Environmental Science & Technology

A degree in Ecosystem Health prepares students for a wide range of careers in environmental science and public health, such as environmental impact assessment, risk analysis, environmental toxicology, chemical fate and transport, air quality, environmental microbiology, food safety and security, biodiversity and human health. Students in Ecosystem Health study the complicated connections between environmental factors and ecosystem functions and human health.

The University of Maryland has one of the top soil science programs in the nation. Students in Soil and Watershed Science learn how aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems respond to soil properties and processes and to land management decisions. As the ENST website points, out, “soil performs such critical ecological functions as supplying and purifying water, recycling wastes, nurturing plants, modifying the atmosphere by emitting or sequestering gases and particulates, providing habitat for the most diverse biological communities on Earth, and serving as a medium for human engineering projects.” The Soil and Watershed Science major, which includes substantial hands-on field work and applied practice, prepares students for careers as soil scientists or conservationists; environmental consultants or advocates; environmental research or education; and wetland delineation.

Students in the Natural Resources Management concentration learn about the environmentally sound use and management of natural resources, covering the tensions and relationships between vegetation and wildlife, forests and cities, conservation and development. This concentration prepares students for careers in natural resource management; soil and water conservation; environmental nonprofit, policy, or advocacy work; environmental education; environmental protection; and fish/wildlife management.