Environmental Sciences, Minor

This is the first version of the 2024–25 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

The undergraduate minor in environmental sciences requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in University of Iowa environmental sciences coursework. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all courses for the minor and in all UI courses for the minor. Coursework in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass.

The minor in environmental sciences requires the following coursework.

Foundation Courses

Course # Title Hours
One of these:
ENVS:1080/EES:1080Introduction to Environmental Science4
ENVS:1085/EES:1085Fundamentals of Environmental Science4
One of these:
ENVS:2673/BIOL:2673Ecology3
ENVS:3020/EES:3020/GEOG:3020Earth Surface Processes3

Electives

Students complete at least 8 s.h. from the following courses, including at least one course from each category.

Course # Title Hours
At least one of these:
ENVS:3110/EES:3110Chemical Evolution of the Oceans3
BIOL:1261Introduction to Botany4
BIOL:1411Foundations of Biology4
BIOL:1412Diversity of Form and Function4
BIOL:2246Entomology Lab4
CEE:4150/CBE:4420Environmental Chemistry3
CHEM:3120Spectroscopy and Separations3
CHEM:4760Radiochemistry: Energy, Medicine, and the Environment3
EES:1050Introduction to Geology4
EES:3070Marine Ecosystems and Conservation3
EES:3220Evolution of the Vertebrates4
EES:3300Sedimentary Geology4
EES:3360/GEOG:3360Soil Genesis and Geomorphology3
EES:4490Elements of Geochemistry3
EES:4630Hydrogeology4
EES:4640Contaminant Hydrogeology3
EES:4790Applied Environmental Geology3
GEOG:2374/BIOL:2374Biogeography3
GEOG:2950Environmental Conservation4
GEOG:3315Ecosystem Ecology3
GEOG:3350Urban Ecology3
At least one of these:
ENVS:2001/EES:2001Second-Year Field Trip for Earth and Environmental Sciences1
ENVS:3001/EES:3001Third-Year Field Trip for Earth and Environmental Sciences1
ENVS:3095Field Ecology4
ENVS:3096Winter Ecology2
ENVS:3097Introduction to Bird Study2
ENVS:3230Special Topics (when topic is Prairie Restoration, or with advisor approval)0-4
ENVS:4001/EES:4001Fourth-Year Field Trip for Earth and Environmental Sciences2
CHEM:3430Analytical Measurements3
EES:1180Geology of National Parks: Field Trip2
EES:2831Geologic Field Methods3
EES:4680Field Methods in Hydrologic Science3
GEOG:4010Field Methods in Physical Geography3
Approved Iowa Lakeside Laboratory courses (prefix IALL)