Overview

The Earth and Environmental Sciences program of Wesleyan University is designed to prepare students for graduate school, as well as provide a basis for a variety of careers in the private or public sectors. Courses in geology, environmental science/environmental chemistry, environmental science/ecology, and planetary geology lead to different areas of specialization and career options.

Many E&ES students work with faculty on research projects that range from climate studies to active volcanoes in the Andes, from the structure of the Grand Canyon to the structure of the planet Venus, from nearby coastal areas (Long Island Sound) to faraway lagoons (Vieques Island, Puerto Rico). The culmination of the major is a capstone course where students perform independent research in the field (Puerto Rico, Death Valley, the Connecticut River Valley, or Hawaii).

Career Options and the E&ES major

Earth and environmental sciences majors go on to pursue a wide range of careers, limited only by their own imaginations. E&ES courses can be selected to help prepare for a student’s long-term interests. The course listings below are not requirements, but suggested guidelines. Students interested in academic or research careers should consider involvement in research or producing a senior thesis.

Student Learning Goals

Students graduating with a BA degree in earth and environmental sciences should be able to:

• Decipher the structure, composition, and dynamics of the earth system. The student should understand the structure and composition of earth’s spheres (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere), and how these spheres interact with one another and change over time.

• Apply the scientific method. The student should be able to develop and test scientific hypotheses.

• Understand data. The student should understand how earth and environmental sciences data are produced, interpreted, and applied.

• Apply quantitative tools. The student should be able to select and apply appropriate quantitative techniques to earth and environmental sciences questions (e.g., calculus, statistics, spatial analysis).

• Use the primary literature. The student should be able to search for and understand publications from the primary scientific literature.

• Critically evaluate scientific claims. The student should be able to critique arguments made in the earth and environmental sciences literature.

• Communicate. The student should be able to present earth and environmental sciences data and their interpretation in a variety of written, visual, and oral formats.

• Conduct research. The student should be able to carry out an original research project, including: the identification of a research problem; the formulation of a hypothesis; the design of the methodology; the collection, processing, and interpretation of data; and the presentation of findings in written, visual, and oral formats.