Minor in Earth & Environmental Sciences

The minor in Earth & Environmental Sciences provides students with a framework for understanding the Earth’s natural science systems and the environmental forces that shape human populations and society. Students will gain knowledge of fundamental concepts in the physical, life, and interdisciplinary natural sciences that inform society about the environment in which we live. Graduates might combine the minor with a wide range of majors in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, marine science), social sciences (anthropology, archaeology, economics, history, international relations), humanities (English, foreign languages and literatures), and engineering; many other combinations are possible. A minor in Earth & Environmental Sciences also helps prepare students for graduate study in one of the following fields: earth sciences, biogeosciences, ocean sciences, or earth observations. Graduation with the minor equips students with excellent background for entry-level professional employment in areas such as environmental consulting, ecosystem management, private and nongovernmental science agencies, science journalism, and environmental law.

Requirements

The minor in Earth & Environmental Sciences requires five courses, as specified below.

Required Courses

Foundational Courses (2)

• CAS EE 107 Introduction to Climate and Earth System Science (preferred) or CAS EE 105 or CAS EE 142 or CAS EE 144
• CAS EE 100 Environmental Change and Sustainability or CAS EE 142 or CAS EE 144

Electives (3)

Three additional courses selected from the list of approved electives. At least one course must be at the 400 or 500 level (or above). The topical areas are suggestive only. Students can select electives from any list.

Earth and Environmental Science Approved Electives

Ecosystems and Ecology

• CAS BI 306 Biology of Global Change
• CAS EE/BI 307 Biogeography
• CAS EE 317 Hydrology
• CAS EE 371 Introduction to Geochemistry
• CAS EE 375 Introduction to Quantitative Environmental Modeling
• CAS BI 413 Microbial Ecology
• CAS EE/BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry
• CAS EE/BI 475 Urban Ecology
• CAS EE 503 Micrometeorology
• CAS EE 512 Urban Climate
• CAS EE 514 Dynamic Land Surface Hydrology
• CAS EE/BI 523 Marine Urban Ecology
• CAS EE 525 Plant Physiological Ecology
• CAS EE 529 Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
• CAS EE/BI 530 Forest Ecology
• CAS EE/BI 539 Coral Reef Dynamics
• CAS EE 542 Coastal Ecosystems
• CAS EE 585 Ecological Forecasting

Physical Earth System Sciences

• CAS EE 300 Earth’s Rocky Materials
• CAS EE 305 Rock Deformation and Structure
• CAS EE 310 Climate and the Environment
• CAS EE 317 Hydrology
• CAS EE 351 Paleoclimate and Paleoceanography
• CAS EE 360 Introduction to Physical Oceanography
• CAS EE 371 Introduction to Geochemistry
• CAS EE/BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry
• CAS EE 503 Micrometeorology
• CAS EE 504 Physical Climatology
• CAS EE 507 Dynamical Oceanography
• CAS EE 511 Introduction to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer
• CAS EE 512 Urban Climate
• CAS EE 514 Dynamic Land Surface Hydrology
• CAS EE 533 Quantitative Geomorphology
• CAS EE 540 Atmospheric Chemistry & Global Change
• CAS EE 542 Coastal Ecosystems
• CAS EE 543 Estuaries and Nearshore Systems
• CAS EE 544 Coastal Sedimentology
• CAS EE 557 Oceanography of Stellwagen Bank
• CAS EE/BI 591 Bio-Optical Oceanography
• CAS EE/BI 593 Marine Physiology & Climate Change

Earth Observation and Analysis

• CAS EE 270 Data, Models, and Analysis in Earth & Environment
• CAS EE 302 Remote Sensing of Environment
• CAS EE 365 Geographical Information Systems
• CAS EE 375 Quantitative Env Modeling
• CAS EE 422/622 Aquatic Optics & Remote Sens
• CAS EE 444/644 Digital Image Processing
• CAS EE 445/645 Physical Models in Remote Sensing
• CAS EE 446/646 Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere
• CAS EE 501 Advanced Remote Sensing
• CAS EE 503 Micrometeorology
• CAS EE 505 Geographic Information Systems
• CAS EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions
• CAS EE 509 Applied Environmental Statistics
• CAS EE 516 Multivariate Analysis for Geographers
• CAS EE 529 Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
• CAS EE 540 Atmospheric Chemistry & Global Change
• CAS EE 585 Ecological Forecasting
• CAS EE/BI 591 Bio-Optical Oceanography