Academic Programs

Sustainability Related Majors & Minors

Certificate in Environmental Planning

Humanics Certificate in Administration and Leadership for Community Benefit Organizations

Water and Strategic Communication Certificate

Sustainability GE Pathways and Minors (in development)

Biology B.S., Biology M.S. – students work towards understanding the interactions between the life and physical sciences and achieve training in the current research methods used to sustain natural resources.  Some course examples:  BIOL 101 General Ecology;  BIOL 171 Terrestrial Ecology; BIOL 172 Aquatic Ecology; BIOL 175 Case Studies in Ecology; BIOL 177 Conservation Biology; BIOL 179 Population Ecology. Career examples: California Department of Water Resources, USDA Forest Service, CA Department of Fish & Wildlife, and environmental consulting.

Biotechnology M.S. - students who are fundamentally educated in the sciences are given opportunities to acquire further knowledge and skills needed to comprehend and commercialize emerging technologies. This degree is highly interdisciplinary, spanning advanced courses from faculty in many departments:  biology, chemistry, mathematics, animal and agricultural sciences, food science, industrial technology, plant sciences, viticulture, enology, business, and computer science.  Career examples: developing agricultural waste solutions, medical diagnostics, and bioremediation. 

Computer Science B.S., Computer Science Minor, Computer Science M.S. – students work towards understanding how computation is used to model and solve problems, requiring the development of abstract models of the world, human interfaces, and algorithms for solving sustainability related problems using computational constructs.  Some course examples:  CSCI 40 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving; CSCI 41 Introduction to Data Structures; CSCI 100 Introduction to Computational Science; CSCI 126 Database Systems; CSCI 164 Artificial Intelligence Programming. Career examples: computational sustainability and environmental consulting.

Construction Management B.S. - students study sustainable project management skills, construction practices and building materials to help reduce waste and environmental impact. Some course examples: CM7S Construction Materials and Basic Building Systems; CM177 Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery.

Economics B.A. - Economics is the social science that studies the way in which societies are organized to produce the goods and services that sustain and enhance the life processes of the community. As a fundamental scientific discipline, economics employs systematic analysis in the study of the production and distribution of income within and among nations. Since all social policy issues in modern societies have an economic dimension, the study of economics offers the student an opportunity to investigate the most important and exciting problems of political economy facing the world today, including sustainability. Some course examples:  ECON 117. Environmental Economics, ECON 119. Urban & Regional Economics, ECON 162. Health Economics.

Environmental Science B.S., Geology B.S., Geology M.S. – students work towards understanding the interaction between humans and the natural environment, gaining experience in the current methods being used to research and sustain critical resources, including our water, air, and soils.  Some course examples:  EES1 Natural Disasters and Earth Resources; EES 4 Environmental Science; EES 108 Soil and Water Sciences; EES 117 Hydrogeology; EES 167 Oceans and Atmosphere and Climate. Career examples: California Department of Water Resources, USDA Forest Service, and environmental consulting.

Fashion Merchandising B.A. - The Fashion Merchandising program focuses on preparing students for a wide variety of careers related to marketing, management, buying, and selling of fashion goods. It combines product and industry knowledge with business, communication, and computer skills. Some course examples include FM 20 Textile Science and FM 120 Social and Psychological Aspects of Clothing. Job opportunities include buyers, merchandisers, store managers, product developers, and fashion consultants, as well as other positions in today's competitive and global environment.

Food & Nutritional Sciences Culinology B.S., Dietetics and Food Administration B.S., and Food Science B.S. - students gain practical experience by working in several food processing enterprises on campus.  Students can participate in research, internships, projects, supervised work experience, and other cooperative activities.  Example courses include FN 223 Food, Nutrition, and Health, FN 50 Food and Nutrition Resource Management, NUTR 53 Nutrition and Health: Realities and Controversies, NUTR 166S Community Nutrition.  Students prepare for a wide range of professions in the nutrition field and the food industry, which remains the largest industry in the United States.

