OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS - Earth Sciences B.A.
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: None.
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: ERS majors must have a “C-” or better in all ERS courses.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.
Minimum Number of credits in departments other than Earth Sciences: 72
Contact Information: Alice R. Kelley, Undergraduate Coordinator, 111 Bryand Global Science Center, 207-581-2056, akelley@maine.edu
OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS - Earth Sciences B.S.
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: None.
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: ERS majors must have a “C-” or better in all ERS courses.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.
Contact Information: Alice R. Kelley, Undergraduate Coordinator, 111 Bryand Global Science Center, 207-581-2056, akelley@maine.edu
The Department of Earth Sciences offers B.A. and B.S. degrees and provides a wide range of courses accessible to the non-major interested in the Earth and our environment. Our curriculum is designed to prepare majors for careers in Earth Science-related fields as well as to provide all students with the knowledge they need to address future environmental challenges. Our website, http://www.geology.um.maine.edu, describes in detail career opportunities, the role of Earth Science in society, and what to expect as a major.
In our courses, we focus on the fundamental physical and chemical processes that shape the surface and interior of our planet - today, prehistorically, and into the future. Specific content areas include climate change, geodynamics (e.g., plate tectonics and mountain-building), marine geology and coastal processes, environmental geology, and Earth materials (e.g., ice, rocks, and minerals). The curriculum is designed so that many upper division courses are available to students without extensive prerequisites. We also encourage students to become involved in faculty and graduate student research projects. We welcome students in the Honors College to pursue a B.A. or B.S. degree in Earth Sciences and focus their honors thesis on an Earth Science topic.
Several of our courses satisfy General Education requirements:
Applications of Scientific Knowledge - ERS 100, 103,104, 108, 110, 140
Lab in the Basic or Applied Sciences - ERS 101, 102, 110/111, 200
Population and the Environment - ERS 102, 103, 108, 110, 121, 441
Writing Intensive - ERS 315, 316, 441
A B.A. or B.S. Earth Sciences graduate is prepared to enter directly into education, industry, or federal and state agencies. A B.S. is typically required to enter graduate school in Earth Sciences. Completing BIO 204, CHY 251/252, CHY 253/254 and BIO 100 in addition to a B.S. in Earth Sciences satisfies the entrance requirements for most medical or dental schools. The requirements for a B.S. and a B.A. differ only in the ancillary sciences, and that B.A. students are required to complete 72 credits outside the Department of Earth Science. Both majors must complete the following: ERS 100 or ERS 101 or ERS 102 or ERS 103; ERS 200; ERS 201; ERS 312; ERS 315; ERS 316; ERS 317; ERS 330; ERS 499; and 12 credits of ERS courses at the 200 level or above. Ancillary requirements for the B.A. are: MAT 126; CHY 121/123; PHY 111 or PHY 121. Ancillary requirements for the B.S. are: MAT 127; MAT 232; CHY 121/123; CHY 122/124; PHY 111 or PHY 121; PHY 112 or PHY 122; COS 120 or COS 215 or COS 220 or FTY 480. The requirements leave sufficient opportunity for students to complete a minor in another field.
The Department also offers a concentration in Environmental Geology. The concentration requires that electives be chosen from ERS 210/211, ERS 323, ERS 350, ERS 369, ERS 408, ERS 441, and ERS 460.
The University of Maine The University of Maine
Return to: