Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences 76 courses
Students in the undergraduate major build knowledge and skills relevant to further studies of, and/or careers in, geology and geophysics as well as environmental science, with specific emphasis on areas of relevance to humans such as climate change, sustainability, geohazards, and renewable energy. It is ideal for the undergraduate who is interested in highly interdisciplinary science addressing many of the most profound issues facing the world in the 21st century. The Earth and Planetary Sciences major and minor are offered by the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS), which also offers the Environmental Science major, described elsewhere in this catalog. Earth and Planetary Sciences majors are involved in the full spectrum of departmental activities beyond coursework, including research, seminars, field trips, and social functions. Many do research projects with faculty and graduate students that lead to honors theses and scientific publications. For more information see About Earth and Planetary Sciences in this catalog and also the website for the department. Many of the STEM Related Courses are prerequisites for advanced courses and should be completed as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to take the 200-level Core Courses as early as possible in their studies, beginning with EARTH 210-0 Earth Systems Science and Climate Change and EARTH 211-0 Data Analysis in Earth and Environmental Sciences.
| or equivalent | credits |
4 Core EARTH Courses
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 210-0 | Earth Systems Science and Climate Change | 1 |
| EARTH 211-0 | Data Analysis in Earth and Environmental Sciences | 1 |
| EARTH 214-0 | Physical Earth Science | 1 |
| EARTH 215-0 | Physics of the Earth's Interior | 1 |
| Total 4 Core EARTH Courses | 4 credits | |
Earth Materials
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 300-0 | Earth and Planetary Materials | 1 |
| EARTH 301-0 | Petrology: Evolution of Crustal and Mantle Rocks | 1 |
Geochemistry
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 310-0 | Aqueous Geochemistry | 1 |
| EARTH 312-0 | Stable Isotope Geochemistry | 1 |
| EARTH 313-0 | Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry | 1 |
| EARTH 314-0 | Organic Geochemistry | 1 |
Seismology
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 323-0 | Seismology and Earth Structure | 1 |
| EARTH 324-0 | Earthquakes and Tectonics | 1 |
| EARTH 327-0 | Geophysical Time Series Analysis | 1 |
Sedimentation and Stratigraphy
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 330-0 | Sedimentary Geology | 1 |
| EARTH 331-0 | Field Problems in Sedimentary Geology | 1 |
Climate/Paleoclimate
Geophysics
Geobiology
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 370-0 | Geobiology | 1 |
| EARTH 371-0 | Biogeochemistry | 1 |
| EARTH 373-0 | Microbial Ecology | 1 |
| EARTH 375-0 | Paleobiology | 1 |
Computing
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 361-0 | Scientific Programming in Python | 1 |
Quantitative
Spatial Reasoning
Analytical/Instrumentation/Field
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EARTH 331-0 | Field Problems in Sedimentary Geology | 1 |
| EARTH 360-0 | Instrumentation and Field Methods | 1 |
Math Courses (3-4 courses)
MATH 220-2 may also be replaced by MATH 218-2, MATH 218-3. MATH 226-0 may also be replaced by MATH 228-1, MATH 230-2, MATH 228-2.
6 Additional Related Math and Science Courses
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