Major in Earth and Environmental Sciences

This major will be availabe by the Fall of 2026!

The Major in Earth and Environmental Sciences provides interdisciplinary training for students interested in the natural world and pressing societal challenges. This is the major for students who want to understand how Earth works as a system—from its rocks, oceans, atmosphere, and ecosystems to the interactions that shape landscapes and climates over time. Many of our majors are motivated by a passion for solving environmental problems, such as climate change, sustainability, resource management, and natural hazards. Others are curious about fundamental scientific questions, including the record of the evolution life and Earth's history, planetary processes across the solar system, and the structure, composition, and dynamics of Earth’s interior.

Graduates of this program will be able to collect, analyze, synthesize, understand, and interpret geologic and environmental data from the field, the laboratory, and the scientific literature. Furthermore, they will be able to apply scientific analysis to Earth observations with applications to natural processes, hazards, resources, and environmental stewardship. Lastly, our graduates will be able to communicate Earth and environmental science data and reasoning effectively and accurately.

The Major is available to students enrolled at Michigan State University within the College of Natural Sciences, and it is administered by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Students who plan to complete the requirements for the major should consult the undergraduate advisor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Earth and Environmental Sciences Major Requirements

The official description of these requirements will be found on the Michigan State University's Registrar's Academic Programs website after the University Curriculum Committee completes approval of it.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences requires 120 credits.

The general education requirements are detailed under the Undergraduate Education section of the Registrar's website. Students who are enrolled in the College of Natural Science may complete the alternative track to Integrative Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences and certain major courses may be used to satisfy the alternative track. Please talk to the undergraduate advisor or see the Registrar's website for details.

The credits earned in all the major required courses listed below may be counted toward college requirements as appropriate. The credits that are used to satisfy this requirement may be used to satisfy either the requirements for the geological sciences major or the requirements for the environmental geosciences major, but not both of those requirements.

Required courses outside the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

a. The following courses in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Computational Skills (29 to 33 credits)

(1) One Chemistry I course (4 credits)

• CEM 141 General Chemistry (4 credits)
• CEM 151 General and Descriptive Chemistry (4 credits)
• CEM 181H Honors Chemistry I (4 credits)
• LB 171 Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)

(2) One Chemistry II course (3 or 4 credits)

• CEM 142 General and Inorganic Chemistry (4 credits)
• CEM 152 Principles of Chemistry (4 credits)
• CEM 182H Honors Chemistry II (4 credits)
• LB 172 Principles of Chemistry II (3 credits)
• MSE 250 Materials Science and Engineering (3 credits)

(3) One Chemistry Laboratory course (1 or 2 credits)

• CEM 161 Chemistry Laboratory I (1 credit)
• CEM 185H Honors Chemistry Laboratory I (2 credits)
• LB 171L Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I (1 credit)

(4) One Physics I course (3 to 5 credits)

• PHY 173 Studio Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (5 credits)
• PHY 183 Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (4 credits)
• PHY 183B Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (4 credits)
• PHY 193H Honors Physics I – Mechanics (4 credits)
• PHY 221 Studio Physics for Life Scientists I (4 credits)
• PHY 231 Introductory Physics I (3 credits)
• PHY 231C Introductory Physics I (3 credits)
• PHY 241 Physics for Cellular and Molecular Biologists I (4 credits)
• LB 273 Physics I (4 credits)

(4) One Physics II course (3 to 5 credits)

• PHY 174 Studio Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (5 credits)
• PHY 184 Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (4 credits)
• PHY 184B Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (4 credits)
• PHY 222 Studio Physics for Life Scientists II (4 credits)
• PHY 232 Introductory Physics II (3 credits)
• PHY 232C Introductory Physics II (3 credits)
• PHY 242 Physics for Cellular and Molecular Biologists II (4 credits)
• PHY 294H Honors Physics II – Electromagnetism (4 credits)
• LB 274 Physics II (4 credits)

(6) One Calculus I course (3 credits)

• MTH 124 Survey of Calculus I (3 credits)
• MTH 132 Calculus I (3 credits)
• MTH 152H Honors Calculus I (3 credits)
• LB 118 Calculus I (4 credits)

