Track Leader: Jorge Rodrigues, jmrodrigues@ucdavis.edu

Soil science and biogeochemistry are concerned with the chemical, physical, geological and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space. This track teaches students scientific principles, ranging from the molecular to global scales, for managing soil, water and plant resources. The track includes land use, GIS, remote sensing, soil and ecosystem management and restoration, nutrient management, soil and water pollution remediation, and global change. The track emphasizes practical work experience through student internships with state and federal agencies, soil, water and plant labs, and growers. Graduates are qualified for managerial and technical positions with environmental and agricultural businesses. They are prepared for positions in advising, planning, land appraisal, research, and teaching with private, government, and international organizations involved with soil and water development, use, and conservation and global change issues. Some graduates continue in master's and doctoral programs in soil science, environmental toxicology, hydrology, ecology, and plant sciences.

Faculty perspective:

“Soils are the foundation of society. In order to use them properly and conserve them, we must understand them. Norman Borlaug, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize recipient said in his Nobel lecture ‘...the first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind.’ If we are to provide that component, along with a quality environmental, we must understand soils.” - Michael J. Singer

Potential Graduate Programs:
Students from the former Soil and Water Science major that has now become a track in ESM have gone on to graduate school at the best schools in the country including Cornell, North Carolina State, University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin to name just a few.

Major Requirements

Preparatory Subject Matter Requirements

Course IDs	Course Title	Quarters Offered	Units	Notes
Written and Oral Expression
UWP 101, 102A-G, 104A-F	Upper Division Writing	I, II, III, IV	4	May test out of requirement
CMN 1, 3, or DRA 10	Public Speaking	I, II, III, IV	4
Biological Sciences
BIS 2A	Essentials of Life on Earth	I, II, III, IV	5
BIS 2B	Principles of Ecology and Evolution	I, II, III, IV	5
BIS 2C	Biodiversity and the Tree of Life	I, II, III, IV	5
Geology (choose one of the following)
GEL 1	The Earth	I, II, III	4
GEL 50	Physical Geology	I, II	3	(recommended)
Chemistry
CHE 2A or 2AH	General Chemistry	I, II, IV (2A or 2AH)	5
CHE 2B or 2BH	General Chemistry	II, III, IV (2B or 2BH)	5
CHE 2C or 2CH	General Chemistry	I, III, IV (2C or 2CH)	5	(recommended, not required)
Physics (Complete either 1AB or 7ABC)
Physics 1A	General Physics	I, II, IV	3
Physics 1B	General Physics	II, III	3
Physics 7A	General Physics	I, II, III, IV	4
Physics 7B	General Physics	I, II, III, IV	4
Physics 7C	General Physics	I, II, III, IV	4
Economics
ECN 1A	Principles of Microeconomics	I, II, III, IV	4
Mathematics
MAT 16A, 17A, or 21A	Calculus	I, II, III, IV	3-4	Mat 17AB recommended
MAT 16B, 17B, or 21B	Calculus	I, II, III, IV	3-4
Environmental Science and Policy
ESP 1	Environmental Analysis	I, IV	4

I = fall quarter, II = winter quarter, III = spring quarter, IV = summer session

Depth Subject Matter Requirements

NOTE: Students graduating with this major are required to attain at least a C average (2.0 GPA) in all courses taken at the university in Depth Subject Matter and pass all coursework. See requirements of the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science in the UC Davis General Catalog.

Course IDs	Course Title	Prerequisites	Quarters Offered	Units
Global Environment
ESM 120	Global Environmental Interactions	One college-level chemistry and biology course	II	4
Ecology (Choose one of the following)
ESP 100	General Ecology	BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; STA 13 recommended	I, II, IV	4
EVE 101	Introduction to Ecology	BIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; or equivalent	I, II, III, IV	4
Policy
ESP 162	Environmental Policy	ECN 1A	II	4
Statistics (Choose one of the following - Statistics 100 recommended)
STA 13	Elementary Statistics	Two years of high school algebra or equivalent in college	I, II, III, IV	4
STA 100	Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences	MAT 16B or 17B or 21B	I, II, III, IV	4
Environmental Monitoring (Choose one of the following)
ESM 108	Environmental Monitoring	Entry level course in the environmental sciences	III	3
ESP 179	Environmental Impact Assessment	ESP 1 or the equivalent	II, IV	4
GIS Technology
ABT/LDA 150	Introduction to GIS	None	I, III	4
Internship
ESM/ESP 92 or 192	Internship	Upper division standing, permission of instructor Variable unit – must take at least 3 units of internship May complete internship in a different area with prior approval (e.g.: PLS, SSC, ATM)	I, II, III, IV	3
Capstone
ESM 195	Integrating Env Science & Management	Senior standing; Environmental science major (e.g.: ESM, EPAP, ETX, WFC)	III	2
Honors Thesis (Optional)
ESM 194H	Senior Honors Thesis	Senior standing, Overall GPA of 3.50 or higher Consent of the master adviser		2-6

I = fall quarter, II = winter quarter, III = spring quarter, IV = summer session

Required Courses

NOTE: Courses taken for the depth subject matter or track cannot be used to fulfill more than one major requirement.

Course IDs	Course Title	Prerequisites	Quarters	Units
Complete
SSC 100	Principles of Soil Science	College-level course in each of CHE, PHY, BIS, and GEL recommended	I	5
Select four soils and biogeochemistry courses
ESM 100	Principles of Hydrologic Science	CHE 2B; Math 16B; PHY 7A or 9A	I	4
HYD 134	Aqueous Geochemistry	CHE 2B	III	6
SSC 102	Environmental Soil Chemistry	SSC 100 or equivalent and general chemistry	II	3
SSC 105	Field Studies of Soils in CA Ecosystems	SSC 100 and 120 or equivalent recommended	IV	5
SSC 107	Soil Physics	SSC 100; ESM 100; MAT 16A or the equivalent	I	5
SSC 109	Sustainable Nutrient Management	SSC 100 or the equivalent	III	4
SSC 111	Soil Microbiology	CHE 2C; BIS 2C	II	4
SSC 112	Soil Ecology	BIS 2B and 2C or SSC 100	I	4
SSC 120	Soil Genesis, Morphology, & Classification	SSC 100; GEL 50 recommended	III	5
Select two environmental policy courses
ESM 121	Water Science & Management	PHY 10 or GEL 1	III	3
ESP 165	Climate Policy	ECN 1A, ESP 1, or consent of instructor	III	3
ESP 166**	Ocean & Coastal Policy	ESP 1 or consent of instructor	II	3
ESP 171	Urban & Regional Planning	ESP 1 recommended	III	4
ESP 172	Public Lands Management	ECN 1A recommended	I	4
ESP 179	Environmental Impact Assessment	ESP 1 or equivalent	II, IV	4
SOC 160	Sociology of the Environment	SOC 1 or 2 or 3 recommended	I	4
Select one land-use analysis course
ESM 185	Aerial Photo Interp. & Remote Sensing	Upper division standing	I	4
HYD 147	Runoff. Erosion, & Water Quality	PHY 7B or 9B; MAT 16C or 21C; ECI 142, HYD 141, or ESM 100	I	3
	Management in the Tahoe Basin
SSC 118	Soils in Land Use & the Environment	SSC 100 or consent of instructor	III	4
GEL 134	Env Geology & Land Use Planning	One course in Geology or consent of instructor		3
Select two biological processes courses
ATM 160*	Intro to Atmospheric Chemistry	CHE 2B	II	4
ESM/PLS 144	Trees & Forests	PLS 2 or BIS 2C	I	4
ESP 116N*	Oceanography	GEL 1 or 2 or 16 or 50	II	3
ESP 150A**	Physical & Chemical Oceanography	ESP 116N, PHY 9B, MAT 21D, CHE 2C, consent of instructor	III	4
ESP 150C	Biological Oceanography	Acceptance into the Bodega Marine Lab summer program	IV	4
ESP 151	Limnology	BIS 2A and 2B; BIS 2C and ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended	III	4
ESP 155**	Wetland Ecology	BIS 2A or equivalent; ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended	I	4
PLB/EVE 117	Plant Ecology	BIS 2A-C; PLB 111 recommended	I	4
PLS 130	Rangelands: Ecology, Cons, & Restoration	PLS 2 or BIS 2B or BIS 2C or consent of instructor	II	3

I = fall quarter, II = winter quarter, III = spring quarter, IV = summer session
*Course is offered in odd years only (2015, 2017, etc.)
**Course is offered in even years only (2016, 2018, etc.)

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Soils and Biogeochemistry requirements