Landscape Hydrology Modeling (WSAM 589 – RGSC 589, 3 Credits, Spring Semester) This course covers topics related to understanding the hydrologic cycle and the different hydrological processes. It introduces some tools that can be used to evaluate hydrological system components quantitatively. It also introduces means to retrieve, visualize, and model some of the physical processes.

Land Cover Analysis for Natural Resources (RGSC 485/585 - WSAM 585, 3 Credits, Spring Semester) This course covers topics related to accessing, understanding, and manipulating Earth Observation (EO) data, and conducting land cover analysis of natural resources. The course provides and highlights means to identify and access EO data from satellite, airborne, and UAV sensors. The course introduces GIS and programming tools such as ArcGIS Pro and python.

Climate Studies, Water, and Society (RGSC 475/575 - WSAM 575, 3 Credits, Fall Semester) The course provides a brief description of the Earth’s climate system, an in-depth review and methodologies used to investigate climate change and variability, evidence of climate change on natural systems, vulnerability of human (e.g., agriculture) and natural systems to climate change, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Earth Data Retrieval (RGSC 551 - WSAM 551, 3 Credits, Fall Semester) This course covers topics related to identification of sources, preprocessing, utilization of Earth Observation data that can be used to monitor some hydrological variables and vegetation growth and related biophysical properties. The course highlights the use of remote sensing and land surface models-based datasets such as land surface temperature, leaf area index, vegetation indices, precipitation, soil moisture, air temperature, and evapotranspiration. The course provides instructions on how to handle data in different formats and uses open-source programming and visualization tools including python and Google Earth Engine.

Arid Land Management (RGSC 516, 3 Credits, Spring Semester) This course is designed to provide students an overview of seminal and current papers dealing with the management of arid and semiarid ecosystems including land tenure systems, soil-plant-animal/human interactions (such as livestock grazing), plant community ecology and assessment methods, arid land hydrology, ecosystem services, climate and dryland ecosystems feedbacks, and ecological indicators and tipping points of arid ecosystems. Students who complete this course will: a) gain a better understanding of the basic science underlying the management of semiarid and arid range lands; b) have an increased appreciation of relevant topics, seminal papers, as well as key researchers in each of the areas of arid land management mentioned above; and c) become familiarized with the history, academic traditions, and current issues in arid land management in the western United States.

Range Sciences Graduate Seminar (RGSC 515, 1 Credit, Fall Semester) This course is designed to enhance students’ skills to provide effective presentations. An overview of expectations, design, types, and delivery of presentations will be explored during the class lectures. Students will be exposed to presentations from faculty and other students to provide feedback and learn from others. The presentations will be on a variety of topics.