Conservation and Environmental Science, BA BA
At UWM, students with a passion for nature and the environment can obtain a solid education in the natural sciences that are central to environmental science - biology, geosciences, and chemistry - and the social sciences of geography, economics, and politics which guide the application of conservation and environmental science in the real world.
Students at UWM can focus their conservation and environmental science work around land resources, water resources, biological resources/biodiversity, or environmental analysis. Internships and field work complement classroom learning. These opportunities can be found locally at UWM's own Field Station, on Lake Michigan aboard UWM's R/V Neeskay vessel, and at local agencies, or abroad in places as far flung as Iceland, Africa, Romania and the Caribbean.
An active Conservation Club is another student advantage at UWM. Activities range from on-campus sustainability projects to professional networking and more.
UWM’s CES major builds on students’ passion to solve environmental issues through either a BS or a BA degree. The BS requires more courses in math, biology, chemistry, and science and is suitable for careers in field or laboratory work, while the BA has fewer electives in science for a career in public programming, education, or administration.
Because of the breadth and flexibility of this major, students should consult with the Director and/or Coordinator to plan a course of study, preferably before the start of their sophomore year. It is particularly important to begin the introductory course sequences early, since they are prerequisites for advanced courses.
It is recommended that students obtain at least one semester of practical work or internship experience, either as an employee or as a volunteer, with state or federal resource management agencies, consulting firms, conservation or environmental organizations, or with nature centers or local parks.
Career Resources and Job Outcomes
Program Type
Major
Program Format
On Campus
Listed below are the requirements for the Conservation and Environmental Science major. In addition to the requirements for the major, students must also satisfy all university and college general degree requirements. Degree requirements will vary depending on when you took your first college class. We encourage you to consult your advisor regularly to ensure you stay on track towards earning your degree. You can read more about the degree requirements on the L&S Degree Requirements web pages.
Conservation and Environmental Science Major Requirements
The Conservation and Environmental Science (CES) major requires a minimum of 54 credits, 29 of which are advanced-level. All students in the major must fulfill the required 36 credits (25 lower-level core credits, and 11 advanced-level credits) and an additional 18 advanced-level credits from among the approved CES upper-level electives.
Students must complete the courses listed below, including at least 15 upper-division (numbered 300 and above) credits in the major in residence at UWM. The College of Letters & Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Introductory Core | ||
| BIO SCI 150 | Foundations of Biological Sciences I | 4 |
| BIO SCI 152 | Foundations of Biological Sciences II | 4 |
| CES 210 | Introduction to Conservation and Environmental Science | 3 |
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry | 5 |
| GEO SCI 100 | Introduction to the Earth | 3 |
| or GEOG 120 | Our Physical Environment | |
| GEO SCI 102 | Evolution of the Earth | 3 |
| or GEO SCI 150 | Introduction to Ocean Sciences | |
| GEOG 215 | Introduction to Geographic Information Science | 3 |
| Mid-Level Distributional Requirement | ||
| BIO SCI 310 | General Ecology | 4 |
| GEOG 350 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
| Upper-Level Core | ||
| Select 18 upper-level approved CES electives with at least 3 credits taken from each of the following areas | 18 | |
Biological Sciences | ||
Geosciences | ||
Geography | ||
| Research Requirement | ||
| CES 471 | Practicum in Natural Resources Management | 4 |
| Total Credits | 54 | |
List of Approved Electives for the CES Major
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 448 | Cultural and Human Ecology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 315 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 325 | Genetics | 4 |
| BIO SCI 358 | Birds of Wisconsin | 2 |
| BIO SCI 370 | Mammalian Physiology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 383 | General Microbiology | 4 |
| BIO SCI 406 | Marine Biology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 440 | Ecology and Evolution of Amphibians and Reptiles | 3 |
| BIO SCI 451 | Field Methods in Conservation | 3 |
| BIO SCI 465 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| BIO SCI 480 | Ecological Genetics | 3 |
| BIO SCI 489 | Internship in Biological Sciences, Upper Division | 1-6 |
| BIO SCI 500 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 501 | Plant and Aquatic Ecophysiology Laboratory | 3 |
| BIO SCI 502 | Introduction to Programming and Modeling in Ecology and Evolution | 3 |
| BIO SCI 505 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 512 | Limnology I | 3 |
| BIO SCI 523 | Evolution and Ecology of Birds | 3 |
| BIO SCI 532 | Behavioral Ecology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 540 | Microbial Diversity and Physiology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 562 | Topics in Field Biology: | 1-2 |
| BIO SCI 575 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| BIO SCI 611 | Seminar on Recent Advances in Limnology and Oceanography | 2 |
| CES 390 | Changing Climate: A Conservation and Sustainability Approach | 3 |
| CES 451 | Field Methods in Conservation | 3 |
| CES 461 | The Politics and Policy of Sustainability | 3 |
| CES 489 | Internship in Environmental Studies, Upper Division | 1-6 |
| CES 497 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| CES 499 | Ad Hoc: | 1-6 |
| CES 515 | Environmental Law for Natural Resource Managers | 3 |
| CES 651 | Principles of Stream Management and Restoration | 3 |
| CHEM 341 | Introductory Survey of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 342 | Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 343 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 344 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 345 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 524 | Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
