University of Notre Dame
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The major is multidisciplinary, providing a firm foundation in the basic ecological principles, while allowing students the freedom to focus on specific areas such as aquatic ecology, geological sciences, entomology, and vertebrate zoology.

This degree program is designed to prepare students to understand the necessary foundational chemistry, fluid flow and mixing mechanics, all within the context of the Earth system. The first two years of the program are devoted primarily to general principles of science and engineering and the third and fourth years are devoted to topics specific to environmental engineering. Courses in the current curriculum include planet Earth, global change, water, and energy, environmental aquatic chemistry and geochemistry, hydrology, mineralogy, fluid mechanics and hydraulics, water quality and treatment, biological process design, geotechnical engineering, and reactive transport. All students are engaged in a comprehensive capstone Senior Design Project in their final year. Additionally, students take a number of technical electives to further shape and enrich their education and can participate in field trips and semester abroad programs. The curriculum also includes unique courses that educate through real-world engineering applications and hands-on experiences (such as, Challenges and Innovation Seminar Series, Field Trips, Undergraduate Research, the and attending professional conferences).

The Environmental Earth Sciences degree provides students with a quantitative preparation for professional careers or continued higher education in the disciplines of the Earth and Environmental Sciences. This degree program blends the disciplines of fluid dynamics, hydrology, environmental chemistry, and geochemistry framed within the larger context of Earth systems and focuses on the geology side of the environment and planetary systems. The program provides a foundation in the physical sciences, with emphasis on processes that occur near or at the surface of the Earth, and the impact of human activity on such processes. Courses in the curriculum include planet Earth and dynamic Earth, global change, water, and energy, environmental aquatic chemistry and geochemistry, environmental and groundwater hydrology, mineralogy, petrology of earth materials, environmental microbiology, water-rock interactions, and environmental impact of resource utilization. Additionally, students take a number of technical electives to further shape and enrich their education and can participate in field trips and semester abroad programs. The curriculum also includes unique courses that educate through real-world applications and hands-on experiences (such as, Challenges and Innovation Seminar Series and Fall and Spring Break Geology Field Trips).

The Minor in Sustainability is open to Notre Dame students in all majors and colleges. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the minor prepares students to serve as leaders in their communities - local, national, and international - by making constructive and substantive contributions to the development of more sustainable practices for the benefit of their own personal and professional lives, the lives of others, and the lives of future generations. Our mission is to train students at the University of Notre Dame with the personal and professional skills to: Comprehend, appreciate, integrate, and contribute to diverse fields of knowledge to solve present and looming national and international problems requiring the responsible and equitable use of natural resources; Converse and collaborate effectively on sustainability with others from widely different backgrounds and perspectives; and Provide local, national, and international leadership that incorporates sustainability thinking when addressing wide-ranging global problems of the 21st century.

The Earth Science concentration prepares students for graduate study in any area of Earth Sciences, and for a wide range of professional careers in Earth Sciences in the public and private sectors.

Sustainable engineering systems in the context of multiple hazards, the environment, society, and economic constraints require mitigation to lessen the impacts from natural disasters and human activity and as well as resiliency to recover quickly from those hazards. The Resiliency and Sustainability of Engineering Systems minor will help educate students from all disciplines in the College of Engineering to become successful leaders who understand the complexity of the multi-hazard challenge in a changing World and can offer meaningful solutions. The graduates from this minor will be able to: Recognize and assess the complex interactions and interdependencies within and between critical infrastructure, engineering networks, social systems, and our environment. Recognize the technical, social, economic, ethical, and philosophical aspects of a commitment to sustainable and resilient development. Recognize and apply engineering principles, processes, and practices to engineered infrastructure and systems that result in sustainable and resilient development. Develop a functional knowledge of the historical and economic frameworks that guide engineering regulations and public policy. Develop skills to convey critical information about sustainability and resilience to the non-expert.

Energy studies https://energy.nd.edu/minor/