Why Choose the Environmental Sciences & Technology Program?
With the constant population growth and development of new technologies, environmental impact is a vital focus.
CPTC's Environmental Sciences & Technology program prepares students for a wide range of career opportunities in the field of environmental science. Some of the training opportunities include hands-on water-quality monitoring; soil, water, and air sampling; mineral identification; wetland delineation and restoration; geographic information system mapping (GIS); and simulated hazardous waste site cleanup operations.
This program takes advantage of CPTC's 110-acre outdoor learning laboratory at Flett Creek, across the street from our Lakewood Campus.
If you love the outdoors and have a passion for nature, this program and career path might be your perfect fit.
Our Environmental Sciences & Technology program will prepare you for a wide range of career options, including working in forestry and fish hatcheries or as a natural-resource technician.
Learn about our Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Sciences.
How Long It Takes:
Environmental Sciences & Technology AAT or AAS-T Degree: 6 quarters
All program lengths are estimates and are not guarantees.
Potential Careers
Environmental Science Technician
Environmental Science Technician Career & Wage Details
This is not a guarantee of employment or a certain wage. Full career data available at careeronestop.org.
Talk with Entry Services in the Welcome Center to APPLY TO CPTC.
Find your timeline and learning plan with Program Maps.
Understand program costs, Tuition, and Fees.
Find Ways to Pay for CPTC.
Search for and enroll in classes in ctcLink by visiting www.cptc.edu/MyCC.
Meet Your Instructors
Derek R. Faust, Ph.D.
Derek Faust arrived at CPTC in 2018. He earned a B.S. in environmental science with a minor in chemistry at Elizabethtown College in 2010. He continued his education at Texas Tech University, earning a M.S. in environmental toxicology in 2012 with research focused on effects of pollutants in wetlands and green sea turtles. He earned a Ph.D. in forest resources at Mississippi State University in 2016 with research focusing on reducing nutrient runoff in agricultural landscapes. Following completion of his Ph.D., Derek was a postdoctoral research biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service's Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, North Dakota. His research focused on water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil health in integrated crop-livestock systems. Derek is particularly interested in aquatic ecology, wetlands, greenhouse gases, and agricultural landscapes.
Bldg 16, Rm 104
253-589-5506
derek.faust@cptc.edu
Kathryn A. Smith, M.E.S.
Kathryn Smith arrived at CPTC in 2004 after working at the Hanford Site for more than 11 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and completed her Master of Environmental Studies at The Evergreen State College. Kathryn is particularly interested in remediating our urban environmental footprint.
Bldg 16, Rm 102
253-589-5829
kathryn.smith@cptc.edu
Environmental Sciences & Technology Program Information Sessions usually occur at 3 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.
To learn more about information sessions, visit cptc.edu/info-sessions.
Visit the Academic Calendar at cptc.edu/academic-calendar to see when the next information session is scheduled.
