The environmental management systems curriculum is partitioned into three areas of concentration: 1) Environmental Analysis and Risk Management, 2) Policy Analysis, and 3) Resource Conservation. Each concentration includes a variety of elective courses that allow students to gain expertise in specific areas that interest them. Particularly in their junior and senior years, students interact with a wide range of accomplished environmental professionals to refine their program of study and career goal, and focus on specific career paths within the broad environmental management field. However, the environmental management systems curriculum is designed to be sufficiently flexible to allow students to prepare for positions in the public or private sectors working in the office, laboratory or field.

Graduates with a concentration in Environmental Analysis and Risk Management will have a knowledge and practical understanding of: chemistry (analytical, organic and quantitative analysis; instrumentation; soil and water chemistry); environmental microbiology; environmental fate and transport geology (hydrology); land use planning (including GIS/GPS); site investigation principles and collection methods; human and ecological risk assessment; federal and local regulations governing site assessment, site evaluation and site remediation.

Graduates with a concentration in Policy Analysis will have a knowledge and practical understanding of the role and scope of state and federal regulatory agencies (DEQ, DHH, DNR, EPA, etc.); environmental laws and regulations (CERCLA, SARA, CWA, CAA, ETC.); mechanisms for implementation of regulations, compliance with regulations, permits, audits, etc; environmental auditing systems; environmental permitting; the role of risk assessment in decision making; and land use planning.

Graduates with a concentration in Resource Conservation will have a knowledge and practical understanding of: chemical, physical and biological properties of soils; soil and water conservation and associated federal programs; coastal restoration; soil/plant relationships; fundamentals of forestry, wildlife and agricultural management; land use planning (including GIS/GPS); soil and water assessment and remediation principles; ecological risk assessment.

Career Links

Environmental Analysis and Risk Management

Required Courses (30 hrs.)—AGRO 4055; BIOL 2051; CHEM 2001; AGRO 4056 or OCS 4090; and 16-17 hours of approved electives from a list available from the School of Plant, Environmental & Soil Sciences. Students may select no more than six hours of approved electives below the 3000 level.

Policy Analysis

Required Courses (30 hrs.)—AGEC 3803; AGRO 4078; ENVS 4101; ENVS 4261, 4262 or 4264 or 4266; select one: AGEC 3503 or ECON 4320; OCS 4465; and 12 hours of approved electives from a list available from the School of Plant, Environmental & Soil Sciences. Students may select no more than 6 hours of approved electives below the 3000 level.

Resource Conservation

Required Courses (30 hrs.)—AGEC 3503; AGRO 3040, 4052, 4055, and 4078; select one: AGRO 3000 or 4070 or HORT 2050 or 2061 or OCS 4308; GEOG 4047; and select one: OCS 4166 or 4465 or 4560; and four to five hours of approved electives from a list available from the School of Plant, Environmental, & Soil Sciences

Environmental Management is a field that is of interest to students in a variety of majors, particularly in the basic and applied sciences. The minor in Environmental Management Systems complements other majors by allowing students to learn about current topics, research and regulations in the environmental field and preparing them for careers that require knowledge of environmental principles. To graduate with a minor in environmental management systems, students must complete 18 hours consisting of EMS 1011, EMS 3040, and EMS 3050, and 8 hours chosen from EMS 3045, EMS 4010, EMS 4020, EMS 4055 or EMS 4056.

Required classes:
EMS 1011 Environment and Technology
EMS 3040 Applied Environmental Management
EMS 3050 Environmental Regulations and Compliance

And 8 hours chosen from:
EMS 3045 Soil Conservation (cross-listed with AGRO 3040)
EMS 4010 Applied Ecology (cross-listed with ENVS 4010)
EMS 4020 Quantitative Risk Assessment
EMS 4055 Chemical Properties of Soil (cross-listed with AGRO 4055)
EMS 4056 Microbial Ecology and Nutrient Cycling in Soils (cross-listed with AGRO 4056 and BIOL 4256)

Note: some of these classes have prerequisites (see catalog or check with instructor).

For more information about the Environmental Management Systems minor, contact Dr. Maud Walsh, Undergraduate Advisor,School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, at 578-1211 or evwals@lsu.edu.

