Download the BESC Degree Plan
Course Descriptions:
201. Introduction to Bioenvironmental Science. (3-0). Credit 3. An introduction to the biological components of environmental sciences, with emphasis on the impact of the world’s population on global resources; lectures by research scientists reflecting their disciplinary perspective in relevant areas.
203. Microbiomes and Their Environment (3-0). Credit 3. Fundamentals of microbiomes; emphasis of interactions between microbiomes and their environments; assessment of impacts of microbiome functions on human, animals, plants and environmental processes; consideration of social and legal implications of microbiome engineering.
204. Molds and Mushrooms, Credit 3. Introduction to the fungi and impact these organisms have on society and the environment.
314. Pathogens, the Environment and Society. (3-0). Credit 3. The impact of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses) on the development of modern culture and society; the role pathogens played in the history of mankind and the influence of the changing environment on emerging diseases.
320. Water and the Bioenvironmental Sciences, Credit 3. Critical understanding of salient issues relating to fresh water as a limited and important bioenvironmental resource.
357. Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts. (3-0). Credit 3. Biotechnology issues in developing bioenergy as a renewable energy source; emphasis on the three generations of bioenergy and enabling technologies; special topics include recent advances in bioenergy research, government policy, and industrial development.
367. U.S. Environmental Regulations. (3-0) Credit 3. Investigation of the legal infrastructure of the U.S. associated with regulating environmental impacts; examination of major U.S. environmental statues associated with air and water quality; toxic substances, waste and hazardous substance release, energy and natural resources; review the relationship between U.S. policy and international environmental regulations.
401. Bioenvironmental Microbiology. (3-0) Credit 3. The interactions of microorganism in diverse environments; applied aspects of microbial interactions in the environment, their effects on the environments, and potential use to solve environmental problems.
402. Microbial Processes in Bioremediation. (3-0). Credit 3. Metabolic pathways of microbes involved in the biodegradation of hazardous materials will be presented; ecological requirements for biotreatability of contaminated sites will be discussed emphasizing factors affecting microbial growth; strategies for in situ bioaugmentation will be presented.
403. Sampling and Environmental Monitoring. (2-3). Credit 3. Introduction to environmental sampling and methodology; strategies and analyses of sampling data; overview of current applications of sampling and monitoring in the environmental sciences; emphasis on practical aspects of sampling from air, soil and water; detection and quantification of microbial and chemical unknowns in environmental media.
421. Bioenvironmental Project Planning and Management (3-0). Credit 3. Management processes for managing projects in academic, government or industry settings; exploration of projects that are hypothesis driven, exploratory and product-driven; critical communication planning, meeting stakeholders and sponsors expectations and ensuring regulatory compliance; emphasis on project management life cycle, managing change, communication planning and the work environment.
431. Bioenvironmental Data Analysis (3-0) Credit 3. Data management, analysis and interpretation specifically for bioenvironmental research purposes; development of skills required to draw conclusions from data, specifically the types of data relevant to studying the interface of biological and environmental processes; exploration of the challenges of bioenvironmental data analysis; exposure to and development of skills in presentations that highlight the challenges of successfully communicating results and conclusions that necessarily rest on interpretation and assumptions.
481. Seminar. (1-0). Credit 1. Capstone course for topics in bioenvironmental sciences; critical analysis of environmental issues through written themes and presentations. May be taken three times for credit.
484. Field Experience. Credit 1 to 4. An on-the-job supervised experience program conducted in the area of the student’s specialization.
485. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4. Special problems for advanced undergraduates to permit study of subject matter not available in existing courses.
489. Special Topics in…Credit 1 to 4. Selected topics in an identified area of bioenvironmental sciences.
491. Research. Credit 1 to 4. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in bioenvironmental sciences. May be repeated 3 times for credit. Registration in multiple sections of this course are possible within a given semester provided that the per semester credit hour limit is not exceeded.
Plant Pathology (PLPA)
301. Plant Pathology. (3-0). Credit 3. Introduction to fundamental principles of plant pathology; diagnosis, cause and control of plant diseases.
303. Plant Pathology Laboratory. (0-2). Credit 1. Isolation, identification of plant pathogens and clinical diagnosis and control of plant diseases.
485. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4 each semester. Special problems for advanced under graduates to permit study of subject matter not available in existing courses.
Academic Advisors
LeAnn Hague – leann.hague@tamu.edu
Taylor Atkinson – taylor_atkinson@tamu.edu
Phone: 979-845-6148
APPOINTMENTS | Make an appointment online at: https://tamu.campus.eab.com/student/appointments/new – AG – HORT, AG – PLPM, and AG – SCSC