OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS - Earth and Climate Sciences B.A.
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0.
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: all B.S. and B.A. students in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences must achieve at least a grade of “C-” in all required courses and ERS electives.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.
Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: ERS 410 or ERS 499
Contact Information: Dr. Alice Doughty, Undergraduate Coordinator, 217 Bryand Global Sciences Center, 207-581-2159, alice.doughty@maine.edu
A major in Earth and Climate Sciences (ECS) allows students to explore various aspects of our natural world. Tremendous advances in remote sensing, geoengineering, environmental studies, and related areas make ECS an important and fascinating field of study. Geology seeks to understand the Earth - from the Earth’s interior and plate tectonics to climate change and surface processes. Earth scientists help find solutions to problems related to natural disasters and resources, become experts in understanding dynamic environmental systems, predict how different components of the Earth will change over time, and more. Our courses focus on the fundamental physical and chemical processes that shape the surface and interior of our planet - today, in the past, 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, glaciology and Earth materials (e.g., ice, rocks, and minerals). ECS majors are exposed to a variety of research opportunities. Research increases knowledge about the Earth in order to tackle problems we face in fields such as climate change, natural resources, and hydrology.
B.A. or B.S. Earth and Climate Sciences graduates from this program pursue various careers, depending on their interest, level of educational attainment, and subsequent professional education. Among the more typical career areas are geologic industry and mining, scientific research and development, teaching at the high-school and college levels, environmental monitoring and regulation at state and federal levels, and private design and consulting.
The many choices for Earth (ERS) electives allows majors to tailor their programs to their interests. Students can choose from a wide range of courses covering all major areas of geology including geohazards, marine geology, petrology, fresh-water flow, glaciology, extreme weather, glacial geology, hydrology, and paleoceanography. Students enrolled in the Honors College will find the program complementary to their degree studies. Each student works with an academic advisor to develop a curriculum that best meets the student’s goals and allows for exploration or specialization as desired. Students are strongly encouraged to become laboratory, field, and research assistants for projects led by faculty, staff, and graduate students in the program. Students wishing to spend a semester studying abroad are advised to discuss this option with their advisor early in their program.
The School of Earth and Climate Sciences offers a B.A. degree in Earth and Climate Sciences and a B.S. degree in Earth and Climate Sciences with an Earth Sciences or Climate Sciences concentration. We also offer an Earth, Environmental, and Climate Sciences Concentration through the B.S. in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program. For information about the program, faculty, staff, and facilities, visit https://umaine.edu/earthclimate/.
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