Policy Analysis Approved Electives

EMS 2011 - Analysis of Environmental Issues
ACCT 3233 - Internal Auditing (3)
ACCT 4233 - Case Studies in Auditing (3)
ACCT 4234 - Internal Auditing II (3)
AGEC 4603 - Agricultural Policy (3)
AGRO 4078 - Land Use Planning and Land Management (3)
AGRO 4092 - Special Topics in Soil Science (1-3)
ARCH 4062 - Urban Design and Planning (3)
ECON 4325 - Applied Resource Economics (3)
EMS 3090 - Environmental Internship (3)
EMS 4030 - Environmental Permit Writing (3)
EMS 4999 - Senior research project (1-3)
EMS 4010 - Applied Ecology (2)
ENVS 4149 - Design of Environmental Management Systems (3)
FIN 3355 - Real Property Law (3)
FDSC 4070 - Food and Drug Laws, Standards, and Regulations (2)
GEOG 4080 - Historical Geography (3)
GEOG 4047 - Geographic Information Systems (3)
GEOG 4078 - Environment and Development (3)
HRE 2723 - Introduction to Leadership Development (3)
OCS 4465 - Coastal Zone Management (1-4)
OCS 4560 - Wetland Loss, Restoration, and Management (3)
RNR 4039 - Renewable Natural Resources Policy (3)

Environmental Analysis and Risk Management Approved Electives

EMS 2011 - Analysis of Environmental Issues
PLHL 2050 - Introduction to Pest Management (3)
AGRO 4056 - Microbial Ecology and Nutrient Cycling in Soils (4)
AGRO 4070 - Weed Science and the Environment (formerly PLHL 4070) (3)
AGRO 4078 - Land Use Planning and Land Management (3)
AGRO 4092 - Special Topics in Soil Science(1-3)
BIOL 4087 - Basic Biochemistry (4)
BIOL 4110 - Introductory Microbial Physiology (3)
BIOL 4190 - Introductory Virology (3)
BIOL 4261 - Microbiology of Water, Sewage, and Ind. Wastes (4)
CHEM 4150 - Environmental Chemistry (3)
EMS 3090 - Environmental Internship (3)
EMS 4030 - Environmental Permit Writing (3)
EMS 4999 - Senior research project (1-3)
ENVS 4035 - Aquatic Pollution (3)
EVEG 4135 - Water Quality Analysis for Natural Systems (4)
EVEG 4153 - Hazardous Waste Management (3)
IE 4462 - Safety Engineering (3)
IE 4463 - Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene Engineering (3)
NS 3411 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Radiation Science (3)
NS 4352 - Environ. Radiological Evaluation and Remediation (2)
OCS 4090 - Marine and Environmental Microbiology (3)

Resource Conservation Approved Electives

EMS 2011 - Analysis of Environmental Issues
AGEC 4603 - Agricultural Policy (3)
AGRO 4056 - Microbial Ecology and Nutrient Cycling in Soils (4)
AGRO 4058 - Soil Morphology and Classification (4)
AGRO 4092 - Special Topics in Soil Science (1-3)
BIOL 2051 - General Microbiology (4)
BIOL 4253 - Principles of Ecology (3)
EMS 3090 - Environmental Internship (3)
EMS 4030 - Environmental Permit Writing (3)
EMS 4040 - Environmental Instrumental Analysis (3)
EMS 4999 - Senior research project
GEOG 4018 - Geographical Hydrology (3)
GEOG 4029 - Coastal Resources and Management (3)
GEOG 4070 - Environmental Conservation (3)
OCS 3200 - Hurricanes and Typhoons (3)
OCS 4128 - Wetland Hydrology and Hydrodynamics (3)
OCS 4095 - Marine Field Ecology (4)
OCS 4165 - Environmental Chemistry of Wetlands (3)
OCS 4166 - Wetland Delineation and Functional Assessment (3)
OCS 4372 - Estuarine Ecology (4)
RNR 4025 - Limnology (3)
RNR 4023 - Marine Fisheries Resources (3)
RNR 4039 - Renewable Natural Resources Policy (3)
RNR 4040 - Fisheries Management (4)