TAMU-CC Environmental Science Program Selected as Top 10 Bachelor’s Degree by Study.com

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The environmental science program in the College of Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi was selected as the #10 Best Bachelor’s Degree Program in the U.S. by Study.com.

It is the second time this spring that the program was been recognized, following a ranking in March by Plexuss Global Rankings of seventh best in Texas among universities offering environmental science programs.

“I was excited to learn that our environmental science bachelor’s program was ranked 10th in the nation, but not surprised,” COSE Dean Frank Pezold said. “We have a dedicated faculty and strong internship program that gives our students an edge with placement following graduation.”

Over 40 million visitors per month use Study.com to research potential schools, degrees, and careers, according to a news release from the company. Study.com considered hundreds of universities across the country and selected Texas A&M-Corpus Christi based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty, and more.

The Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at A&M-Corpus Christi, one of 39 environmental science programs in Texas, is an interdisciplinary department that offers undergraduate degrees in atmospheric science, chemistry, environmental science, geology, and physics (a multi-university joint degree as a member of the Texas Physics Consortium). Master’s degrees are offered in chemistry, Coastal and Marine System Science, and environmental science. A Ph.D. is offered in Coastal and Marine System Science. 

Island University students agree with the recognition.

Graduate student Daniela Bergmann ’19 came to TAMU-CC five years ago and majored in environmental science (with a minor in chemistry). Now she is in the fourth semester of her graduate chemistry degree. She was attracted to the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences because of the analytical instrumentation available to students and the supportive learning environment from research assistants and professors.

“The department has a great responsibility in taking care of expensive equipment so that students can conduct their research, but providing undergraduate and graduate classes is just as important to build the foundation for thesis research and to be able to run analytical instrumentation,” Bergmann said. “Because the department takes these two aspects very seriously, I have learned significantly more from my classes and research than I anticipated.”

Jessie Matarrita Rodriguez, a Fulbright Scholar from Costa Rica, is working on a master’s in environmental science.

“One of the main reasons I decided to pursue a master’s program in environmental science at TAMU-CC was the interdisciplinary high-level research and the opportunity to be trained on various analytical instruments, specifically the Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid,” Matarrita Rodriguez said. “I feel part of the scientific community of TAMU-CC, and I believe that the acquired knowledge will strengthen the analytical capacity of the laboratories of my home country, Costa Rica.”