Dec 08, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Human Ecology, B.S.


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People, Politics, and Social Change Specialization

Individuals and businesses around the world are asking serious questions whose answers require a complex understanding of interdependent issues, as well as the ability to innovatively evaluate and act on issues related to sustainability while making sensible business and policy decisions for both the short and long term. This innovative, interdisciplinary program is intended to prepare students for positions in a variety of professions in which business, policy, and sustainability play important roles. Within this degree program, students will explore the challenges of sustainable living and how these ideals may be used to develop sustainable solutions to pressing issues at both the local and global levels. The program is designed for individuals who seek to work in the public or private sector, government, or nonprofit organizations at the city, county, state, or federal levels. The bachelor’s degree requirements are designed to prepare students for entry level supervisory and managerial positions.

Science, Sustainability, and Resource Management Specialization

This degree program stresses the need to step outside current disciplinary and cultural boxes in pursuit of knowledge regarding the intricate interrelationships between science, technology, and human systems. The required coursework encompasses a number of interdisciplinary areas relevant to the sustainability of environmental resources and social institutions while encouraging experiential learning, research proficiency, community engagement, and leadership development. Graduates will gain the technical skills required to audit the social, political, and policy impact of technological advancements and will develop practical solutions to some of the most pressing contemporary environmental, economic, and social challenges with a focus on sustainable practices. This degree program prepares graduates for careers in the environmental sciences including (but not limited to) positions with federal and state agencies, private consulting firms, non-government organizations, or academic research environments whose goal is to ensure the health of natural ecosystems and to mitigate the environmental impact of our industrial world.

Objectives


The overall learning objectives for students enrolled in the Human Ecology degree program are to:

  1. Identify the genetic, physiological, and social adaptations of people as they pertain to environmental interactions and addressing environmental changes
  2. Recognize and value diversity throughout the human experience
  3. Explain the dynamic roles of society, culture, and psychology within human systems for the purposes of maintenance and sustainable use of natural ecosystems
  4. Utilize professional knowledge and contemporary scientific techniques to improve the lives of people in society while maintaining environmental quality
  5. Demonstrate standards of ethical conduct, environmental stewardship, and responsible citizenship as future agents of positive social change
  6. Analyze and interpret scientific data to make informed decisions regarding contemporary social issues

Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology Degree Requirements


Students receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree must complete a minimum of 189 credit hours of instruction.

Core Curriculum Offerings


Area I: Humanities, Health, & Wellness 25 Quarter Credit Hours
Area II: Social Sciences 15 Quarter Credit Hours
Area III: Science, Mathematics, & Computers 20 Quarter Credit Hours

Total: 60 Credit Hours


Bachelor of Science Offerings


Area IV: Human Ecology Core 47 Quarter Credit Hours
Area V: Applied Science Requirements 45 Quarter Credit Hours
Area VI: Track and Science Electives 20 Quarter Credit Hours
Area VII: Free Electives 17 Quarter Credit Hours

Total: 129 Quarter Credit Hours


Total Bachelor of Science Requirements: 189 Quarter Credit Hours


Areas I, II, III


Core Curriculum Offerings  

Area IV: Human Ecology Core Requirements


47 Credit Hours

All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

B. Physical Sciences (5 credit hours required)


Choose from any BIO, CHM, ENV, or PHS course not previously included.

Area V: Applied Science & Communications Requirements


45 Credit Hours

All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Must take courses from A, B, C, and J. May choose between D-E-F and G-H-I.

A. Advanced Communications (5 credit hours required)


B. Advanced Economics (5 credit hours required)


  • HEC 203 - Population, Resources, and the Environment
  • HEC 303 - Energy, Economics, and the Environment

C. Advanced Policy (5 credit hours required)


  • HEC 305 - The How To’s of Environmental Law

AND


People, Political and Social Change Specialization (Areas D-F)


F. Anthropology (5 credit hours required)


  • BIO 360 - Ecological Anthropology
  • BIO 340 - Human Origins

OR


Science, Sustainability & Resource Management Specialization (Areas G-I)


G. Advanced Environmental Science (5 credit hours required)


  • BIO 320 - Plants and Society  
  • ENV 304 - Ocean, Coastal, and Estuarine Systems
  • ENV 306 - Biogeochemistry
  • HEC 401 - Epigenetics and the Environment

H. Advanced Sustainability (5 credit hours required)


  • HEC 309 - Conservation Ecology
  • HEC 311 - Global Environmental Change

I. Resource Management Practices (5 credit hours required)


  • HEC 403 - Community Resource Management

AND


J. Internship & Capstone (15 credit hours required)


Area VI: Human Ecology Electives


20 Credit Hours

All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better

A. Track Electives (10 credit hours required)


Choose any additional courses from one specialization above not previously included (i.e. from areas A-C AND D-F or G-I).

B. Science Electives (10 credit hours required)


Choose from any 300 or 400 level BIO, CHM, ENV, NTR, or SHS courses not previously included.

Area VII: General Electives


17 Credit Hours

Choose from any courses not previously included.

Additional Completion Requirements


  1. Completion of at least four years of prescribed study, of which the last 25% must be in residence at Life University.
  2. Satisfactory complete of all Area IV - VI courses with a minimum of grade C or better.
  3. Satisfactory completion of all courses with a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.0.
  4. Completion of SLP requirements documented on co-curricular transcript.
  5. File a petition to graduate.
  6. Administrative and student review of records:
    1. Registrar Office - complete a formal academic records review during the quarter immediately preceding the intended quarter for graduation
    2. Financial Aid Office - if received federal loans, must complete Exit Counseling online at www.StudentAid.gov
    3. Student Accounting - “Perkins” exit interview and rectify account balance.

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