Courses

Graduate

Environmental Science Courses

  • SPEA-E 400 Topics in Environmental Studies (3 cr.) Approved sections
  • SPEA-E 410 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.)
  • SPEA-E 431 Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment (3 cr.)
  • SPEA-E 440 Wetlands: Biology and Regulation (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 451 Air Pollution and Control (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 452 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 455 Limnology (4 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 460 Fisheries and Wildlife Management (3 cr.)
  • SPEA-E 461 Fisheries and Wildlife Management Laboratory (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 470 Elements of Fluid Mechanics (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 475 Techniques of Environmental Science (3 cr.)  
  • SPEA-E 510 Environmental Regulations and Compliance (3 cr.) This course provides an overview of the principles and practice of environmental law, regulation, and compliance. Topics include introduction to the U.S. regulatory framework, survey of regulations and statutes, and problems/case studies for applying legal and regulatory concepts.
  • SPEA-E 512 Risk Communication (3 cr.) Risk communication is the means by which technical information is communicated to others (the public included), especially in the context of making decisions about environmental-related policy, such as siting of a landfill. The course emphasizes both theory (in lectures) and practical experience through developing and acting in role-play scenarios.
  • SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution (3 cr.) The purpose of the course is to provide the student with an understanding of the field of air pollution, including the behavior of the atmosphere and pollutants in the atmosphere, effects of air pollution, regulatory programs, engineering controls, and air quality management programs.
  • SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Geographic information systems using vector data structure. Vector GIS capabilities and uses. Data structure and file management of spatial data. Laboratory exercises using ARC/INFO software.
  • SPEA-E 519 Applied Remote Sensing of the Environment (3 cr.) Applications of remotely sensed data and raster geographic information systems in environmental research. Concepts of remote sensing. Image acquisition from different sensors ranging from aerial photography to various types of satellite imagery. Image processing and analysis. Raster geographic information systems. Raster-vector integration. Concepts of spatial analysis.
  • SPEA-E 520 Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.) An examination of the principles of toxicology and the toxicity resulting from environmental exposure to chemical substances.
  • SPEA-E 522 Urban Forest Management (3 cr.) Originally an outgrowth of arboriculture, urban forestry now encompasses the broader concepts of managing the trees, forests, and other natural resources of cities for ecological, economic, and social benefits. Lectures, discussion, and field projects will be supplemented by outside speakers. (IUB and Bloomington will be the field laboratory.)
  • SPEA-E 526 Applied Mathematics for Environmental Science (2–3 cr.) P: differential and integral calculus. Applications of mathematics to modeling environmental processes. Applied calculus, numerical analysis, differential equations.
  • SPEA-E 527 Applied Ecology (3 cr.) Ecosystem concepts in natural resource management. Techniques of ecosystem analysis. Principles and practices of ecological natural resource management.
  • SPEA-E 528 Forest Ecology and Management (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 538 or V 506. C: SPEA-E 538 or V 506. Field and laboratory exercises in quantitative analysis of forest ecosystems. Sampling and data collection methodologies. Data analysis and interpretation. Concepts in forest ecology and forest management.
  • SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Conceptual and technical overview of geographic information systems (GIS). Applications in various fields of public affairs and environmental science.
  • SPEA-E 532 Introduction to Applied Ecology (3 cr.) This course provides an introduction to applied ecology for non-science majors.
  • SPEA-E 533 Environmental Management Systems: ISO 14001 Based (3 cr.) This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to establish or improve an environmental management system that is compatible with ISO (International Organizations for Standardization) 14001, an international, voluntary standard that is emerging as a best-management practice for environment.
  • SPEA-E 534 Restoration Ecology (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 440 or SPEA-E 527 or permission of instructor. The development and application of ecological principles to restore or re-create ecological structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This course covers basic concepts of ecosystem restoration, including development of energy flow and nutrient cycles, soil formation, mechanisms of species dispersal and colonization, and mutualistic relationships.
