Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Timothy Grover, Ph.D., Department Chair
Location: Ross Hall 3235
Telephone: 970.351.2647
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/earth-atmospheric-sciences/
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The multidisciplinary Environmental Earth Sciences concentration is intended for individuals who wish to pursue careers with responsibilities that include environmental monitoring, regulation or management. Students may prepare for entry-level positions in the environmental industry or governmental agencies, or for graduate education in such fields as resource management, environmental public policy and environmental law. The program also is well suited for anyone with a serious interest in the scientific aspect of environmental issues.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- Science and mathematics courses approved for the Liberal Arts Curriculum that are taken as part of this major may also be used to satisfy Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements.
- A 2.0 grade point average in the courses taken as part of this major is required for graduation. (Secondary Teaching Concentration: a 2.5 GPA is required in all major courses.)
- In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 76 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course in the Written Communication requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
Note that SCI 291 has a prerequisite of ENG 122 or SAT Verbal with a minimum score of 630 or ACT English with a minimum score of 30 or SAT Reading Test with a minimum score of 34.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 127 or MATH 131 are recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements. No additional courses in this category are needed.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
GEOL 100, CHEM 111, CHEM 111L, ESCI 200, MET 205 or PHYS 220 are recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements. No additional courses in this category are needed.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 80 credits
Take all of the following courses:
Required Categories
Choose an option according to course offerings and career path interests in each of the following categories.
Choose one course from the following for Intro Geology Requirement:
Note: GEOL 100 is offered more frequently than GEOL 201
Choose one course from the following for Study of Life History Requirement:
Choose either GEOL 202 or BIO 111 in preparation for upper-division electives of your choice. GEOL 202 allows students to take sedimentary geology and paleontology courses (GEOL 202 is prerequisite for GEOL 340, GEOL 445, and GEOL 450; BIO 111 allows students to take ecology courses (BIO 111 is a prerequisite for BIO 329, BIO 335, BIO 338, BIO 360 and others that students may wish to take to fulfill their upper-division electives).
| GEOL 202 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| BIO 111 | Biology: Organisms to EcosystemsLAS1LASL | 4 |
Choose one course from the following for Math Requirement:
Notes: Placement into math courses is dependent on math placement score.
Choose one course from the following for Physics Requirement:
Choose three credits of the following for Field Credits:
Choose six credits of Upper Division Electives:
Choose a minimum of 6 credits from courses selected in consultation with an academic advisor to explore an area of interest in greater depth with prefix GEOL, MET, ESCI, OCN, PHYS, CHEM, BIO, MATH, ENST, GEOG, ECON, STAT, SCI that are numbered 300 or higher. Other courses may satisfy requirements with approval of the advisor. At least 3 credits must be with prefix GEOL, MET, ESCI, or OCN.
No more than 6 credits of ESCI 491 or ESCI 492 may count toward the degree.
3. University-Wide Credits — 9 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 9 credits but may be more depending on what is chosen to toward LAC requirements.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.