EEES Department Minor Programs

The sustainability minor requires 18 credits, including SUST 2010 - Sustainability Leadership. At least nine credits must be selected from 3000- or 4000-level courses. At least three and no more than 12 credits must be from courses addressing the social dimension of sustainability.

SUST 2010, Sustainability Leadership, is intended as the first class students will take in the minor. The course includes brief coverage of the student learning outcomes listed below. As part of this course, students work with the instructors to select learning objectives from this list and use these learning objectives to develop their plan for completing the minor.

Learning Outcomes

• Scales of sustainability ex: Evaluate the history of development through mercantilism, imperialism, capitalism
• Fundamental issues of sustainability ex: Evaluate how sustainability impacts social and intergenerational justice
• Systems thinking for sustainability ex: Recognize interrelated systems
• Evaluate tools for implementing/measuring ex: Evaluate the costs and benefits of sustainability
• Change agents for sustainability ex: Identify and address the root of problems, even when it seems to go against the status quo or social norms

For more information about this minor, please contact Caye Drapcho.

Many engineers and scientists working in nuclear-related careers are not formally trained as nuclear engineers; rather, these employees have degrees in a wide range of engineering and science disciplines. A minor in NERS will distinguish you from your peers in the interview process. The NERS curriculum is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to address a broad range of contemporary nuclear engineering and radiological science problems.  Further, the NERS program offers a high faculty-to-student ratio, individualized career mentorship, expanded field trip opportunities, and career networking opportunities.

The minor is open to all students meeting the prerequisite courses. Thus far, graduates from the minor come from the following majors: Physics, Geology, Chemical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

The minor consists of 15 total credits (five 3-hour courses). Students are encouraged to participate in a summer internship, and faculty can facilitate networking with contacts in the nuclear industry and at national laboratories.

A minor in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) requires EES 4090 Fall (Prereq: MATH 2080), and four additional courses selected from EES 4100 Fall (Prereq: PHYS 2210), EES 4120 Spring (Prereq: EES 4090),  EES 4140 Spring, EES 4800 Fall, ME 4260 Fall, ME 4280*, MSE 4120, or PHYS 4520 Fall. A minimum of 15 credits is required.

*indicates not currently being taught

For information related to the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Minor, please contact Lindsay Shuller-Nickles or Tim DeVol.

Geologists are specialized scientists that study some of the most urgent problems facing society today-- environmental issues, energy resources, climate change, and natural disasters to name a few. Some students minor in geology because they are interested in subjects such as climate change, sustainability, and energy resources, while other geology minors have a hobbyist interest in collecting gems, fossils, and minerals.

A minor in Geology requires GEOL 1010, GEOL 1030, and 12 additional credits of GEOL courses, at least nine of which must be at the 3000 level or higher.

For information related to the Geology Minor, please contact Alan Coulson

The professional positions you pursue after graduation will increasingly require you to make informed decisions about the best use of our limited resources. Pursuing a minor in Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) will help you to assemble a knowledge base that will enhance your ability to make decisions that balance the competing demands of society, the economy, and the environment. An understanding of environmental science and insights into the policies that drive our interactions with the environment will allow you to direct your life in a direction that satisfies both your professional goals and personal interests.

A minor in Environmental Science and Policy requires at least 18 credits, including ENSP 2000 and ENSP 4000, and at least 12 credits selected from the following:

• Group I - Science and Engineering (6)
• Group II - Resource Management (2)
• Group III - Environmental Policy and Social Impact (2)

Note: The minimum number of credits specified for Groups I, II and III plus ENSP 2000 and ENSP 4000 sum to 16 credits; the remaining two credits required for the minor may be selected from any group.

For information related to the Environmental Science and Policy Minor, please contact Beth Carraway