B.S. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
The Water Science Specialization within the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences major provides training to undergraduate students interested in managing water resources in a wide range of ecosystems including agricultural, forested, urban, and wetland ecosystems. Preparation is designed for those who wish to pursue careers in hydrology, water resource management, water quality analysis, and water resource regulation. The specialization is designed to give the student a strong background in Water Science with a core of required courses during their junior and senior years including coursework in Wetlands, Water Resource Sustainability, Ecology of Waterborne Pathogens, and Environmental Policy.
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Contacts
- James Bonczek, Undergraduate Coordinator for Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences: soils-advising@ifas.ufl.edu
- Michael Sisk, Academic Advisor III – Undergraduate Programs, 352-294-3152, soils-advising@ifas.ufl.edu
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Career Opportunities
A degree in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences opens career opportunities in many environmental fields, such as:
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Water Analysis
- Hydrology
- Water Security
- Undergraduate Catalog
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Course Requirements
Lower Division Requirements:
Biological Sciences: BSC 2010 with BSC 2010L
Communications: AEC 3030C or SPC 2608 & AEC 3033C or ENC 2210
Economics: AEB 2014 or ECO 2013 or ECO 2023
Humanities: HUM 2305
Mathematics: MAC 2311
Physical Sciences: CHM 2045 with CHM 2045L, CHM 2046 with CHM 2046L, & PHY 2004 with PHY 2004LCore Curriculum Requirements
Course No. Course Title Credits SWS 2007 World of Water 3 STA 2023 OR Introduction to Statistics OR 3 MAC 2312 Analytical Geometry and Calculus 2 4 AEB 4274 Natural Resources & Environmental Policy 3 MCB 2000/L Microbiology and Lab 4 CHM 2200/L OR Organic Chemistry & Lab OR 4 CHM 3120/L Introduction to Analytical Chemistry & Lab 4 SWS 3022 & SWS 3022L Introduction to Soils in the Environment & Lab 4 SWS 4223 Environmental Biogeochemistry 3 SWS 4244 Wetlands 3 PUP 4224 OR Florida Environmental Politics OR 3 AEB 4274 Natural Resources & Environmental Policy 3 SWS 4245 Water Resource Sustainability 3 SWS 4307 Ecology of Waterborne Pathogens 3 SWS4451 Soil & Water Chemistry 3 SWS 4602C Soil Physics 3 SWS 4941 OR Practical Work Experience OR 3 SWS 4905 Individual Work 3 Students can select from a wide range of electives to suit their academic and professional goals. A partial list of officially approved electives is shown below; however, these electives may be customized at the discretion of the student and advisor. Relevant subjects may include, but are not limited to the environmental, biological, hydrologic, physical, and engineering sciences as well as policy, planning, mathematics, statistics, geology, and geography.
Approved Electives
Course No. Course Title Credits ALS 3133 Agriculture and Environmental Quality 3 AOM 3732Agricultural Water Management 3 AOM 4643 Environmental Hydrology 3 FAS 4305CIntroduction to Fishery Science & Lab 3 FNR 4343/LForest Water Resources & Lab 3 OCE 3016 Introduction to Coastal/Oceanographic Engineering 3 SWS 4231C Soil, Water, & Land Use 3 SWS 4550 Soils, Water & Public Health 3 SWS 4715C Environmental Pedology 4 SWS 4720C GIS in Soil and Water Science 3 -
Options for Minors
While we offer a minor in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, we understand you may want to broaden your academic experience outside of the soil and water sciences. UF offers many minors, but the following list gives you an idea of what can complement your major in Soil and Water Sciences:
- Agricultural Communication
- Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics and Policy
- Agricultural and Natural Resource Law
- Environmental Science
- Extension Education
- Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- Forest Resources and Conservation
- Geography
- Environmental Horticulture
- Horticultural Science
- Landscape Architecture
- Military Science and Leadership (ROTC students only)
- Organic and Sustainable Crop Production
- Plant Science
- Sustainability Studies
- Sustainability and the Built Environment
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
These are just some of the many UF minors available. See the full list of undergraduate minors here.