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Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2024-25


Contents
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Earth Sciences - Undergraduate

Chair: Meredith A. Kelly

Undergraduate Major Coordinator Leslie J. Sonder

Professors X. Feng, R. L. Hawley, M. A. Kelly, M. Morlighem, C. E. Renshaw, M. Sharma; Professor Emeritus G. D. Johnson; Research Professor B. P. Jackson; Associate Professors W.D. Leavitt, M.C. Palucis, E. C. Osterberg, L. J. Sonder; J. V. Strauss; Associate Professor Emeritus W. B. Dade; Assistant Professors C. B. Keller, S. P. Slotznick; Senior Lecturer E. E. Meyer;  Adjunct Professors F. J. Magilligan; Adjunct Associate Professor J. M. Winter; C. Hicks- Pries, J. Mankin; Adjunct Assistant Professors E. Newton, C. Meyer;  Adjunct Senior Lecturer J. W. Chipman

To view Earth Sciences Undergraduate courses, click here. 

To view Earth Sciences Graduate requirements, click here.

To view Earth Sciences Graduate courses, click here.

 

 Prerequisites for all majors and minors including the modified majors

 

Field studies requirement for all majors except modified majors with EARS as the secondary department

  • Successfully complete one of the following three options:
    • EARS 45, EARS 46, AND EARS 47 (the Stretch)
    • Any three of the following courses having significant field components: EARS 33, EARS 38, EARS 52, EARS 58, EARS 59, EARS 71, or other course(s) approved by the Chair. None of these courses may also be used to satisfy another requirement for the major.
    • Transfer course credit from an accredited geology field studies program (including accessible programs).

The Department of Earth Sciences is committed to making the earth sciences accessible to all and encourages students interested in an immersive field experience but unable to complete the Stretch to consider, as appropriate, summer field courses offered by other universities or the alternative accessible field course listed on the International Association for Geoscience Diversity website.  Substitute field methods courses offered by other institutions must be approved in advance by the Chair.  Since substitute courses will likely receive one or two Dartmouth course transfer credit(s), a student will usually need one or two additional Earth Sciences courses numbered 30 or above to meet Dartmouth's eight course major requirement.  Be advised that the Registrar may charge a fee to transfer course credits to Dartmouth. Contact the Registrar's Office for more information regarding the transfer fee.

 

Culminating experience requirement for all majors except modified majors with EARS as the secondary department

  • Majors must complete one of three options to fulfill the College's culminating experience requirement:

  • Honors Thesis, as described below (EARS 89 and, optionally, EARS 90 or 91 but not both). 
  • Independent research project, generally of one term duration, under the supervision of a faculty member (EARS 87).
  • Senior Seminar, EARS 88 (Fall term only).
  • In addition, to fulfill the College’s culminating experience requirement, all students must attend the weekly research seminar during Winter and Spring of their senior year.


Relevant courses outside the department for the Environmental Earth Science majors and minor that may satisfy some of the required course requirements

The Environmental Earth Science major and minor, including modified majors, permit qualifying courses above the introductory level in Geography, Environmental Studies, Engineering, Chemistry or Biology to satisfy some of the course requirements.  The following courses are recommended but others are permitted subject to the permission of the Chair:  CHEM 63 (Environmental Chemistry); ENVS 20 (Conservation of Biodiversity), ENVS 25 (Ecological Agriculture), or ENVS 30 (Global Environmental Science); BIOL 21 (Population Ecology), BIOL 25 (Introductory Marine Biology and Ecology), or BIOL 51 (Advanced Population Ecology); ENGS 37 (Introduction to Environmental Engineering), or ENGS 41 (Sustainability and Natural Resource Management); GEOG 31 (The Local and Global Biosphere).

 

The Earth Sciences Major

Prerequisites: As described above

Required courses:

  • One Data Analysis course (EARS 10-19)
  • Field requirement as described above
  • Two Core Methods and Concepts courses (EARS 30‐59, exclusive of 45-47). At least one of these must be an Advanced Core Methods and Concepts course (EARS 50‐59).
  • One Quantitative Analysis course (EARS 60‐69)
  • One Advanced Topics course (EARS 70‐79)
  • Culminating experience as described above

 

The Environmental Earth Sciences Major

Prerequisites: As described above

Required courses:

  • One Data Analysis course (EARS 10-19)
  • Field requirement as described above
  • One Quantitative Analysis course (EARS 60-69)
  • One Advanced Topics course (EARS 70-79)
  • At least two additional courses that are either Earth Sciences courses numbered 30 or higher or relevant courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, Engineering, Chemistry or Biology as described above.

Culminating experience as described above


**Advisories for Majors**

First-year students planning a major in Earth Sciences or Environmental Earth Sciences are advised to complete the prerequisite courses, exclusive of EARS 40, by the end of their sophomore year.

Students contemplating a professional career in earth sciences are advised that:

  1. Training at the Master’s level or above is becoming increasingly necessary.
  2. Most graduate schools have minimum entrance requirements equivalent to MATH 3 and MATH 8, CHEM 5-6, and PHYS 3-4 or PHYS 13-14. Minimal expectations for Earth Sciences preparation include material taught in EARS 40, EARS 51, EARS 52, EARS 58, and EARS 59.


The Earth Sciences Minor

Prerequisites: As described above

Required courses: Four Earth Sciences courses numbered above 10, of which three must be numbered 30 or higher.

The Environmental Earth Sciences Minor

       Prerequisites: As described above except EARS 40 not required

Required courses: A total of 5 courses in addition to the prerequisite courses is required for the Environmental Earth Sciences minor. Three or more of these must be in Earth Sciences. The Earth Sciences courses must be numbered greater than 10; of these, two courses must be Core Methods and Concepts (EARS 30-59) and one must be numbered 60 or above (Quantitative Analysis of Earth Systems or Advanced Topics). Up to two of the five required courses may be relevant courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, Engineering, Chemistry or Biology as described above.

 

The Modified Major

Modified Major with Earth Sciences as the primary department (in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog.)

Prerequisites: As described above

Required Courses: six courses, of which three satisfy the Field requirement listed above. Of the other three, all must be above the introductory  level (numbered above 10) and two must be numbered above 30 (Core Methods and Concepts, Quantitative Analysis, or Advanced Topics courses). 

In addition, fulfill the culminating experience requirement as described above.

Modified Major with Earth Sciences as the secondary department(in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog.)

Prerequisites:  As described above

Required Courses: Four courses numbered 10 or above, at least one of which must be a Core Methods and Concepts course (EARS 30-59) and at least one of which must be a Quantitative Analysis or Advanced Topics course (EARS 60-79). 

Modified Major with Environmental Earth Sciences as the primary department (in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog.)

Prerequisites: As described above

Required Courses: six, of which three satisfy the Field requirement listed above. Of the other three, all must be above the introductory level and one may come from a third department (neither the primary nor secondary department); relevant courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, Engineering, Chemistry or Biology are described above. 

In addition, fulfill the culminating experience requirement as described above.

Modified Major with Environmental Earth Sciences as the secondary department(in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog.)

Prerequisites:  As described above

Required Courses: four courses numbered 10 or above, at least one of which must be a Core Methods and Concepts course (EARS 30-59) and at least one of which must be a Quantitative Analysis or Advanced Topics course (EARS 60-79). At most one of these courses may come from a third department (neither the primary nor the secondary department); relevant courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, Engineering, Chemistry or Biology are described above. 



 

Earth Sciences Honors Program

A candidate for the Honors Program in Earth Sciences must satisfy the College requirements of at least a 3.0 (B) overall grade point average and at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average in the major at the beginning of senior year. Those students who a) enroll in and satisfactorily complete Earth Sciences 89, b) satisfactorily complete and submit a written senior thesis and c) have a 3.3 (B+) average or higher in the 8 courses constituting their major will earn Honors or, in appropriate cases, High Honors, in Earth Sciences at the end of senior year. High Honors will be granted only by vote of the Department faculty on the basis of overall academic performance including both classroom and independent work. Note: enrollment in Earth Sciences 89 in and of itself does not constitute admission to the Honors Program, nor does completion of a senior thesis guarantee the awarding of Honors.