Earth and Environmental Sciences Major
Earth and Environmental Sciences is a broad interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding the origin and evolution of the Earth. This discipline includes the study of climate, water, landscapes, earthquakes, volcanoes, prehistoric life, planets, natural resources, and the impact of humans on the environment. To help solve some of the greatest challenges facing human society, students majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences will gain knowledge of Earth’s materials and the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have operated throughout Earth’s history. The curriculum also emphasizes active and collaborative learning and provides ample opportunities for research, field trips, and study abroad coursework around the world. Students graduating with a degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences will be prepared for graduate or professional programs or direct entry into the workforce. Earth and Environmental Sciences majors may go on to careers in industry, technology, consulting, nonprofits, government, education, and law.
Course requirements for the Earth and Environmental Sciences major are outlined below:
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| One Introductory Course (choose one introductory EENS course with lab of the following) | 4 | |
| Planet Earth and Planet Earth Lab | ||
| Earth as a Living Planet and Earth as a Living Planet Lab | ||
| Earth & Life Through Time and Earth & Life Through Time Lab | ||
| Core Courses | 16 | |
| Shaping the Earth's Surface and Shaping the Earth's Surface Laboratory | ||
| Dynamic Planets and Dynamic Planets Lab | ||
| How to Build a Habitable Planet and How to Build a Habitable Planet Laboratory | ||
| Climate and Extinction and Climate and Extinction lab | ||
| Six Electives in selected track | 18-24 | |
Select the Earth and Planetary Science Track or the Environmental Science Track 1 | ||
Three electives must be at the 3000-level or above | ||
Only two courses outside of the Earth & Environmental Sciences department may count towards the major. | ||
No more than two GIS certificate course may count as electives towards the major in EENS. See Elective Lists below for more details. | ||
| Required Courses Outside EENS | ||
| Two Mathematics Courses | 8 | |
| Calculus I 1 | ||
| Calculus II 1 | ||
or MATH 1230 | Statistics For Scientists | |
| Three Sciences Courses | 12 | |
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I | ||
| General Physics I and General Physics I Lab | ||
| Introductory Physics I and Introductory Physics I Lab | ||
| Diversity of Life and Diversity of Life Lab | ||
| One Senior Experiential Learning Course | 3-7 | |
Field-based course 3 | ||
| Public Service Internship and Public Service Internship | ||
| Internship | ||
| Honors Thesis and Honors Thesis | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 61-71 | |
- 1
Students should consult with their major advisor to review available electives and to select a track.
- 2
Math 1150 and 1160 ((Long Calculus sequence) may be taken instead of MATH 1210 to complete the Calculus 1 requirement.
MATH 1310 Consolidated Calculus (4 c.h.) may be taken instead of MATH 1210 Calculus I (4 c.h.)/MATH 1220 Calculus II (4 c.h.)
- 3
Field-based courses include a range of options, typically transferred from another accredited university-level program. These include geoscience field camp courses, applied field-based geophysics courses, and coastal and/or marine science courses. Department approval is required.
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Earth and Planetary Science Track Electives | ||
| EENS 2240 | Geology of Our National Parks | 3 |
| EENS 3050 | Natural Hazards & Mitigation | 3 |
| EENS 3100 | Planetary Geology | 3 |
| EENS 3150 | Intro to GIS | 4 |
| EENS 3170 | Geomorphology | 3 |
| EENS 3180 | Making Landscapes | 3 |
| EENS 3270 | Sedimentation and Strat | 3 |
| EENS 3410 | Structural Geology | 3 |
| EENS 3600 | Science of Climate Change | 3 |
| EENS 3840 | Planetary Geophysics | 3 |
| EENS 3990 | Field Geoscience | 3-8 |
| EENS 4030 | Advanced GIS | 3 |
| EENS 4060 | Tectonic Geomorphology | 3 |
| EENS 4160 | 3D Stratigraphy | 3 |
| EENS 4180 | Intro Remote Sensing | 3 |
| EENS 4230 | Tectonics | 3 |
| EENS 4250 | Isotopes in The Environm | 3 |
| EENS 4320 | Subsurface Geology | 3 |
| EENS 4350 | Geologic Dating Methods | 3 |
| EENS 4390 | Geospatial and Numerical Methods | 4 |
| EENS 4440 | Introduction to Geophysics | 3 |
| COLQ 4120 | The Grand Canyon | 3,4 |
| CMPS 1100 | Foundations of Programming | 3 |
| CMPS 1500 | Intro to Computer Science I | 4 |
| CMPS 2170 | Intro to Discrete Math | 3 |
| MATH 2210 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 2240 | Intro To Applied Math | 4 |
| MATH 3070 | Intro To Probability | 3 |
| MATH 3090 | Linear Algebra | 4 |
| Environmental Science Track Electives | ||
| EENS 2020 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
| EENS 2060 | Introductory Geography | 3 |
| EENS 2070 | Weather and Climate | 3 |
| EENS 2080 | Extreme Weather | 3 |
| EENS 2230 | Oceanography | 3 |
| EENS 2240 | Geology of Our National Parks | 3 |
| EENS 3050 | Natural Hazards & Mitigation | 3 |
| EENS 3120 | Soils and Soil Formation | 3 |
| EENS 3150 | Intro to GIS | 4 |
| EENS 3170 | Geomorphology | 3 |
| EENS 3180 | Making Landscapes | 3 |
| EENS 3270 | Sedimentation and Strat | 3 |
| EENS 3550 | Shark Paleobiology | 3,4 |
| EENS 3600 | Science of Climate Change | 3 |
| EENS 3650 | Marine Environmental Geology | 3 |
| EENS 3730 | Pathways to Urban Sustainability | 3 |
| EENS 3990 | Field Geoscience | 3-8 |
| EENS 4030 | Advanced GIS | 3 |
| EENS 4040 | Coastal Marine Geology | 3 |
| EENS 4180 | Intro Remote Sensing | 3 |
| EENS 4250 | Isotopes in The Environm | 3 |
| EENS 4300 | Groundwater Hydrology | 3 |
| EENS 4350 | Geologic Dating Methods | 3 |
| EENS 4360 | Environmental Geochemistry | 3 |
| EENS 4390 | Geospatial and Numerical Methods | 4 |
| COLQ 4120 | The Grand Canyon | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3560 | Environmental Archaeology | 3 |
| EBIO 2040 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| EBIO 2580 | Urban Ecology | 3 |
| EBIO 2600 | Natural Resource Conservation | 3 |
| EBIO 3040 | General Ecology | 3 |
| EVST 3310 | Approaches to Environ Studies | 3 |
| CHEM 2500 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
| CMPS 1100 | Foundations of Programming | 3 |
| CMPS 1500 | Intro to Computer Science I | 4 |
| CMPS 2170 | Intro to Discrete Math | 3 |
| COMM 3510 | Environmental Comm | 3 |
| MATH 2210 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 2240 | Intro To Applied Math | 4 |
| MATH 3070 | Intro To Probability | 3 |
| MATH 3090 | Linear Algebra | 4 |