The NSU environmental science bachelor's degree program meets the growing need for competent, well-trained scientists who are prepared for the multitude of environmental issues facing our world.
    About The Program

    Northern’s environmental science bachelor's degree program merges biological, physical, and information sciences with the study of environmental systems, issues, and solutions to major environmental problems.

    As an environmental science major at Northern, you'll study the fascinating interrelation between the natural sciences. You'll examine the relationship between living organisms and the ecosystems in which they live, addressing how humans affect the environment and how you can help reduce or even reverse negative impacts.

    NSU environmental science majors graduate with the ability to serve as a crucial information resource for managers, policymakers, and citizens as they work to address pressing environmental issues.

     

    GIS Certificate

    A certificate (12 credits) in GIS is also available, which provides additional hands-on training for students pursuing environmental careers.

     

    Careers

    Graduates will leave this program well prepared to enter careers as wildlife biologists, natural resource scientists, naturalists, aquatic ecologists or conservation biologists, or to pursue graduate education.

    Environmental science graduates can seek careers with government agencies, environmental consulting firms, nonprofit organizations and more.  Most are employed equally between the government and private, for-profit sectors. Other potential job titles include wildlife manager, wildlife biologist, environmental consultant, soil conservationist, forester, ecologist, environmental educator/naturalist, aquatic ecologist, plant sicentist/botanist, zoologist, conservation scientist, geographic information scientist.

    Most environmental science graduates are employed equally between the government and private, for-profit sectors. Many graduates work in the timber and paper industries and with farmers and ranchers. Others are employed with the government. Potential job titles include forestry and conservation scientists, biological scientists, administrators and secondary school teachers.

    For more information on careers in your major or help choosing a major, contact Career Services.

    Internships

    Biology majors at NSU receive a very personal education. Our class sizes are small, allowing ample opportunity to interact directly with faculty of diverse specialties. This personal attention from well-qualified and enthusiastic professors, combined with our hands-on policy with laboratory equipment, give Northern students an edge when applying for internships.

     

    Contact Information

    For more information about this degree, contact Jessica Ness, or call 605-626-2272 or 605-626-7900. Or, contact NSU Admissions at 605-626-2544 or admissions@northern.edu.

    Ph.D. University of Southern Mississippi
    M.S. University of North Dakota
    B.S. University of North Dakota
     
     
    Dr. Eric Pulis joined Northern's faculty in 2018. Originally from central Minnesota, he attended the University of North Dakota, where he received his B.S. in fisheries and wildlife biology and his M.S. in biology. Dr. Pulis earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Coastal Sciences, where his research focused on the taxonomy and systematics of some parasitic flat worms found in fishes. He is currently the advisor for the NSU Environmental Club.
     
    Research Interests
    Dr. Pulis's primary research interests are in the ecology, evolution, and diversity of parasites of wildlife and fishes.…

    Ph.D. University of South Dakota

    M.S. North Dakota State University

    B.S. North Dakota State University

     
    Dr. Jodie Ramsay started at NSU in 2001. Her area of expertise is plant science. She grew up in Minnesota and spends much of the summer there, where she co-owns a greenhouse. Dr. Ramsay is the director of NSU Regional Science Fair and serves as the faculty mentor for Rising Scholar (dual credit) biology courses taught across eastern South Dakota.
     
    Courses Taught
    Biogeography
    Ecology
    Environmental Biology
    Environmental Science and Conservation
    Freshman Seminar
    General Biology I
    General Biology II
    Plants and Civilization
    Plant Structure and Function
    Plant Systematics
    Senior Seminar
    Soils and the Environment