The Watershed Science concentration focuses on the physical, chemical, social, and biological factors that affect the quantity, quality, and flux of water through engagement in the field, laboratory, and classroom. Students begin their program with core courses that build a strong foundation in the physical and natural sciences in preparation for upper-division coursework in land use and snow hydrology, land use and water quality, and watershed problem analysis. Courses emphasize field learning and technical skills, with core classes emphasizing watershed measurements, data analysis, modeling, and research. Students graduating in the watershed science concentration will qualify for federal hydrology jobs under the Office of Personnel Management series 1315.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
- Articulate core concepts in watershed science and sustainability including climate processes, surface and subsurface hydrology, water quality, human uses of water, and sustainable water management.
- Describe how different types of land and water use affect hydrologic processes and water quality.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret meteorological, hydrological, and water quality, water use and management data.
- Analyze watershed problems and sustainability challenges using geospatial data, field observations, sensor data, and watershed models.
- Demonstrate strong critical thinking, writing, and oral communication skills.
Effective Fall 2024
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| ESS 120 | Intro to Ecosystem and Watershed Sciences | 1 | |
| ESS 129 | Information Management for Sustainability | 1 | |
| STAT 158 | Introduction to R Programming | 1 | |
| WR 204/GR 204 | Sustainable Watersheds (GT-SC2) | 3A | 3 |
| Select 4 credits from the following: | 4 | ||
| Principles of Animal Biology (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Principles of Plant Biology (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Select one group from the following: | 5 | ||
Group A: | |||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
Group B: | |||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | ||
| Physical Geography | |||
| Introduction to Geology-Parks and Monuments (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Geology and Society (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Geoscience--Climate and Environmental Change (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Earth Resources and Sustainability (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Dynamic Earth (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 1C | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 27-28 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| LIFE 320 | Ecology | 3 | |
| MATH 155 or 160 | Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) Calculus for Physical Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | 4 |
| MATH 161 or 255 | Calculus for Physical Scientists II (GT-MA1) Calculus for Biological Scientists II | 1B | 4 |
| SOCR 240 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 | |
| STAT 301 or 315 | Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods Intro to Theory and Practice of Statistics | 3 | |
| Select one group from the following: | 10 | ||
Group A: | |||
| General Physics I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| General Physics II (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
Group B: | |||
| Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 31 | ||
| Summer | |||
| NR 220 | Natural Resource Ecology and Measurements | 5 | |
| Total Credits | 5 | ||
| Junior | |||
| AREC 342 | Water Law, Policy, and Institutions | 3 | |
| NR 319 | Introduction to Geospatial Science | 4 | |
| WR 416 | Land Use Hydrology | 4B | 3 |
| WR 418 | Land Use and Water Quality | 3 | |
| WR 474 | Snow Hydrology | 3 | |
| WR 486 | Watershed Field Practicum | 2 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 2 | 3 | |
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Specialized Professional Writing | 2 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Senior | |||
| WR 417 | Watershed Measurements | 3 | |
| WR 440 | Watershed Problem Analysis | 4A,4B,4C | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 4 | ||
| Hydrogeology | |||
| Soil Physics | |||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Stream Biology and Ecology | |||
| Limnology | |||
| Watershed Science Department List (see list below) | 6 | ||
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Electives1 | 4-5 | ||
| Total Credits | 26-27 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Watershed Science Department List
Select a minimum of 6 credits from courses not taken elsewhere in the program. Additional coursework may be required due to prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AREC 330 | Data-Driven Ag and Res Econ Decision Making | 3 |
| AREC 335/ECON 335 | Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| AREC 340/ECON 340 | Introduction-Economics of Natural Resources | 3 |
| AREC 341 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| AREC 375 | Agricultural Law | 3 |
| AREC 442 | Water Resource Economics | 3 |
| ATS 350 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 2 |
| ATS 351 | Introduction to Weather and Climate Lab | 1 |
| BZ 440 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| BZ 441 | Plant Physiology Laboratory | 2 |
| BZ 450 | Plant Ecology | 4 |
| BZ 471 | Stream Biology and Ecology | 3 |
| BZ 472 | Stream Biology and Ecology Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 334 | Quantitative Analysis Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 335 | Introduction to Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 338 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
| CIVE 322 | Basic Hydrology | 3 |
| CIVE 330 | Ecological Engineering | 3 |
| CIVE 421 | Global Water Challenges | 3 |
| CIVE 423 | Groundwater Engineering | 3 |
| CIVE 440 | Nonpoint Source Pollution | 3 |
| CIVE 515 | River Mechanics | 3 |
| CS 345 | Machine Learning Foundations and Practice | 3 |
| DSCI 320 | Optimization Methods in Data Science | 3 |
| DSCI 335 | Inferential Reasoning in Data Analysis | 3 |
| DSCI 336 | Data Graphics and Visualization | 1 |
| DSCI 445 | Statistical Machine Learning | 3 |
| ERHS 320 | Environmental Health--Water Quality | 3 |
| ERHS 448 | Environmental Contaminants | 3 |
| ESS 311 | Ecosystem Ecology | 3 |
| ESS 312 | Sustainability Science | 3 |
| ESS 353 | Global Change Impacts, Adaptation, Mitigation | 3 |
| ESS 365 | Global Climate Justice | 3 |
| ESS 400 | Global Perspectives on Sustainability | 3 |
| ESS 474 | Limnology | 3 |
| ESS 523A | Environmental Data Science Applications: Introduction | 5 |
| ESS 523C/WR 523C | Environmental Data Science Applications: Water Resources | 2 |
| F 311 | Forest Ecology | 3 |
| F 324 | Fire Effects and Adaptations | 3 |
| FW 300 | Biology and Diversity of Fishes | 2 |
| FW 301 | Ichthyology Laboratory | 1 |
| GEOL 446 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
| GEOL 452 | Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEOL 454 | Geomorphology | 4 |
| GES 440/ATS 440 | Sea Level Rise and a Sustainable Future | 3 |
| GES 450 | Global Sustainability and Health | 3 |
| GES 460 | Law and Sustainability | 3 |
| GES 470 | Applications of Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| GR 320 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
| GR 330 | Urban Geography | 3 |
| GR 331 | Geography of Farming Systems | 3 |
| GR 333 | Glaciers and Climate Change | 3 |
| GR 348 | Biogeography | 3 |
| GR 410 | Climate Change: Science, Policy, Implications | 3 |
| GRAD 592 | Water Resources Seminar | 1 |
| HIST 355 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| NR 310 | Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being | 3 |
| NR 320 | Natural Resources History and Policy | 3 |
| NR 323/GR 323 | Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation | 3 |
| NR 330 | Human Dimensions in Natural Resources | 3 |
| NR 375 | Environment and Natural Resources Leadership | 1 |
| NR 400 | Public Communication in Natural Resources | 3 |
| NR 422 | GIS Applications in Natural Resource Management | 4 |
| NR 425 | Natural Resource Policy and Sustainability | 3 |
| NR 450 | Geospatial Project Design and Analysis | 4 |
| NR 453 | Geospatial Field Methods in Natural Resources | 2 |
| NRRT 330 | Social Aspects of Natural Resource Management | 3 |
| NRRT 362 | Environmental Conflict Management | 3 |
| RS 378 | Disturbance Ecology | 2 |
| RS 432 | Rangeland Measurements and Monitoring | 2 |
| RS 478 | Ecological Restoration | 3 |
| SOC 322 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| SOC 323 | Soc. of Environmental Cooperation & Conflict | 3 |
| SOC 362 | Social Change | 3 |
| SOC 461 | Water and Social Justice | 3 |
| SOCR 370 | Climate-Smart Irrigation Principles | 2 |
| SOCR 371 | Climate-Smart Irrigation Management | 1 |
| SOCR 375 | Soil Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| SOCR 425 | Internet of Ag Things--Sensors and Data Lab | 2 |
| SOCR 440 | Pedology | 4 |
| SOCR 442 | Forest and Range Soils | 3 |
| STAT 305 | Sampling Techniques | 3 |
| STAT 342 | Statistical Data Analysis II | 3 |
| WR 406 | Seasonal Snow Environments | 3 |
| WR 575 | Snow Hydrology Field Methods | 1 |
- 1
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program: This program assumes that students will either test out of or take the prerequisite Mathematics courses (MATH 117, MATH 118, MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126) prior to the courses listed in this plan.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| ESS 120 | Intro to Ecosystem and Watershed Sciences | X | 1 | ||
| ESS 129 | Information Management for Sustainability | X | 1 | ||
| WR 204/GR 204 | Sustainable Watersheds (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | 3 | |
| Select one group from the following: | X | 5 | |||
Group A | |||||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
Group B | |||||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
| Total Credits | 13 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| STAT 158 | Introduction to R Programming | X | 1 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3-4 | |||
| Physical Geography | |||||
| Introduction to Geology-Parks and Monuments (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Geology and Society (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Geoscience--Climate and Environmental Change (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Earth Resources and Sustainability (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Dynamic Earth (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Select 4 credits from the following: | X | 4 | |||
| Principles of Plant Biology (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
| Principles of Animal Biology (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | X | 3C | 3 | ||
| CO 150 requirement must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14-15 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| MATH 155 or 160 | Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) Calculus for Physical Scientists I (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 4 | |
| PH 121 or 141 | General Physics I (GT-SC1) Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (GT-SC1) | 3A | 5 | ||
| SOCR 240 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 | |||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| LIFE 320 | Ecology | 3 | |||
| MATH 161 or 255 | Calculus for Physical Scientists II (GT-MA1) Calculus for Biological Scientists II | X | 1B | 4 | |
| PH 122 or 142 | General Physics II (GT-SC1) Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 5 | |
| STAT 301 or 315 | Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods Intro to Theory and Practice of Statistics | X | 3 | ||
| WR 204/GR 204 must be completed by the end of Semester 4. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| NR 220 | Natural Resource Ecology and Measurements | X | 5 | ||
| Total Credits | 5 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| NR 319 | Introduction to Geospatial Science | 4 | |||
| WR 416 | Land Use Hydrology | X | 4B | 3 | |
| WR 474 | Snow Hydrology | X | 3 | ||
| WR 486 | Watershed Field Practicum | X | 2 | ||
| Electives | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| AREC 342 | Water Law, Policy, and Institutions | X | 3 | ||
| WR 418 | Land Use and Water Quality | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Specialized Professional Writing | 2 | ||||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Electives | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| WR 417 | Watershed Measurements | X | 3 | ||
| Select one from the following: | X | 4 | |||
| Hydrogeology | |||||
| Soil Physics | |||||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Stream Biology and Ecology | |||||
| Limnology | |||||
| Watershed Science Elective (See list on requirements tab.) | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 13 | ||||
| Semester 9 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| WR 440 | Watershed Problem Analysis | X | 4A,4B,4C | 3 | |
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Watershed Science Elective (See list on requirements tab.) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 4-5 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 9th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 13-14 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||