  • SPEA-E 535 International Environmental Policy (3 cr.) This course examines the forces in society alternately promoting and impeding cooperation in the environmental realm. Our inquiry is guided by four, interrelated course units: (1) international environmental law; (2) international political order; (3) the environment and global markets; and (4) sustainable development.
  • SPEA-E 536 Environmental Chemistry (3 cr.) P: one course in chemistry with lab. Gas law calculations, stoichiometry, steady and nonsteady state box models, stratospheric ozone, chemical kinetics, photochemical smog, greenhouse effect, CO2 equilibria, chemodynamics, pesticides, and toxic metals.
  • SPEA-E 537 Environmental Chemistry Laboratory (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 536 or consent of instructor. C: SPEA-E 536 or consent of instructor. Experimental work in environmental chemical analysis to demonstrate analytical methods and instrumentation used in environmental laboratories, having reference to air, water, and soil quality.
  • SPEA-E 538 Statistics for Environmental Science (3 cr.) P: calculus and introductory statistics. Data analysis and statistics for environmental research and policy-making. Logic and illogic hypothesis testing with emphasis on power. Sampling and design of experiments. Group comparisons, analysis of variance, regression.
  • SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.) The distribution and cycling of chemical components in natural and engineered systems. Emphasis is on practical aspects of aquatic chemistry. Graphical and computational methods, as well as chemical equilibrium modeling, will be used to solve applied problems in water chemistry.
  • SPEA-E 541 Controversies in Environmental Health (3 cr.) Research, presentation, writing, and argumentation skills will be developed using a debate format. The course focuses on topics related to environmental health and the health of the environment.
  • SPEA-E 542 Hazardous Materials (3 cr.) Provides a technical basis for managing hazardous materials. Topics of discussion include properties and chemistry of hazardous materials; recognition of potential hazards associated with the use, storage, and transport of these materials; emergency and spill response; health effects; and transportation regulations.
  • SPEA-E 543 Environmental Management (3 cr.) Introduces advanced management concepts needed for environmental professionals by increasing their understanding regarding: 1) How implementing program, resource and political management relates to environmental issues; 2) the organizational and legal structure/function of environmental management in the United States; and 3) how professionals develop a strategic implementation approach toward successfully managing the environment.
  • SPEA-E 544 Subsurface Microbiology and Bioremediation (3 cr.) P: BIOL-M 310 or BIOL­M 350; CHEM-C 126. This course explores how microorganisms and microbial processes affect the degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants in the subsurface. Topics include measurements of subsurface microbial activity, thermodynamics and biochemistry of degradation processes, degradation kinetics, and the control and enhancement of these processes in environmental matrices.
  • SPEA-E 545 Lake and Watershed Management (3 cr.) Students will learn to apply basic limnological principles to diagnose lake and watershed problems, to understand lake response to pollution, to identify appropriate management solutions, and to predict lake response to management.
  • SPEA-E 546 Stream Ecology (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 455. Advanced limnology course that explores patterns and processes characterizing stream ecosystems. Takes a holistic approach that includes: physical, chemical and biological stream characteristics; watershed patterns; and stream processes (trophic dynamics, colonization and dispersal, community dynamics, and responses to change). A four-hour weekly lab and group project develop necessary analytical skills.
  • SPEA-E 547 Applied Earth Science (3 cr.) Principles of the earth sciences and their applications to environmental analysis and management. Identification, quantification, and analysis of critical components of watershed systems. Interaction of human activities with the physical environment.
  • SPEA-E 548 Applied Earth Science Laboratory (3 cr.) Principles and methods of sampling, collection, measurement, analysis, and interpretation of data concerning processes and features of the physical environment. Students will become familiar with field and laboratory equipment within the context of research projects. Emphasis is placed on practical application of basic techniques to real problems.
  • SPEA-E 549 Environmental Planning (3 cr.) Concepts and methodologies in environmental planning. The planning process. Topics may include environmental impact assessment, economic approaches to environmental decision making, use of computer models in environmental planning, geographic information systems in environmental planning, environmental perception, and construction of environmental indices. Team projects with planning agencies.
