BS with a Major in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Degree Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| Required Prerequisite and Collateral Courses | 24-26 | |
| Core Courses | 23 | |
| Selective Courses | 15 | |
| General Education and Electives to reach minimum Total Hours | 56-58 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
General Education
See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements. Students should consult the course lists below and their advisors to determine which courses are counted toward the General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline requirements.
Required Prerequisite and Collateral Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select one of the following options in general physics: | 4 | |
| Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I a | ||
| General Physics I (Mechanics) a | ||
| CHEM 122 | Matter and Energy b | 3 |
| CHEM 123 | Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I a,b | 2 |
| MATH 180 | Calculus I a,c | 4 |
| MATH 181 | Calculus II a | 4 |
| BIOS 110 | Biology of Cells and Organisms a | 4 |
| Select one of the following chemistry, physics, or mathematics options: | 3-5 | |
| Chemical Dynamics and Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II a,b | ||
| Introductory Physics for Life Sciences II a | ||
| General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) a | ||
| Calculus III a | ||
| Total Hours | 24-26 | |
- a
These courses are approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category.
- b
General Education credit is given for successful completion of both CHEM 122 and CHEM 123 or CHEM 124 and CHEM 125.
- c
MATH 180 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
Core Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| EAES 101 | Global Environmental Change a | 4 |
| EAES 111 | Earth, Energy, and the Environment a | 4 |
| EAES 290 | Communication in Earth and Environmental Sciences b | 2 |
| Select one of the following field-methods courses: | 2 | |
| Fieldwork in Missouri | ||
| Methods in Environmental Sciences | ||
| EAES 330 | Earth Materials | 4 |
| EAES 380 | Earth and Environmental Data Science | 3 |
| EAES 385 | Earth Systems | 4 |
| Total Hours | 23 | |
- a
This course is approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category.
- b
EAES 290 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.
Selective Courses
Students must select at least 15 semester hours with at least one course from each of the following two groups. In order to reach the 15 hours, one course can be chosen, with permission of the director of undergraduate studies, from courses in environmental studies offered in other departments; this course must be at the 200 level or above.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | ||
| Group A: Physical Processes in Earth and Environmental Sciences | 3-12 | |
| Sedimentary Environments | ||
| Petrology | ||
| Structural Geology and Tectonics | ||
| Geophysics | ||
| Environmental Geomorphology | ||
| Remote Sensing and GIS for Earth and Environmental Sciences | ||
| Hydrology/Hydrogeology | ||
| Planetary Science | ||
| Group B: Chemical and Biological Processes in Earth and Environmental Sciences | 3-12 | |
| Introduction to Paleontology | ||
| Environmental Geochemistry | ||
| Organic Geochemistry | ||
| Introduction to Biogeochemistry | ||
| Earth System History | ||
| Soils and the Environment | ||
| Modern Statistics in Earth and Environmental Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Geobiology and Astrobiology | ||
| Climate Change and Extreme Weather | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Recommended Plan of Study
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| CHEM 122 | Matter and Energy | 3 |
| CHEM 123 | Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I | 2 |
| EAES 101 | Global Environmental Change | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| MATH 180 | Calculus I | 4 |
| EAES 111 | Earth, Energy, and the Environment | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EAES 330 | Earth Materials | 4 |
| MATH 181 | Calculus II | 4 |
| BIOS 110 | Biology of Cells and Organisms | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PHYS 131 or PHYS 141 |
Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I or General Physics I (Mechanics) |
4 |
| EAES 290 | Communication in Earth and Environmental Sciences | 2 |
| EAES 300 or EAES 302 |
Fieldwork in Missouri a or Methods in Environmental Sciences |
2 |
| EAES 385 | Earth Systems | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EAES 380 | Earth and Environmental Data Science | 3 |
| Select one of the following chemistry, mathematics, or physics courses: | 3-5 | |
| Chemical Dynamics and Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II |
||
| Calculus III | ||
| Introductory Physics for Life Sciences II | ||
| General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) | ||
| EAES selective course from Group A or B | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 15-17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EAES selective course from Group A or B | 3-4 | |
| Electives | 6 | |
| General Education Requirement courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EAES selective courses from Group A or B | 6-8 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 12-14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EAES selective course from Group A or B | 3-4 | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 12-13 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |