The pressing needs for sustainable development, acceptable environmental quality, and the urgency to address climate change are placing increasing demands upon governments and industries locally, nationally, and worldwide. To help meet those demands, the Environmental Science major provides training for students intending to enter environmental professions or to pursue graduate study in environmental science and related fields such as biology, chemistry, public health, law, and policy. The major offers an interdisciplinary course of study that combines elements of the natural and social sciences relevant to understanding the biosphere and its interaction with human society.

Many of tomorrow’s innovations in fields such as fast computing, renewable energy generation, batteries, plastics, textiles, and transportation will rely on the unique and novel properties of materials. The development of such materials requires integrated knowledge in physics, chemistry, and biology, along with advanced mathematics and computation. The Materials Science major introduces students to the interdisciplinary study in materials science, which includes atomic and molecular structure, mechanical and thermodynamic properties, electric and magnetic properties, and fabrication methods and applications, together with disciplinary training in either physics or chemistry.