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Environmental Soil Science Minor

Soil Science for a Sustainable Future 

Healthy soils support everything from food production to healthy ecosystems. The Environmental Soil Science minor prepares you to understand and manage one of our most valuable natural resources through hands-on learning in soil science, ecology and sustainable land management.

What You’ll Study

You’ll explore soil ecology, chemistry, physics, mineralogy and fertility while learning how soils influence environmental quality, agriculture and natural resource management.

What You’ll Take Away

You’ll gain the knowledge and hands-on experience to assess soil health, support sustainable land management and apply soil science to environmental and agricultural challenges.

Cal Poly students work with California State Parks on a project which entails growing up to 200,000 native dune plants from seedlings each year to help restore native plant habitats to the Oceano Dunes area. The native seeds are gathered and delivered to Cal Poly, where they are grown in campus greenhouses until they are ready to be transplanted in the dunes.

Dig Deeper

Explore the science beneath our feet through hands-on learning in soil health, environmental quality and sustainable land management.

Highway 1 and the Santa Cruz County coast from Swanton Pacific Ranch.

Soil Erosion

You’ll explore the processes, regulations and best management practices for soil erosion, water quality, and how to develop stormwater pollution prevention.

The Cal Poly Water Resources Facility is used for irrigation teaching programs, and provides Cal Poly with a unique, closely situated field laboratory for practical demonstrations and laboratory exercises.

Hydrology

You’ll discover field methods of groundwater flow modeling, confined and unconfined aquifer flow characterization, well installation, monitoring and sustainable groundwater management.

A geographic information systems student takes a reading at Cal Poly's Bartleson Ranch.

Environmental Mapping

You’ll study methods and applications in spatial data science using computer programming and geographic information systems (GIS) for environmental mapping.

Coursework Highlights

Through hands-on coursework and applied learning experiences, you will develop the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to lead in modern agriculture.

Classes and Labs

Soil Ecology

You’ll learn about the biogeochemical activities, ecology and environmental implications of soil organisms and their effects on the formation, characteristics and productivity of soils. 

Applied Groundwater Hydrology

You’ll explore methods of vadose zone and groundwater flow modeling, confined and unconfined aquifer flow characterization, well installation, monitoring and sustainable groundwater management.

Wetlands

You’ll learn about the formation, characteristics and functions of wetlands, the genesis of hydric soils, how plants adapt to saturated soils. Wetlands as wildlife habitat. Policies and social issues associated with wetlands.

Environmental Soil and Water Chemistry

You’ll discover the chemical processes governing weathering, soil mineral formation and stability, and common solubility equilibria. Chemical principles to explain soil surface chemistry and environmental problems in water and soil chemical systems.

Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping

The introduction to methods and applications in spatial data science. Use of computer programming and geographic information systems (GIS) to manipulate and analyze spatial data.

Soil Judging

You’ll Develop hands-on skills describing, classifying and interpreting soils in the field while learning how soil properties influence land use, agriculture and natural resource management.

Explore the Environmental Soil Science Minor

Check out the course catalogue and learn more about the courses you’ll take and what you’ll learn.

Dig In