| CHEM 560 | Biophysical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 603 | Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| ECON 328 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| GEOG 304 | Human Impact on the Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 306 | Natural Hazards | 3 |
| GEOG 310 | General Climatology | 3 |
| GEOG 325 | Data Science and Environmental Applications | 4 |
| GEOG 340 | Biogeography | 3 |
| GEOG 403 | Remote Sensing: Environmental and Land Use Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 405 | Cartography | 4 |
| GEOG 415 | The Water Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 450 | Climates of the Past and Climate Change | 3 |
| GEOG 464 | Environmental Problems | 3 |
| GEOG 515 | Watershed Analysis and Modeling | 3 |
| GEOG 520 | Physical Geography of the City | 3 |
| GEOG 525 | Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| GEOG 547 | Spatial Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 564 | Urban Environmental Change and Social Justice | 3 |
| GEOG 625 | Intermediate Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| GEOG 650 | Geography Field Work | 3 |
| GEO SCI 301 | Principles of Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEO SCI 400 | Water Quality | 4 |
| GEO SCI 409 | Process Geomorphology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 421 | Conservation Paleontology | 3 |
| GEO SCI 422 | Plant-Insect Interactions in Deep Time | 3 |
| GEO SCI 443 | Glacial and Pleistocene Geology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 463 | Physical Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 464 | Chemical Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 511 | Stratigraphy and Sedimentation | 4 |
| GEO SCI 515 | Physical Sedimentology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 520 | Introduction to Paleontology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 525 | Terroir: Geology in a Glass | 3 |
| GEO SCI 562 | Environmental Surface Hydrology | 3 |
| GEO SCI 563 | Field Methods in Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEO SCI 696 | Topics in the Geological Sciences: | 1-3 |
| GEO SCI 697 | Seminar in the Geological Sciences: | 1-3 |
| PHILOS 337 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| POL SCI 383 | Environmental Political Theory | 3 |
Approved CES Course Electives Outside of the College of Letters and Science
Although the following courses may count as credits toward the CES major requirements, they do not count to satisfy the advanced L&S credits requirement for the degree. Consult the program coordinator before enrolling any of these courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 340 | Urban Design | 3 |
| ATM SCI 330 | Air-Pollution Meteorology | 3 |
| CIV ENG 492 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 502 | Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 322 | Ecology and Evolution of Freshwater Organisms | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 361 | Introduction to Environmental Data Systems | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 391 | Water and Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 392 | Water, Energy, Food, and Climate | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 393 | Water Law, Policy, and the Environment | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 471 | Introduction to Sensing Networks | 3 |
| FRSHWTR 504 | Quantitative Freshwater Analysis | 3 |
| PH 346 | Environmental Health and Disease | 3 |
| PH 375 | Topics in Public Health: | 3 |
| URBPLAN 591 | Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Planning | 3 |
Other Potential Courses
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Conservation and Environmental Science Program, students are encouraged to work with the program coordinator to identify classes that will enable them best to gain the knowledge to achieve their goals. CES students can petition the Program to accept many classes beyond those listed above, if they are appropriate for the major and the individual student's program of study. For example, the following courses may apply:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 601 | Special Topics: | 1-3 |
| ANTHRO 699 | Independent Work | 1-3 |
| BIO SCI 497 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| BIO SCI 599 | Special Topics in Biological Sciences: | 1-3 |
| BIO SCI 699 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| FRSHWTR 690 | Undergraduate Seminar in Freshwater Sciences: | 1-3 |
| GEOG 698 | GIS/Cartography Internship | 1-6 |
| GEOG 699 | Independent Work | 1-3 |
| GEO SCI 699 | Advanced Independent Reading | 1-3 |
Declaration of Major
Students wishing to declare the major can obtain the necessary information by contacting the CES Program Coordinator’s office (Lapham Hall, Room 366) or their College of Letters and Science advisor.
Letters & Science Advising
During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors and success coaches. Letters & Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional college advisors and faculty advisors. L&S college advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental faculty advisors focus on the major.
College advisors are located in Holton Hall (or virtually for online students) and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College advisors will:
- Assist you in defining your academic and life goals.
- Help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals.
- Assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures.
- Provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate.
- Monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.
Faculty advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a faculty advisor when you declare your major. Faculty advisors are an important partner and will:
- Help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department.
- Explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences.
- Serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.
Students are encouraged to meet with both their college advisor and faculty advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video.
Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate360 website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.
There are things you can do about your career before you graduate. The decisions and actions you take early on will have a significant impact on the course of your career life. Now is the time to take stock of your options and make some commitments. These web resources will help you think through some of the possibilities.