5 Earth Science Course Programs

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (E&ES) at Wesleyan University covers many aspects of the natural world, on Earth and on other planets. Our investigations range from active volcanoes to climate change and eco-conservation to the fate of water on Mars and the Moon. Our students perform cutting edge research in our own backyard and around the world. Our graduates enter jobs in Earth and environmental industries, the non-profit sector and academia.

The program includes a sequence of geology courses with additional courses in hydrology, meteorology, astronomy and biology that are required by New York State Education Department. The program has flexibility, making it possible for you to enter the geology consulting field instead of teaching. In addition, the earth science major leads to qualifying you for licensure as a professional geologist.

Faculty and students in the Department of Earth and Oceanographic Science (EOS) at Bowdoin investigate fundamental questions about our planet’s past, present, and future. In our courses and research programs, we sample rocks, sediments, shells and waters to reconstruct Earth’s geologic history, including past climates. We study Earth’s systems at all scales—atoms to oceans—and use state of the art instrumentation and data analysis to unravel Earth’s past so that we can better understand and prepare for our future.

In Earth Science, students learn how development affects water resources and pollution, how soils form and what makes them support the food we eat, about our changing oceans and climate, about environmental justice and geohazards in the Anthropocene, and about the history of our Earth, its climates, and the creatures that evolved here. In Geography, students learn how political, economic, cultural, and environmental forces shape spatial patterns and flows of activities, resources, people, and ideas in our world. We explore themes such as sustainable landscapes and communities, global political economic systems, cities and planetary urbanization, and the spatial underpinnings of social justice and human rights.

The Solar System and Beyond is a fun and informative course for those fascinated by our solar system's mysteries. The course will feature an exploration of Earth, the solar system, stars, and galaxies.