California State University, Channel Islands
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

ESRM students are grounded in the fundamentals of ecology, physics, and chemistry by examining the intersection between the biological and the physical environments in the lab and field.  Effective management of these natural systems are explored from a variety of social science and humanities perspectives including demography, economics, political science, sociology, literature, and environmental history.  In addition to theoretical underpinnings, our students are trained in a variety of skills necessary for the environmental science professional of the 21st century; Geographic Information Systems, quantitative data analyses and presentation, technical writing, and a variety of field and lab methodologies.  Service Learning and Civic Engagement feature prominently in several of our courses from the introductory level to the advanced.  ESRM graduates leave us with a deep appreciation for the complexities involved in balancing human needs and desires with sustainable use of Earth's renewable and non-renewable resources and the ability to contribute to the effective management of these resources into the future.

In the narrowest sense, Environmental Science is the study of the impact of human systems on physical and biological systems, and the dependence on natural resources by human systems. In a broader sense, Environmental Science is the study of the interaction and co-evolution of human, physical, and biological systems. Resource Management is concerned with the most effective means of avoiding damage to environmental assets and extracting beneficial uses of environmental resources, within the context of social institutions. Effective Resource Management considers benefits and costs, uncertainties and risks, limits of knowledge, institutional constraints, and social and political forces.

The Communication Program at CI is the only undergraduate program in the California State University system to offer a specialty in Environmental Communication. Students gain a deep understanding of how our language shapes our interactions with the natural world. Specifically they also gain practical skills in environmental conflict resolution and resource management, as well as engage in service-learning opportunities through field trips to Santa Rosa Island.

The Environmental Science and Resource Management minor provides non-majors with the opportunity to explore environmental issues and examine human impacts on natural systems. It provides students with an understanding of how their personal choices affect the environment around them. In addition, it equips students for further study in environmental science, law, policy, or management.