Geography B.A. and City and Regional Planning B.S. - students are trained to understand environmental issues and address environmental problems, with a body of knowledge that integrates physical environment and human societies. Students are able to investigate and address environmental problems in a systematic manner. The department also provides a certificate program in environmental planning that was designed to enable students from a variety of disciplines to acquire an understanding of the legal, scientific, and planning methods used to address environmental concerns. Some course examples:  CRP 125 Environmental Planning; CRP 130 Transportation Planning; GEOG 112 Climatology GEOG 118 Air Quality Meteorology; GEOG 135 Environmental Protection. Career examples: community planner, environmental planner, geospatial information analyst. 

Health Science - Community Health B.S. and Environmental/Occupational Health and Safety B.S. - students are trained to understand the interactions between humans and natural/built environments, learning the theory and applied principles of environmental health, occupational health, and safety. Students are academically prepared to make significant contributions to society by anticipating, evaluating, and controlling environmental and occupational health hazards. Some course examples: PH 100 Community Health; PH 105 Risk Assessment and Analysis; PH 145 Occupational and Environmental Systems Management; PH 156 Health and Wellbeing in the San Joaquin Valley; PH 161 Environment and Human Health; PH 162 Environmental Health Concepts. Career examples:  US Public Health Service and Registered Environmental Health Specialist.

Industrial Technology B.S. Industrial Technology Major, Ag Systems Management Major, Precision Ag Minor, Industrial Technology M.S. - program emphasizes application of various types of technologies ranging from drones, robots, computer systems, programmable logic controllers and industrial machines for effective use of limited resources such as raw materials while conserving energy. Courses include applied spatial technology, automated systems, energy utilization and conservation, green supply chain management and quality management.

Plant Science B.S., Plant Science minor, Plant Science M.S. - students acquire field-based backgrounds in pomology, olericulture, agronomy, environmental horticulture, soils, irrigation, economic entomology, plant pathology, weed science, and mechanized agriculture.  The program utilizes the campus’ 1000 acre agricultural field laboratory, greenhouse facilities, and the Jordan Agricultural Research Center, incorporating cutting-edge practices, using the latest innovations in crop production, mechanization, irrigation, soil fertility, propagation, and pest management.  Career examples include Irrigation Specialists, Certified Crop Advisors, careers with the USDA and with the CA Department of Pesticide Regulation.  

Political Science B.A., Public Administration M.A. - students will learn how public policy is made at the local, state, and national levels, and how that policy is developed by lawmakers in political institutions as responses to demands from voters and organized interest groups.  This includes environmental and natural resources policy.  Students can also learn more about the theory and philosophy underlying classic and more progressive approaches to environmentalism.  Some course examples include: PLSI 157 Environmental Politics and PLSI 175 Water Politics and Policy. 

Psychology B.A., Psychology M.A. - students learn how to predict and understand human behavior, including human behavior that harms the environment and human behavior that ameliorates harm to the environment.  Some course examples:  PSYCH 121 Learning and Memory; PSYCH 122 Motivation, PSYCH 128 Cognitive Psychology. Career examples:  Human Resources professional, Behavior Analyst, Research Data Analyst.

Recreation Administration B.S. - students work towards understanding the interaction between humans and the natural environment, gaining experience in the current methods being used to research and sustain key resources including our water, soils, flora and fauna.  Some course examples: RA 192 Outdoor Recreation Management. Career examples: Department of Water Resources, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, California State Parks, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, land conservancies, and Environmental Consulting.

Water Resource Management M.S. - students learn Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assemble and analyze databases describing water availability, use, and reclamation. Students also gain basic modeling skills used to track the natural variability of water supplies and water-use forecasting. Some course examples:  EES 263 Water Resource Management Internship; EES 264 Climatology, and EES 265 Hydrological Systems. Career examples: water resource planner, director of water resources, and water resource analyst.