(7) One second Mathematics course (3 or 4 credits)

• MTH 126 Survey of Calculus II (3 credits)
• MTH 133 Calculus II (4 credits)
• MTH 153H Honors Calculus II (4 credits)
• LB 119 Calculus II (4 credits)
• STT 231 Statistics for Scientists (4 credits)
• STT 421 Statistics I (3 credits)

(8) One computational methods or geospatial course/sequence (3 or 4 credits)

(a)

• GEO 221 Introduction to Geographic Information (3 credits)
• GEO 221L Introduction to Geographic Information Laboratory (1 credit)

(b)

• FOR 419 Applications of Geographic Information Systems to Nat Res Mgt (4 credits)

(c)

• CMSE 201 Introduction to Computational Modeling and Data Analysis I (4 credits)

(d)

• STT 301 Computataional Methods for Data Science (3 credits)

Required courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

b. One of the following introductory courses/sequences (4 credits)

(1)

• GLG 200 Introduction to Environmental Science and Global Change (4 credits)

(2)

• GLG 201 Introduction to Earth and Planetary Sciences (4 credits)

(3)

• GLG 203 Geology of the Great Lakes Region (3 credits)
• GLG 203L Geology of the Great Lakes Region Laboratory (1 credit)

c. All of the following courses (8 credits)

• GLG 304 Physical and Biological History of the Earth (4 credits)
• GLG 321 Introduction to Geochemistry (4 credits)

d. The lab requirement is satisfied by taking any two of the following courses (8 credits)

• GLG 362 Volcanoes and Igneous Rocks (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 421 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
• GLG 431 Sedimentary Records of Environmental Change (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 471 Applied Geophysics (4 credits)

e. The Tier II writing requirement is satisfied by taking any three of the following writing-intensive courses, which can also be used to satisfy requirements in categories d. and f. (11 to 14 credits)

• GLG 362 Volcanoes and Igneous Rocks (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 401 Structure and Mechanics of the Earth (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 412 Glaciers, Ice, and Climate Change (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 431 Sedimentary Records of Environmental Change (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 435 Geomicrobiology (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 445 Planetary Sciences (W) (3 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Camp – Field Geology (W) (6 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Virtual Camp – Field Geology (W) (4 credits)

f. The field requirement is satisfied by taking one of the following courses, which can also be used to satisfy requirements in category e. (3 to 6 credits)

• GLG 422 Field Methods in Earth and Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Camp – Field Geology (W) (6 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Virtual Camp – Field Geology (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 493 Field Studies in Geological Sciences (3 credits)

g. Additional courses in Earth and Environmental Sciences to reach at least 47 total GLG credits. This may be satisfied with any other GLG course not already counted towards other requirements, including but not limited to the list below

• GLG 200 Introduction to Environmental Science and Global Change (4 credits)
• GLG 201 Introduction to Earth and Planetary Sciences (4 credits)
• GLG 303 Oceanography (3 credits)
• GLG 306 Environmental Geomorphology (3 credits)
• GLG 330 Biogeochemistry (3 credits)
• GLG 362 Volcanoes and Igneous Rocks (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 380 Natural Resources, the Energy Transition, and the Environment (3 credits)
• GLG 401 Structure and Mechanics of the Earth (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 411 Hydrogeology (3 credits)
• GLG 412 Glaciers, Ice, and Climate Change (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 421 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
• GLG 422 Field Methods in Earth and Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
• GLG 431 Sedimentary Records of Environmental Change (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 435 Geomicrobiology (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 444 Cosmochemistry (3 credits)
• GLG 445 Planetary Sciences (W) (3 credits)
• GLG 446 Sustainable Food Systems (3 credits)
• GLG 470 Solid Earth Geophysics and Geodynamics (3 credits)
• GLG 471 Applied Geophysics (4 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Camp – Field Geology (W) (6 credits)
• GLG 491 Summer Virtual Camp – Field Geology (W) (4 credits)
• GLG 493 Field Studies in Geological Sciences (3 credits)
• GLG 499 Independent Study in Geological Sciences (1–6 credits)