Earth Science, B.S. - Environmental Science

The program course outline and graduation requirements for this catalog year are listed below. To graduate, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be achieved, and a total of 120 credits is required. This total includes both the required courses for the program and any free electives selected. The department website provides an overview of the program, admission requirements for the major (when applicable), faculty biographies, learning outcomes, and careers: https://www.southernct.edu/academics/earth-science/programs. 

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (46 Credits)

All bachelor’s degree programs include liberal education (LEP) and writing (W) course requirements. To review more detailed information, please visit General Education (LEP) Degree Requirements.   

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (56 Credits)

Up to three courses in the major/cognate may also satisfy LEP requirements and will be indicated below; no more than two courses in the same subject may be used towards LEP Explorations.  

‘C-’ or better required.

ESC 200 – Physical Geology (T2PR)
ESC 201 – History of Earth and Life (T2LE)
ESC 205 – Principles of Meteorology (T2PR)
ESC 220 – Physical and Chemical Oceanography (T2PR)
ESC 235 – Computation and Visualization of Data in the Earth Science
ESC 303 – Environmental Earth Science
ESC 311 – Mineralogy
ESC 312 – Petrology
ESC 325 – Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
ESC 350 – Structural Geology and Tectonics
ESC 430 – Field Methods

Select four courses from:
ESC 315 – Geomorphology and Natural Hazards
ESC 332 – Invetebrate Paleontology and the Fossil Record
ESC 420 – Earth Resources
ESC 421 – Marine Geology
ESC 457 – Hydrology
ESC 458 – Soil Science
ESC 459 – Engineering Geology
ESC 460 – Geochemistry
ESC 461 – Glacial Geology

Select one option from the following two:
ESC 492 – Undergraduate Thesis Proposal and ESC 493 – Undergraduate Thesis
Two additional ESC courses at or above the 200-level

COGNATE REQUIREMENTS (22 Credits)

Up to 3 credits may be waived based on mathematics placement.*

CHE 120 – General Chemistry I (T2PR)
PHY 200 – General Physics I (T2PR)

Select one from:
BIO 102 – Biology I
BIO 103 – Biology II (T2LE)
BIO 120 – Microbiology (T2LE)
CHE 121 – General Chemistry II (T2LE)
PHY 201 – General Physics II

Select one from:
BIO 202 – Ecology
BIO 210 – Environmental Biology and Conservation
BIO 230 – Plant Anatomy and Morphology
CHE 240 – Analytical Chemistry
CHE 340 – Environmental Chemistry
GEO 360 – Introduction to GIS
PCH 202 – Introduction to Public Health
PCH 259 – Environmental Health

Select one from:
MAT 111 – Extended Algebra for Business and Science*
MAT 112 – Algebra for Business and the Sciences*

Select one from (T1QR):
MAT 122 – Precalculus
MAT 150 – Calculus I

Non–Course Requirement:
Pass Praxis® II with a score of 157 or higher

ACCELERATED PATHWAY OPTION (12 Credits)

Students with a 3.0 GPA and at least 90 credits may be eligible to complete an accelerated pathway during their senior year to earn dual credit towards both their current undergraduate program and future graduate program of interest. Approval to start graduate coursework does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.

Students will meet with their faculty advisor to prepare a Graduate Course Plan (500-level courses or higher), with a maximum of 6 credits per semester, based on their graduate program of interest. Approval from both the Program Department Chairperson and the Graduate Coordinator is required. Programs may have higher requirements, and seat availability in certain graduate programs may be limited.    

Courses completed with a grade of 'C' or higher will earn dual credit for both undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Graduate programs may have higher grade requirements in place for certain courses which may require the student to retake the course for a higher grade letter.