New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology

What you'll study

All majors follow a core curriculum of science and quantitative courses plus General Education requirements. Core Environmental Science courses listed in the catalog include:

• BIOL 331 (3), 343 & 343L (4)
• CHEM 311 & 311L (4), 333 & 333L (4), 422 & 422L (4)
• A 100‑level ERTH course and associated lab (4)
• ERTH 201 & 201L (4), ERTH 202 & 202L (4), ERTH 440 (4)
• MATH 231 (4), 283 (3)
• ENVS 472 (1) — Senior Seminar attended throughout enrollment
• Three credit hours of 491/492 in the relevant department as a supervised research project, scholarship project, or internship, culminating in a written paper or senior thesis (requires an approved proposal and sign‑off by the advisor and two Advisory Committee faculty)

Majors also take typical Tech coursework in chemistry, physics, calculus and computer science, plus English, social studies and humanities. The program offers five options with recommended and required courses:

• Biology option: botany, zoology, molecular biology, genetics; recommended microbiology, ecology, environmental toxicology, limnology, bacterial physiology; additional BIOL course requirements include BIOL 112 & 112L (4), 311 & 311L (4), 333 & 333L (4) and 12 credit hours of technical electives approved by the Advisory Committee. Minimum credit hours for the biology option noted as 135.
• Chemistry option: environmental chemistry, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, instrumental methods; recommended biochemistry, industrial chemistry, more physical chemistry.
• Hydrology option: surface water hydrology, quantitative hydrology, geophysical methods, geomorphology, stratigraphy and sedimentation, structural geology, vector analysis.
• Geology option: environmental geology, mineralogy, geomorphology, optical mineralogy, petrology, sedimentary and metamorphic petrology, stratigraphy and sedimentation, structural geology, field methods.
• Instrumentation & Measurements option: electrical engineering topics (circuits and signals, digital electronics, microprocessors, analog electronics), plus chemistry, geology, geophysics, physics and computer science.

Entry requirements

Students must satisfy New Mexico Tech’s General Degree and General Education Core Curriculum requirements in addition to the Environmental Science core. The program uses an advisory committee (faculty from the relevant disciplines) to help plan course selection. Transfer students are expected to attend the ENVS senior seminar for the duration of their enrollment in the program.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared for environmentally oriented roles in industry and government where scientific knowledge is needed to meet regulations, develop and conduct environmental testing, ensure compliance, or perform basic research on contaminant impacts and remediation. The program’s disciplinary options also support entry into traditional graduate programs in the chosen specialty.

Scholarships & funding angle

New Mexico Tech highlights strong faculty research in areas such as hydrology, contaminated groundwater, acid rain and atmospheric processes; students may find campus employment opportunities on faculty research projects. Prospective students should consult the university’s scholarships and financial aid offices for program‑level funding and research assistantship possibilities.