  • SPEA-E 552 Environmental Engineering (3 cr.) Concerned with biological, chemical, physical, and engineering knowledge essential to the achievement of environmental quality objectives. Theory and design of unit operations and processes for air, water, and land pollution abatement. Emphasis on water quality control, industrial wastewater treatment, and solid waste management.
  • SPEA-E 553 Creation and Solution of Environmental Models (3 cr.) Description of the environmental system in terms of steady-state and nonsteady-state material and energy balances. Formulation of the balances as differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions, solution techniques.
  • SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.) Fundamentals of groundwater flow modeling demonstrated through exercises in one-dimensional and radial flow. Two-dimensional flow is treated by use of a semianalytic approach. Alternative modeling techniques, such as finite elements and finite differences, are discussed. Streamline tracing is discussed to study spreading of contaminants.
  • SPEA-E 555 Topics in Environmental Science (2–3 cr.) Selected research and discussion topics in environmental science. Usually organized in a seminar format.
  • SPEA-E 557 Conservation Biology (3 cr.) P: a 300 ­level ecology course. Ecological principles associated with rare species and with biodiversity, laws and statutes used to conserve biodiversity, and land and species management practices. Our aim is to understand scientific and political complexities of conservation biology, and to study different methods used to conserve living resources and resolve conflicts associated with conservation.
  • SPEA-E 559 Field Techniques in Ecology (3 cr.) P: one semester of statistics. Course provides an introduction to field research on ecology. Field labs teach techniques associated with geographic and map work, population estimation, habitat measurement in a variety of settings, and soil sampling. Indoor work covers descriptive univariate and bivariate statistical techniques, data display, and report writing.
  • SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 538 or V 506, or consent of instructor. Methods of probabilistic risk analysis applied to environmental situations. Event trees, fault trees, toxicological estimation, ecological risk analysis. Social and psychological aspects of risk. Individual and group projects assessing some real environmental risk are an important part.
  • SPEA-E 562 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.) The purpose is to provide students with a technical foundation in areas of solid and hazardous waste management which can be applied to the examination of policy options. Topics include characterization of the waste stream, regulations, health and environmental risks, liability issues, management technologies, and treatment and disposal options.
  • SPEA-E 564 Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate (3 cr.) P: SPEA-E 536 or permission of instructor. This course provides students with both a quantitative and intuitive understanding of the relationship between chemical structure, environmental properties, and the behavior of organic contaminants in the environment, particularly aquatic environments. Physical/chemical properties of organic chemicals, fate determining processes, and modeling concepts will be examined in detail.
  • SPEA-E 570 Environmental Soil Science (3 cr.) Soil chemistry can affect forest and crop productivity, pollutant degradation, surface and groundwater quality, and other environmental processes. This course emphasizes chemistry of soil minerals and organic matter, mineral solubility, the soil biota, redox transformations and reaction kinetics, soil colloid and surface chemistry, and biogeochemical cycling of metals.
  • SPEA-E 579 Readings in Environmental Science (1–3 cr.) Readings on selected topics in environmental science to be arranged with the individual instructor.
  • SPEA-E 620 Environmental Analysis Workshop (3 cr.) Projects in environmental analysis.
  • SPEA-E 589 Practicum in Environmental Science (0–6 cr.) Professional experience in environmental science with public agencies or private sector firms or organizations. Usually arranged through the Placement and Internship Office.
  • SPEA-E 680 Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy (1 cr.) P: doctoral student status or consent of the instructor. A seminar series on current topics in environmental science and policy. This course can be repeated for credit for a maximum of 8 credit hours.
  • SPEA-E 625 Research in Environmental Science (1–12 cr.) Research on selected topics in environmental science to be arranged with the individual instructor.
  • SPEA-E 710 Advanced Topics in Environmental Science (1–3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. For advanced students. Topics will vary and will cover subjects not available in other courses. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
  • SPEA-E 890 Ph.D. Thesis: Environmental Science (arr. cr.) (S/F option available)

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