Water Quality is an undergraduate course taught at Virginia Tech in Spring 2026. The course introduces students to fundamental concepts in water quality, including physical, chemical, and biological indicators; water-quality standards; pollutant sources and fate; and practical approaches for monitoring and interpreting water-quality data.

The course emphasizes connections between water chemistry, environmental processes, and real-world water-resource challenges. Topics include temperature, turbidity, total dissolved and suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, redox processes, pH, alkalinity, hardness, nutrients, metals, organic contaminants, and emerging contaminants.

Through lectures, class discussions, assignments, and applied examples, students develop the ability to evaluate water-quality conditions, interpret environmental measurements, and understand how scientific information supports water management and protection of aquatic systems.

Course level

Undergraduate course

Institution

Virginia Tech, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Semester

Spring 2026