A B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science is offered in the School of the Coast and Environment at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This undergraduate curriculum is an interdisciplinary, collaborative effort between the SC&E and two departments housed in the School, the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences and the Department of Environmental Sciences. These departments have long-standing and well-established research and teaching programs offering master’s and doctorate degrees in the marine science field and a master’s degree in environmental science. The degree takes advantage of the long experience of these programs through the collective research and teaching expertise of over forty-five faculty in marine and environmental sciences in SC&E and many environmentally relevant courses offered at LSU in other departments.

-------In an age when civilization is testing the limits of the environment, it is incumbent upon universities to lead the exploration of ‘linkages between ecosystems and human societies to help reduce vulnerability and enhance resiliency of these linked systems in coastal areas’ (Adger et al. 2005, Science 309:1036-1039).

Our Goals for the Program

Our primary objective is to produce well-educated young scientists with strong quantitative skills. Students are required to take an interdisciplinary science curriculum that includes chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics courses as the foundation in this degree program. This integrative program involves course offerings in many departments at LSU so that students can take full advantage of environmental science at our university campus.

Our goal is to produce students who have learned the fundamental principles of environmental problem solving and critical thinking. We expect graduates of this program to be able to make informed contributions to decisions concerning resource conservation, environmental stewardship, and economic growth and development in the State of Louisiana. With its solid foundation in basic sciences and mathematics and emphasis on interdisciplinary problem solving in the junior and senior years, our graduates will be competitive for positions in the best graduate programs. Alternatively our graduates work into the private sector as consultants and business people or the public realm as policy makers and environmental scientists.

What Will Your Diploma say?

Bachelor of Science in Coastal Environmental Science