmental policy, or especially interdisciplinary environmental management programs.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select one course | |||
| ESM 121 | Water Science & Management | PHY 10 or GEL 1 | 3 |
| HYD 10 | Water, Power, Society | None | 3 |
| Complete | |||
| SSC 100 | Principles of Soil Science | College-level course in each of CHE, PHY, BIS, and GEL recommended | 5 |
| Select two hydrology courses | |||
| ESM 100 or | Principles of Hydrologic Science | CHE 2B; MAT 16B; PHY 7A or 9A | 4 |
| HYD 141 | Physical Hydrology | PHY 9B, MAT 21B | 4 |
| ESM 108 | Environmental Monitoring | Entry level course in the environmental sciences | 3 |
| HYD 142 | Systems Hydrology | HYD 141 or ECI 142 | 4 |
| HYD 143** | Hydrological Processes in Ecosystems | HYD 10 or 141 or ESP 1 or ESM 100 or ESM 108 or ESM 120 or GEL 1 or 50 or SSC 100 | 3 |
| HYD 145 | Water Science and Design | HYD 141 or ESM 100; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B or consent of instructor | 4 |
| Note: Cannot complete this section with ESM 100 and HYD 141 | |||
| Select one geology course | |||
| ESP 151L | Limnology Lab | ESP 151 (can be concurrent) | 3 |
| GEL 35 | Rivers | None | 3 |
| GEL 136 | Ecogeomorphology of Rivers & Streams | Enrollment by application only, not offered every year | 5 |
| GEL 140** | Intro to Process Geomorphology | GEL 1 or 50; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B | 4 |
| Select one GIS course | |||
| ABT 181N* | Concepts & Methods in GIS | LDA 150 or consent of instructor | 4 |
| ABT/HYD 182** | Environmental Analysis with GIS | ABT 150 or equiv GIS experience, biology and/or ecology courses rec. | 4 |
| Select one soil science course | |||
| SSC 105 | Field Studies of Soils in CA Ecosystems | Summer field course | 5 |
| SSC 118 | Soils in Land Use & the Environment | SSC 100 or equivalent recommended | 4 |
| SSC 120 | Soil Genesis, Morphology, & Classification | SSC 100; GEL 50 recommended | 5 |
| Select two environmental studies courses | |||
| ESP 166 | Ocean & Coastal Policy | ESP 1 | 3 |
| ESP 168A | Methods of Env Policy Analysis | ESP 1 or 10; STA 13 or 100; ECN 1A or 1AV or 1AY; ECN 100A recommended | 5 |
| ESP 169** | Water Policy & Politics | POL 1 or ECN 1A recommended | 3 |
| ESP 172 | Public Lands Management | ECN 1A and POL 1 recommended | 4 |
| ESP 174 | Environmental Justice Policy & Practice | ESP 1 or the equivalent | 4 |
| ESP 179 | Environmental Impact Assessment | ESP 1 or the equivalent | 4 |
| HYD 150 | Water Law | Consent of instructor or upper division standing | 3 |
| SOC 160 | Sociology of the Environment | SOC 1 or 2 or 3 recommended | 4 |
| Complete | |||
| ATM 133 | Biometeorology | MAT 16B; One course in a biological discipline or consent of instructor | 4 |
| Select one aquatic habitats course | |||
| ESP 151 | Limnology | BIS 2A; BIS 2B; BIS 2C and ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended | 4 |
| EVE 115* | Marine Ecology | ESP 100 or EVE 101 or BIS 2B, or consent of instructor | 4 |
| WFC 120 | Biology & Conservation of Fishes | BIS 2A-C: upper division ecology course recommended | 3 |
| WFC 134 | Herpetology | BIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended | 3 |
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