Sample Courses
- Forest biology focuses on the structure and function of forested systems with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest.
- Climatology looks at energy and moisture in the atmosphere, atmospheric circulation, controls of regional and microclimates, applied climatology, climatic variations, and past and future climates.
- Human ecology studies the cultural and biological adaptations to environmental changes in the course of human evolution.
Facilities and resources
Facilities such as the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) and the Environmental Studies Resource Center greatly enhance the program.
Located an hour west of Eugene in coastal Charleston, OIMB provides access to a variety of coastal and upland habitats. To the south, a typical West Coast system of rocky headlands, rocky intertidal zones, and a few protected sandy coves are contained within state parks. The Oregon National Dunes Recreation Area extends forty miles to the north. Coos Bay is the largest estuary entirely within Oregon. The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve—a 5,000-acre natural area dedicated to scientific research, long-term monitoring, and public education about estuaries and coastal watershed habitats—was established nearby in 1974.
The Environmental Studies Resource Center, a popular place for students to meet, contains an ever-expanding library of books and periodicals, several computers with Internet access, environmental career guides and job bulletins, information on environmental study at the UO and elsewhere, internships, and notices about campus events.