Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences Certificate Courses
Location
Vermilion
Credential
Certificate
Program Length
1 year
Required courses
| BI 110 Ecology & Field Biology - 3 credits |
| This course introduces fundamental ecological principles and concepts. Interactions between organisms and their environments are emphasized throughout. Major themes include: the physical environment, natural selection, plant and animal adaptations, population dynamics, predator-prey systems, co evolutionary interactions, population genetics, and ecosystem productivity. Time is spent in the field studying biotic and abiotic relationships in local community types using standard ecological field methods. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| BI 205 Limnology: Lakes & Rivers - 3 credits |
| This course covers various physical, chemical, and biological properties of both standing and running freshwater systems. Students are introduced to various techniques used in the collection and analysis of limnological data, and how to use these data to assess the health of freshwater ecosystems. Prerequisite: BI 110. Co-requisites: None |
| BI 270 Managing Rangeland Ecosystems - 3 credits |
| A study of rangeland ecology, this course focuses on soil-plant-animal-water interactions in rangeland ecosystems. Basic factors determining survival and the competitive strategy of range plants are studied in detail. Sound range management strategies designed to ensure ecosystem stability and sustainability are emphasized. Considerable time is spent in lab learning to key and identify native plants. Prerequisite: BO 120. Co-requisites: None |
| BO 120 Field Botany & Plant Taxonomy - 3 credits |
| Native plants and communities of Alberta are studied focusing on general and applied plant botany. Students obtain practical field experience in plant community relationships while identifying, collecting, and preserving plants for further study. Students spend considerable time learning to use plant keys for taxonomic classification and for identifying plant species and families. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| CO 166 Scientific Writing & Computer Applications - 3 credits |
| This course explores fundamental approaches to scientific writing. Considerable time is spent discussing what constitutes critical content and how that content is effectively organized for a variety of documents used in the scientific industry. Strategies for efficient technical writing are emphasized for discipline-specific applications. Students become familiar with common computer software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| MA 202 Statistics & Data Management - 3 credits |
| This course provides an introduction to the basic statistical procedures and data management techniques commonly used in the environmental sciences. Emphasis is placed on methods for organizing, storing, retrieving, analyzing, graphing and interpreting environmental data with database and spreadsheet software. Major analytical topics include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability distributions, parametric and non-parametric hypothesis tests, correlation analysis, simple linear regression, and single-factor analysis of variance. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| SC 110 Inorganic Chemistry - 3 credits |
| This is a basic course in inorganic chemistry with an emphasis on environmental applications. Basic chemical concepts are presented in the lecture series with application of those concepts in the laboratory component. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| SC 120 Maps, Air Photos & GPS - 3 credits |
| This course is an introduction to map reading, map contents, coordinate systems and the National Topographic System (NTS maps). Students practice map interpretation, measurement, and scale calculations, and learn to interpret contours and visualize relief. Compass use and basic field orienteering is taught. Aerial photography is introduced, with an emphasis on an understanding of annotation, scale, measurement, indexing and purchase of both print and digital products. Students practice stereo viewing, and learn to relate aerial photos to maps at different scales. Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments are used for navigation, and students learn to collect and upload differentially corrected field coordinate data. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| SC 140 Environmental Sustainability - 3 credits |
| This course focuses on human interactions with the environment. The environmental impacts of food production and agriculture, forestry, mining, energy processing, urbanization, and other land-use activities are explored. Considerable time is spent investigating current environmental issues within the context of society: water quantity and quality, global warming, air pollution, and the biodiversity crisis. National and Provincial environmental policy relating to these issues is also investigated. Pre/co-requisites: None |
| SC 200 Organic Chemistry - 3 credits |
| This course is a study of the structure, properties and reactions of the main classes of organic compounds and their relationship to living organisms and the environment. Laboratory techniques, including tests required for the assessment of environmental quality, are covered. Prerequisite: SC 110. Co-requisites: None |
| SC 220 GIS & Remote Sensing - 3 credits |
| Concepts in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and remote sensing are covered in this course. The first half of the course focuses on the fundamentals of GIS, including coordinate systems and map projections, data models, spatial analysis, and environmental applications of GIS. The second half of the course focuses on the principles of remote sensing, working with aerial and satellite imagery and introduces various applications of remote sensing in the environmental sciences. Students gain practical experience and introductory proficiency in GIS using the ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online platforms. Prerequisite: SC 120. Co-requisites: None |
| SO 210 Introductory Soil Science - 3 credits |
| This course provides an overview of soil formation processes and the fundamental morphological, physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil. Students gain knowledge of soils through lectures and hands on experience. Students become familiar with The Canadian System of Soil Classification to the Order level and the issues associated with ‘problem soils’. Prerequisites: None. Co-requisites: SC 200 |