Students will be exposed to the basic and applied study of 
microorganisms in their environment. At the successful 
completion of this course, students will be able to:

•	Describe the nature of environmental habitats for 
different groups of microbes
•	Define the role of the microbial community in 
biogeochemical cycles and how this affects and is affected by 
human activities
•	Recognize the role of the environment in infectious 
diseases
•	Compare the wide range of tools and methodologies used 
to study microbes in the environment and their activities

1. Foundations of Microbiology and Microbial Environments
a. Soil
b. Air
c. Water
d. Extreme environments
e. Transport

2. Methods in Environmental Microbiology
a. Microscopy
b. Culture
c. Physiology
d. Immunology
e. Molecular detection
f. Omics

3. Ecological and Applied Microbiology
a. Microbial interactions
b. Microbial communities
c. Biogeochemical cycles
d. Water  and wastewater treatment
e. Water quality and policy

4. Public Health Microbiology
a. Environmental pathogens
b. Antibiotic resistance
c. Global change
d. Risk assessment

All academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture of Honesty.” Each
student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing
any academic work.