College of Engineering & Applied Science
Civil Engineering concerns the study of conception, design, construction and maintenance of large public and private projects. Civil engineers design, build, and maintain bridges, highways, railways, tunnels, airports, dams, water treatment and distribution systems, along with many other structures. Environmental considerations, such as water supply, pollution control, and preservation of soil quality, are also a part of the course of study.
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
This program students with the background necessary to bridge the gap between understanding challenging societal problems in the air, water, land, and subsurface environments, and preventing and solving them in a sustainabile manner. The curriculum is founded on a sound footing in basic sciences and mathematics, and strengthened with engineering fundamentals. Students are introduced to the tools of green engineering design as they are being developed on the cutting edge of sustainability research, and they may choose to explore these strategies in more depth as one of the focus areas of the program.
College of Design, Art, Architecture, & Planning
Architecture is the culturally responsible design and production of buildings that are useful, durable, meaningful, and responsive to their physical and social contexts. The program teaches understanding of social, technical, and aesthetic content of the built environment; the skill to make and modify it; and the judgment to assess the value of changes.
Horticulture studies the development, growth, and distribution of ornamental plants, fruits, and vegetables, as well as their utilization in our landscapes. A major and three certificate programs are offered. This program teaches the plants, the art, and the science involved in horticulture. In addition to a major, minor, and certificate in Horticulture, the program offers certificates in Green Roofs, Urban Landscapes, Urban Agriculture, and Sustainable Landscape Design.
This program concerns itself with the interior spaces of buildings, emphasizing the physical, psychological, and social needs of people at work and leisure. Students are taught to understand a client's interactions within society and be capable of translating this into appropriate and inspiring design for interior environments.
Planners are dedicated to managing cities and planning for their development in innovative ways. Their concerns are issues that affect the world - land use, social policy, historic preservation, transportation, housing, economic development, policy planning, environmental protection, urban design, and international development. This program stresses planning as a problem-solving activity with special emphasis on the built and natural environment and on improving the quality of life.
McMicken College of Arts & Sciences
Anthropology is the study of human cultural and biological diversity, across geographic space and throughout evolutionary time. It is a holistic discipline, interested in the whole of the human condition, from the past to the present (and future). UC's anthropology faculty focus their research and teaching on three key themes: bioevolutionary approaches to health, ecosystem dynamics, and forms of social inequality.
Biology is the scientific study of life and life processes. Biologists study the organization of life, from the structures of molecules to the balance of ecosystems. Biologists are able to make significant contributions to maintaining the health and well-being of the human population, as well as preserving and protecting the environment.
Chemistry is the study of all matter found in living structures, geological formations and human-created products. Chemists explore the molecular structure of matter in order to develop theories about how such structures work and to apply these theories to the development of products that range from pharmaceuticals to heat shields.
Environmental Studies is the systematic investigation of the natural world and the interaction of humans with their own environment. Environmental issues and conflicts of this century are highly complex and transcend traditional academic disciplines. The goal of the environmental studies program is to provide the interdisciplinary training and conceptual framework required to analyze and respond to the complex and dynamic environmental problems of the modern world.
Geography focuses on the spatial dimensions of human activities and their interactions with physical landscapes. The interrelationships between humans and their environments uniquelly allows geographers to link the social and physical sciences. Students may specialize in environmental and physical geography, as well as GIS and remote sensing.
Geology has undergone a revolution in the past decade, becoming an interdisciplinary science that emphasizes the study of major earth systems. Students learn how these systems work and how they are connected. Geology majors integrate knowledge of earth materials, the processes that have shaped them, and the deep chronology of earth history to understand global change through time.
Physics is the study of the physical laws of nature. Physicists apply these laws to draw conclusions about a wide range of phenomena, from the structures of subatomic particles to planetary motion.
The study of political science equips students with advanced understanding about political life in the United States and abroad. Students develop conceptual, communication, and methodological skills, examine normative and analytic theories with which to study contemporary and emerging public issues, and develop an awareness of how political science relates to the other social sciences and the humanities.