The Environmental Microbiology area encompasses the study of microbial processes in natural and agricultural ecosystems and the effects of microorganisms on environmental processes and environmental quality. Research topics include fundamental research on microbial physiology, genetics, and ecology as related to the environment, applied research on microbial effects on the fate and transport of pollutants, anthropogenic effects on microbial communities, fate and transport of human pathogenic microorganisms in the environment, and the application of microorganisms and microbial assays as indicators of soil and water quality.

The Department of Environmental Sciences offers the M.S. degree in Environmental Sciences under the Plan I (Thesis) and Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) options.?

Plan I (Thesis)

Students must complete a minimum of 36 quarter units of graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses in, or significantly related to, environmental sciences.?At least 24 of the 36 units must be in graduate courses. A maximum of 12 of these units may be in graduate research for the thesis.?

Plan II (Comprehensive Examination)

Students must complete a minimum of 36 quarter units of graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses in, or significantly related to, environmental sciences.?At least 18 units must be in graduate courses. Students may count no more than 2 units of graduate seminar courses and 6 units of graduate internship courses toward the required 18 units and no units from graduate research for thesis or dissertation.