Graduate Programs

The University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources offers numerous graduate degrees both on campus and online. Benefiting from the expertise of over 60 faculty members, you have the opportunity to focus your research in a specific area of interest or career goal.

You can learn more about the various graduate programs CNR has to offer by visiting CNR’s Graduate Studies Office website.

Visit our Internship & Project Opportunities page for Internship Projects (INT), Undergraduate Senior Thesis Research (U.G. Thesis), ENVS 599 Projects (599), M.S. Thesis Research Projects (M.S. Thesis), and Doctoral Research Projects (Ph.D.).

The Environmental Science Program offers numerous graduate courses which cover a breadth of subject areas. Below are some of the courses you would have the opportunity to take:

• ENVS 509 Principles of Environmental Toxicology
  Fundamental toxicological concepts including dose-response relationships, absorption of toxicants, distribution and storage of toxicants, biotransformation and elimination of toxicants, target organ toxicity and teratogenesis, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis; chemodynamics of environmental contaminants including transport, fate, and receptors; chemicals of environmental interest and how they are tested and regulated; risk assessment fundamentals.
  
  
• ENVS 515 Environmental Lifecycle Assessment
  Environmental life cycle assessment is the study of the environmental impacts resulting from the human production of goods and services from raw material acquisition through ultimate disposition. The class covers the basic concepts of life cycle assessment including definition of system boundaries, inventory of energy and material inputs and resultant emissions, assessment of impacts on human health and the environment, and interpretation of results. Recommended preparation: basic physical and biological sciences and familiarity with spreadsheet programs such as Excel. Additional assignment/projects required for graduate credit.

• ENVS 536 Principles of Sustainability
  Presented as online doculectures, covering topics such as: Origins of Sustainability, Standards of Sustainability, Culture of Waste, Built Environment, Industrial Sustainability, Energy Sustainability, Water Resources, Measuring Sustainability, Sustainable Impact Assessment, and Our Sustainable Future. Readings and homework are assigned with each topic. Learning assessment will be from homework, exams and written papers

• ENVS 541 Sampling and Analysis of Environmental Contaminants
  Covers the sampling and analysis of environmental contaminants from a statistical perspective. Includes designing sampling plans for environmental studies, statistically analyzing environmental data, and touches on more advanced techniques such as time series analysis and censored data.

• ENVS 544 Water Quality in the Pacific Northwest
  Qualitative aspects of water are covered in this class. Major topics are qualitative aspects of (1): surface water, (2) groundwater, (3) drinking water, (4) water in the oceans, and (5) the human waste stream. Concepts presented are relevant to world-wide water quality issues and concepts; however, an emphasis is placed on issues within the four Pacific Northwest states (ID, AK, OR, WA).

• ENVS 548 Drinking Water and Human Health
  Understand the characterization, testing, and treatment of chemical, microbial and hazardous compounds and their impact on human health. Be familiar with drinking water standards, regulatory aspects and protection of municipal, community, and private well systems.

• ENVS 552 Environmental Philosophy
  Philosophical examination of various ethical, metaphysical, and legal issues concerning humans, nature, and the environment; issues covered may include biodiversity and species protection, animal rights, radical ecology, environmental racism, wilderness theory, population control, and property rights.

• ENVS 577 Law, Ethics and the Environment
  Examines the laws and related ethical questions pertaining to agricultural and natural resource issues. Graduate credit includes special projects and additional discussion meetings.

• ENVS 579 Introduction to Environmental Regulations
  Interpretation and implementation of local, state, and federal environmental rules; introduction to environmental regulatory process; topics include regulatory aspects of environmental impact assessment, water pollution control, air pollution control, solid and hazardous waste, resource recovery and reuse, toxic substances, pesticides, occupational safety and health, radiation, facility siting, environmental auditing and liability.

• ENVS 582 Natural Resource Policy and Law
  Offered only at the University of Idaho at Idaho Falls.
  Examination of U.S. natural resource policy and law including historical contexts and current policies and laws. Additional projects/assignments required for graduate credit.