Geology — Earth System Science Option (ESYS)
The Earth System Science (ESS) option of the Geology major provides students with a fundamental understanding of the links between the Earth's geological, geographical, biological, chemical, physical, and human subsystems. ESS students examine the cycling of matter and energy through the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Field research, lab work, and classroom activities allow students to observe and interpret how the Earth’s land surfaces, atmosphere, biosphere, and oceans interact and impact human and environmental health. The ESS degree prepares students for in-demand and profitable career opportunities including water resource management, environmental geology and remediation, geoscience consulting and teaching, geochemical cycles, and geohazards, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ENGL 1100 English Composition I | 3 | ENGL 1120 English Composition II | 3 | ||
| GEOS 1100 Dynamic Earth or GEOL 1100 Dynamic Earth | 4 | GEOS 1110 Earth and Life Through Time or GEOL 1110 Earth and Life Through Time | 4 | ||
| CHEM 1030 Fundamentals Chemistry I | 3 | CHEM 1040 Fundamental Chemistry II | 3 | ||
| CHEM 1031 Fund Of Chemistry I Lab | 1 | CHEM 1041 Fund Of Chemistry II Lab | 1 | ||
| CORE HISTORY I | 3 | CORE HISTORY II | 3 | ||
| 14 | 14 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| BIOL 1020 Principles Of Biology | 3 | BIOL 1030 Organismal Biology | 3 | ||
| BIOL 1021 Principles Of Biology Lab | 1 | BIOL 1031 Organismal Biology Laboratory | 1 | ||
| GEOS 2030 Min Optical Crystallography or GEOL 2010 Min Optical Crystallography | 5 | BIOL 3030 Evolution And Systematics | 3 | ||
| MATH 1610 Calculus I | 4 | ESS Elective | 4 | ||
| CORE LITERATURE I | 3 | ESS Elective | 4 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| PHYS 1500 General Physics I | 4 | PHYS 1510 General Physics II | 4 | ESS Elective* | 4 |
| GEOS 3060 Lunar and Planetary Geology or GEOL 3060 Lunar And Planetary Geology | 3 | BIOL 3060 Ecology | 4 | ||
| GEOS 3200 Introduction to Paleobiology or GEOL 3200 Introduction to Paleobiology | 3 | GEOS 5210 Climatology or GEOG 5210 Climatology | 3 | ||
| CORE FINE ARTS | 3 | GEOS 5220 Geomorphology or GEOG 5220 Geomorphology | 3 | ||
| CORE SOCIAL SCIENCE1 | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 14 | 4 | |||
| Senior | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ESS Elective | 4 | ESS Elective | 3 | ||
| GEOS 5830 Geographic Information Systems or GEOG 5830 Geographic Information Systems | 4 | ESS Elective | 3 | ||
| CORE HUMANITIES | 3 | CORE SOCIAL SCIENCE | 3 | ||
| GEOS 4950 Senior Seminar or GEOL 4740 Senior Seminar | 2 | CORE LITERATURE II | 3 | ||
| ESS Elective | 3 | ||||
| 13 | 15 | ||||
| Total Hours: 121 | |||||
- *
ESS Elective (BIOL 3075 Introduction To Oceanography, offered at Dauphin Island Sea Lab in summer, is recommended.)
- 1
GEOS 1010 is suggested for majors.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE ELECTIVES
GEOS 2050 Igneous And Metamorphic Petrol
GEOS 3400 Structural Geology
GEOS 5400 Geography of Natural Hazards
GEOS 4260 Geochemistry
GEOS 5510 Human-Environment Interaction
GEOS 4300 Geodynamics
GEOS 5550 Geography of Water Resources
GEOS 4930 Directed Studies
GEOS 5650 Global Resor And The Enviro
GEOS 5100 Hydrogeology
GEOS 5820 Aerial Photo And Remote Sens
GEOS 5600 Applied Geophysics
BIOL 2500 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BIOL 2501 A&P I Lab
BIOL 2510 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2
BIOL 2511 A&P II Lab
BIOL 3040 Biology of Marine Systems
BIOL 3075 Introduction To Oceanography (Dauphin Island Sea Lab)
BIOL 3100 Plant Biology
BIOL 3200 General Microbiology & BIOL 3201 General Micro Lab
BIOL 4010 Invertebrate Biodiversity
BIOL 4020 Vertebrate Biodiversity
BIOL 5090 Conservation Biology
BIOL 5150 Pop/Comm Ecology
CHEM 2030 Survey Of Organic Chemistry
CHEM 2070 Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2071 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
CHEM 2080 Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2081 Organic Chemistry II Lab
CHEM 3050 Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 3160 Survey Of Physical Chemistry
PHYS 3500 Physics Of The World Around Us
NATR 5050 Urban Ecology
NATR 5310 Environmental Ethics
CIVL 3220 Water And Waste Treatment