Earth Science, B.S. - General

The program course outline and graduation requirements for this catalog year are listed below. To graduate, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 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 Sciences
ESC 311 – Mineralogy
ESC 312 – Petrology 
ESC 325 – Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
ESC 350 – Structural Geology and Tectonics
ESC 430 – Field Methods
16 Credits of ESC at or above the 200-level

COGNATE REQUIREMENTS (19 Credits)

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

CHE 120 – General Chemistry I (T2PR)
PHY 200 – General Physics I (T2PR) or PHY 230 – Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (T2PR)

Select one from:
BIO 102 – Biology I
BIO 120 – Microbiology (T2LE)
CHE 121 – General Chemistry II (T2LE)
GEO 360– Introduction to GIS
PHY 201 – General Physics II

MAT 111 or MAT 112 – Algebra for Business and Science*

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

Non-Course Requirements:
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.