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Twin Cities Campus

Ecological Engineering Minor

Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
  • Program Type: Undergraduate minor related to major
  • Requirements for this program are current for Spring 2020
  • Required credits in this minor: 18 to 20
  • Twin Cities only
Ecological engineering integrates traditional engineering concepts with ecological principles such as resiliency, adaptation, and community dynamics. The ecological engineering minor prepares students to design sustainable systems integrating human activities with the natural environment, including watershed management and enhancement; waste treatment systems; phytoremediation and bioremediation; industrial ecology; constructed and restored wetlands; mitigation of non-point source contamination; and increase of ground water recharge through "low impact" design and other methods. The minor, offered by faculty in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and administered through the College of Science and Engineering, involves courses in bioproducts and biosystems engineering; civil, environmental and geo-engineering; ecology, evolution and behavior; environmental sciences, policy and management; forest resources; and earth sciences.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Minor Requirements
Core Group Courses
Students must take 9 or more credits from the list of courses selecting at least one course in each of the three core areas of ecological sciences, hydrologic sciences, and ecological engineering design. Acceptable courses in each of the core areas are shown below.
Ecological Sciences
At least one course from this subgroup
EEB 3807 - Ecology (4.0 cr)
or EEB 3001 - Ecology and Society [ENV] (3.0 cr)
or FNRM 3104 - Forest Ecology (4.0 cr)
Hydrologic Sciences
At least one course from this subgroup
CEGE 4501 - Hydrologic Design (4.0 cr)
or BBE 5513 - Watershed Engineering (3.0 cr)
or FNRM 3114 - Hydrology and Watershed Management (3.0 cr)
Ecological Engineering Design
BBE 4523 - Ecological Engineering Design (3.0 cr)
Additional Courses
In addition to the core courses, the students must take 9 or more credits from the following list of courses.
BBE 3023 - Ecological Engineering Principles (3.0 cr)
or BBE 4013 - Transport in Biological Processes II (3.0 cr)
or BBE 4533 - Sustainable Waste Management Engineering (3.0 cr)
or BBE 4535 - Assessment and Diagnosis of Impaired Waters (3.0 cr)
or BBE 4608 - Environmental and Industrial Microbiology (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 3301 - Soil Mechanics I (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 3501 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering [ENV] (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4351 - Groundwater Mechanics (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4352 - Groundwater Modeling (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4502 - Water and Wastewater Treatment (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4512 - Open Channel Hydraulics (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4561 - Solids and Hazardous Wastes (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 4562 - Environmental Remediation Technologies (3.0 cr)
or CEGE 5541 - Environmental Water Chemistry (3.0 cr)
or EEB 3603 - Science, Protection, and Management of Aquatic Environments (3.0 cr)
or EEB 4609W - Ecosystem Ecology [ENV, WI] (3.0 cr)
or EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes (3.0 cr)
or EEB 5601 - Limnology (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3101 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3111 - Hydrology and Water Quality Field Methods (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3245 - Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy [ENV] (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3251 - Natural Resources in Sustainable International Development [GP] (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3603 - Environmental Life Cycle Analysis (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 3604 - Environmental Management Systems and Strategy (3.0 cr)
or ESPM 4216 - Contaminant Hydrology (3.0 cr)
or FNRM 3204 - Landscape Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
or FNRM 5153 - Forest Hydrology & Watershed Biogeochemistry (3.0 cr)
or ESCI 3005 - Earth Resources (3.0 cr)
or ESCI 5205 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
or SUST 3003 - Sustainable People, Sustainable Planet [ENV] (3.0 cr)
 
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· Ecological Engineering Minor
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EEB 3807 - Ecology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Biol 3407//Biol 3807/EEB 3407
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Summer
Population growth/interactions. Ecosystem function applied to ecological issues. Regulation of human populations, dynamics/impacts of disease, invasions by exotic organisms, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity. Lab, field work. prereq: [One semester college biology], [MATH 1142 or MATH 1271 or MATH 1281 or equiv]
EEB 3001 - Ecology and Society (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Basic concepts in ecology. Organization, development, function of ecosystem. Population growth/regulation. Human effect on ecosystems. prereq: [Jr or sr] recommended; biological sciences students may not apply cr toward major
FNRM 3104 - Forest Ecology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3104/FNRM 5104
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Form and function of forests as ecological systems. Characteristics and dynamics of species, populations, communities, landscapes, and ecosystem processes. Examples applying ecology to forest management. Weekly discussions focus on research topics in forest ecology, exercises applying course concepts, and current issues in forest resource management. Required weekend field trip. Prereq: Biol 1001, 1009 or equivalent introductory biology course; 1 semester college chemistry recommended.
CEGE 4501 - Hydrologic Design
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Hydrologic cycle: precipitation, evaporation, infiltration runoff. Flood routing through rivers and reservoirs. Statistical analysis of hydrologic data and estimation of design flows. Open channel flow, flow through conduits. Detention basin design, hydraulic structure sizing, estimation of risk of flooding. prereq: CEGE 3502
BBE 5513 - Watershed Engineering
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Application of engineering principles to managing surface runoff from agricultural, range, and urban watersheds. Design of facilities and selection of land use practices for controlling surface runoff to mitigate problems of flooding and degradation of surface-water quality. prereq: 3023, upper div CSE or grad student
FNRM 3114 - Hydrology and Watershed Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3114/FNRM 5114
Typically offered: Every Fall
Hydrologic cycle and water processes in upland/riparian systems. Applications of hydrological concepts to evaluate impacts of forest and land management activities on water yield, streamflow, groundwater erosion, sedimentation, and water quality. Concepts, principles, and applications of riparian/watershed management. Regional/national/global examples. Forest ecosystems. prereq: [[BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009], [[CHEM 1015, CHEM 1017] or CHEM 1021], MATH 1151] or instr consent
BBE 4523 - Ecological Engineering Design
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: BBE 4523/BBE 5523
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Application of ecological engineering to design of remediation systems. Artificial ecosystems, ecosystem/wetland restoration, constructed wetlands. Biological engineering for slope stability. Waste treatment. Restoring ecological service of watersheds. prereq: BBE 3012 and CSE upper division or instr consent
BBE 3023 - Ecological Engineering Principles
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Physical, thermal, texture, strength, moisture properties of soil. Saturated/unsaturated moisture movement. Quantitative descriptions of mass/energy flux/storage in ecosystems. Distribution of vegetation in landscapes. Engineering/management impacts on soil-water-plant systems. prereq: BIOL 1009, [3012 or concurrent registration is required (or allowed) in 3012] or instr consent
BBE 4013 - Transport in Biological Processes II
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Application of thermodynamics, fluid flow, and heat/mass transfer to design problems. Biological processes/materials at cell, organism, and system level. Agricultural, environmental, food, and bioprocess applications. Solution of equations involving computer programming assignments. prereq: 3012, 3033, 3043, [upper div CSE or instr consent]
BBE 4533 - Sustainable Waste Management Engineering
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Sources/characteristics of agricultural wastes. Livestock, food processing, domestic wastes. Physical, biological, chemical, rheological, microbiological properties. Effects on environment. Collection, storage, treatment (aerobic/anaerobic), use/disposal. Land application. prereq: 3023, upper div CSE
BBE 4535 - Assessment and Diagnosis of Impaired Waters
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: BBE 4535/BBE 5533/BBE 5535
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
Assessing impaired waters and developing TMDL for conventional pollutants. Preparing/communicating legal, social, and policy aspects. TMDL analysis of real-world impaired waters problem. Field trip to impaired waters site. prereq: BBE 3012 and Upper division in CSE or CFANS or CBS student or instr consent
BBE 4608 - Environmental and Industrial Microbiology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: BBE 4608/BBE 5608
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
Microbes, including fungi, bacteria, and other small-scale organisms, are the pioneer life of the planet, shaping and maintaining the ecosystem. Microbiology is the discipline that studies the basic biology and fundamental processes of microbes, with the aim of answering and solving the relevant environmental and industrial questions. Microbiology remains a frontier, but has developed significantly in recent years. Growth in this research area is largely due to vast improvements in molecular tools (for example: genome sequencing and editing, microscopes, data analysis) and other biochemical techniques, often driven by interest in emergent applications for these unique organisms. These applications include those related to protecting environmental quality as well as those related to making novel products, including materials, fuels, and chemicals. These also include understanding the roles of microbes in the natural nutrient cycles and other key natural processes. This course is therefore designed to introduce students to the taxonomy, biology and ecology of microbes, and to focus on key applications for which these microbes can be applied. prereq: BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009 or BIOL 2003 and CHEM 1011 or CHEM 1061 or CHEM 1081
CEGE 3301 - Soil Mechanics I
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Index properties and soil classification. Effective stress. Permeability and seepage. Elasticity theory. One-dimensional compression and consolidation; settlements. Compaction; cut and fill problems. prereq: upper division CSE, AEM 3031, CEGE 3101, or instructor consent
CEGE 3501 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
A quantitative approach to environmental problems, including the development of mass and energy balances and the application of fundamental principles of environmental chemistry and microbiology. Meets the University of Minnesota's liberal education environment theme through the incorporation of environmental function, problems, and solutions throughout the course. prereq: Chem 1062, Phys 1302, Math 1372 or equivalent
CEGE 4351 - Groundwater Mechanics
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CEGE 4351/GeoE 4351
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Shallow confined, unconfined, and sem-confined flows. Flow in two coupled aquifers separated by leaky layers. Transient flow. Flow toward wells. Streamlines/pathlines in two/three dimensions. Contaminant transport. Elementary computer modeling. prereq: CEGE 3101or BBE 2003, CEGE 3502 or BBE 3012, upper division
CEGE 4352 - Groundwater Modeling
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CEGE 4352/GeoE 4352
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Analytic element method. Mathematical/computer modeling of single/multiple aquifer systems. Groundwater recovery. Field problems. Theory/application of simple contaminant transport models, including capture zone analysis. prereq: 4351, upper div CSE or grad student or instr consent
CEGE 4502 - Water and Wastewater Treatment
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Theory and design of physical, chemical, and biological processes for the treatment of water and wastewater. prereq: CEGE 3501 or ChEn 2001 or BBE 3033
CEGE 4512 - Open Channel Hydraulics
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Theories of flow in open channels, including gradually varied and rapidly varied flows, steady and unsteady flows. Computational methods for unsteady open channel flows, applications to flood routing. Introduction to moveable bed mechanics.
CEGE 4561 - Solids and Hazardous Wastes
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will serve as an introduction to the topics of solid and hazardous waste management. Classes will incorporate information about prevention, treatment options, and the regulations surrounding solid and hazardous waste. They will also provide an opportunity to observe different methods of waste treatment in action.
CEGE 4562 - Environmental Remediation Technologies
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Theory and application of current and emerging technologies used to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater. preq: CEGE 3501, Upper division CSE or graduate student or instructor consent
CEGE 5541 - Environmental Water Chemistry
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Introduction to water chemistry. Physical chemical principles, geochemical processes controlling chemical composition of waters, behavior of contaminants that affect the suitability of water for beneficial uses. prereq: CEGE 3501, Chem 1061, Chem 1062, upper division CSE or grad student or instructor consent
EEB 3603 - Science, Protection, and Management of Aquatic Environments
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Fundamentals of aquatic ecology. Case study approach to water problems faced by society (e.g., eutrophication, climate change, invasive species, acid rain, wetland protection, biodiversity preservation). Science used to diagnose/remediate or remove problems. prereq: One semester college biology
EEB 4609W - Ecosystem Ecology (ENV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Regulation of energy and elements cycling through ecosystems. Dependence of cycles on kinds/numbers of species within ecosystems. Effects of human-induced global changes on functioning of ecosystems.
EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: EEB 4611/EEB 5611
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Application of biochemistry, ecology, chemistry, and physics to environmental issues. Issues in biogeochemistry. Impact of humans on biogeochemical processes in soils, lakes, oceans, estuaries, forests, urban/managed ecosystems, and extreme environments (e.g., early Earth, deep sea vents, thermal springs). prereq: [BIOL 1009 or 2003] AND [CHEM 1081 or 1061 or 1071H] or instr consent
EEB 5601 - Limnology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Advanced introduction to description/analysis of interaction of physical, chemical, and biological factors that control functioning of life in lakes and other freshwater aquatic environments. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ESPM 3111 - Hydrology and Water Quality Field Methods
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3111/ESPM 5111
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Integrates water quality, surface/groundwater hydrology. Case studies, hands-on field data collection, calculations of hydrological/water quality parameters. Meteorological data, snow hydrology, stream gauging, well monitoring, automatic water samplers. Designing water quality sampling program. Geomorphology, interception, infiltration.
ESPM 3245 - Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3245/ESPM 5245
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Policies affecting land use planning at local, state, and federal levels. Ecosystem and landscape scale planning. Collaborative and community-based approaches to planning for ecological, social, and economic sustainability. Class project applies interdisciplinary perspectives on planning and policy, including information gathering techniques, conservation planning tools, and evaluation of planning options.
ESPM 3251 - Natural Resources in Sustainable International Development (GP)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3251/ESPM 5251/LAS 3251
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
International perspectives on resource use and sustainable development. Integration of natural resource issues with social, economic, and policy considerations. Agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, non-timber forest products, water resources, certification, development issues. Global case studies. Impact of consumption in developed countries on sustainable development in lesser developed countries.
ESPM 3603 - Environmental Life Cycle Analysis
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3603/ESPM 5603
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
Concepts/issues relating to inventory, subsequent analysis of production systems. Production system from holistic point of view, using term commonly used in industrial ecology: "metabolic system."
ESPM 3604 - Environmental Management Systems and Strategy
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3604/ESPM 5604
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
Environmental problems such as climate change, ozone depletion, and loss of biodiversity.
ESPM 4216 - Contaminant Hydrology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Principles of contaminant transport in percolate solution and in overland flow. Hydrologic cycle, percolation/runoff processes, contaminant transport, leachate sampling methods, remediation technologies, scale effects on runoff water quality, tillage technologies, control of sediment/chemical losses. Discussions mostly descriptive, but involve some computations.
FNRM 3204 - Landscape Ecology and Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3204/FNRM 5204
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Introduction to landscape ecology at different scales in time/space. Development/implications of broad-scale patterns of ecological phenomena, role of disturbance in ecosystems, characteristic spatial/temporal scales of ecological events. Principles of landscape ecology as framework for landscape research, analysis, conservation, and management. prereq: Ecology course
FNRM 5153 - Forest Hydrology & Watershed Biogeochemistry
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
This rigorous course examines hydrology and biogeochemical cycling in forested watersheds. Topics include role of forests in hydrologic processes (precipitation, runoff generation, and streamflow) and exports (sediment, carbon, and nitrogen). Readings from primary literature, active discussion participation, research/review paper. prereq: [Basic hydrology course, one course in ecology, and one course in chemistry [upper div or grad student]] or instr consent
ESCI 3005 - Earth Resources
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Geologic aspects of energy/material resources. Resource size/life-times. Environmental consequences of resource use. Issues of international/public ethics associated with resource production, distribution, and use.
SUST 3003 - Sustainable People, Sustainable Planet (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: GloS 3304/Sust 3003
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Introduction to interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies minor. Scientific, cultural, ethical, and economic concepts that affect environmental sustainability and global economic justice. Key texts. Participatory classroom environment. prereq: Soph or jr or sr