Graduate Certificate in Environmental Studies’ Mission
The mission of the Environmental Studies graduate certificate program is to advance the knowledge of students in a variety of broadly-based ecological and environmental topics.
This new certificate program will allow educators the opportunity to enhance their ability to teach about local and global environmental issues in the classroom. In addition, the program will provide professionals already working in business, industry, or government a more comprehensive understanding of ecological and environmental processes.
About the Program
The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Studies at The Citadel is a unique interdisciplinary program which brings together two academic strengths of The Citadel – a nationally-ranked Engineering program and a Biology program with several faculty specializing in ecology. The program specifically seeks to promote a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between living organisms, including humans, and the highly dynamic nature of their surrounding physical and chemical environment.
Courses taken as part of the Environmental Studies graduate certificate can be counted toward the Master of Arts in Biology at The Citadel.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the online graduate application along with the appropriate non-refundable application fee.
- An official transcript of the baccalaureate degree and all other undergraduate or graduate work directly from each accredited college or university attended.
- A letter of intent outlining your purpose in pursuing the certificate program.
- Students admitted to the program are not required to have an undergraduate major in biology, however it is assumed that students will have had at least twelve hours in college level biology courses, including a course in ecology. Prospective students who do not have the recommended undergraduate biology requirements must confer with the department head or graduate advisor prior to beginning the program.
Program Requirements
The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Studies program requires a minimum of five graduate-level courses totaling at least 16 semester hours. Students are required to take BIOL 609 (Seminar in Environmental Studies). Each student is also required to choose a minimum of two courses at least one of which must be a 4 credit hour course with lab (minimum of 7 semester hours) from the following list of approved Biology courses, and a minimum of two courses (6 semester hours) from the following list of approved Civil and Environmental Engineering courses.
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Required Courses (3 credit hours)
BIOL 609 – Seminar in Environmental Studies
Biology Elective Courses (2 courses, minimum of 7 semester hours)
BIOL 505 – Biometry
BIOL 506 – Ecology*
BIOL 509 – Marine Biology*
BIOL 514 – The Vascular Flora of South Carolina*
BIOL 518 – Ornithology*
BIOL 519 – Economic Botany
BIOL 526 – Freshwater Biology*
BIOL 604 – Marine Invertebrates*
BIOL 606 – Field Methods in Biology*
BIOL 607 – Microbiology*
BIOL 611 – Graduate Research↑
BIOL 621 – Aquatic Toxicology* BIOL 625 – Tropical Rainforest and Reef Ecology* BIOL 631 – Environmental Physiology
*4 credit hours with lab
↑variable credit hours
Civil and Environmental Engineering Elective Courses (2 courses, 6 semester hours)
ANTH-501 – Physical and Cultural Adaptations
CIVL 506 – Geographic Information Systems
CIVL 602 – Water Quality Modeling and Management
CIVL 604 – Aquatic Chemistry HIST 610 – Special Topics in U.S. History PSCI 509 – Urban Politics