Earth and Environmental Science, BS

Program Codes: ESS; ESS+SSCH (Earth and Environmental Science, BS w/ Secondary Science Education Certificate)

Earth and Environmental Science is a broad science that encompasses all aspects of our planet and solar system. In addition to the solid Earth, this system includes the oceans and atmosphere, climate change, and most aspects of our immediate environment including water and soil quality and potential contaminants. Professional geologists and environmental scientists are thus engaged in a wide range of activities, depending on their interests. Scientific questions addressed include the evolution of life, plate tectonics and mountain building processes, the identification and assessment of natural hazards, the evolution of our solar system, climate change, mineral and energy resources, flooding and fluvial processes, and human impact on the environment. The Earth and Environmental Science BS degree gives students the necessary foundation to pursue a wide variety of career goals. In addition, this program can be accompanied by a Certificate in Secondary Science Education for students who are interested in teaching. The degrees and courses in the program emphasize hands-on learning, student-oriented research, and professional experiential learning opportunities. In addition to on-campus instruction and class-related field trips, the department also offers several regional geology field workshops, which take place in Newfoundland, Colorado, Florida, and the American Southwest.

Students complete a set of core foundational Earth and environmental science coursework that provides a basis for understanding concepts used for a variety of subdisciplines including oceanography/marine geology, climate change, natural hazards, paleontology, groundwater and environmental geology, geographical information systems (GIS) and geospatial analyses. Working closely with academic advisors, students also select a series of coursework tailored specifically to meet individual career goals that include professional teaching certification, research and graduate studies, or working as professional geologists, for energy resource companies, environmental consulting firms, or federal and state regulatory agencies.

Secondary Science Education Teaching Certificate

Completion of the Certificate in Secondary Science Teaching in addition to the BS in Earth and Environmental Science prepares students to become certified middle- and high-school teachers in Pennsylvania and other states. Earth and space science teachers in grades 7 to 12 teach subjects that require a broad and solid foundation in the geosciences and astronomy, as well as the cognate sciences and mathematics. Courses in the foundations of education and pedagogy complement the subject matter studies. Students create and present lessons, first in their courses and then in school classrooms, culminating in the student teaching experience in the final semester.