ESES Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Requirements for students enrolled before SP 2011 semester.
ESES students take an introductory core (12-14 hours), advanced core (12 hours), and
cognate coursework (15-16 hours) to satisfy the requirements of the major. The minimum
required major and supporting courses equate to 50 hours.
ESES Introductory Core (12-14 hours total)
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Introduction to Society and the Environment (Choose two courses from approved
list) (6 hours)
Introduction to Earth’s Physical Systems (Choose one course from approved list)
(3-4 hours)
Introduction to Earth’s Biological Systems (Choose one course from approved
list) (3-4 hours)
Earth Systems Technical Skills and Senior Experience (11 hours total)
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ESES 200, Earth System, Environment, and Society Seminar Series (3 hours)
ESES (GEOG) 379, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4 hours)
ESES 401, (or equivalent) ESES Senior Capstone Experience (3 hours)
All students must fulfill the ESES Introductory Core and one of the following options
(SAE or SES):
Society and the Environment (SAE) Concentration
SAE Advanced Core (12 hours total)
A minimum of 12 hours of advanced coursework in an intellectually or professionally
coherent program approved by an advisor is required, including at least one upper level
course (400 or approved 300-level) within the Science of the Earth System (SES)
curriculum. These courses should be used to help meet the LAS requirement of 21 hours
in advanced courses overall, 12 hours in advanced courses in the major. It is strongly
recommended that students complete the LAS requirement with 15 hours of advanced
coursework related to the SAE concentration and 6 hours from the SES.
Cognate Course Work (15-16 hours total) *
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Introductory Social Science (Select three courses from approved list) (9 hours)
Statistics (Select one course from approved list) (3 hours)
Economics (ECON 101 or 102) (3 hours)
It is also highly recommended, but not required, that SAE students take Computer
Science 100/110x
* Second majors or campus-wide minors may be used to fulfill this requirement upon
approval of an advisor, and substitutions may be made with advisor approval.
Science of the Earth System (SES) Concentration
SES Advanced Core (12 hours total)
A minimum of 12 hours of advanced coursework in an intellectually or professionally
coherent program approved by an advisor is required, including at least one upper level
course (400 or approved 300-level) within the Society and the Environment (SAE)
curriculum. These courses should be used to help meet the LAS requirement of 21 hours
in advanced courses overall, 12 hours in advanced courses in the major. It is strongly
recommended that students complete the LAS requirement with 15 hours of advanced
coursework related to the SES concentration and 6 hours from the SAE.
Cognate Course Work (15-16 hours total) *
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CHEM 102, General Chemistry (3 hours)
CHEM 103, General Chemistry Laboratory (1 hour)
MATH 220, Calculus I (5 hours)
STAT 100 (3 hours)
Physics (Select one course from approved list) (4 hours)
It is also highly recommended, but not required, that SES students take Computer
Science 100/110x
* Second majors or campus-wide minors may be used to fulfill this requirement upon
approval of an advisor, and substitutions may be made with advisor approval.
ESES Introductory Core
Introduction to Earth’s Physical Systems (3-4)
One course from the following list of courses:
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ATMS 100: Introduction to Meteorology
ATMS 120/ ESES 120: Severe and Unusual Weather
ATMS 140/ ESES 140: Climate and Global Change
ATMS 201: General Meteorology
GEOG 102: Weather and Climate
GEOG 103: Earth’s Physical System
GEOL 100: Planet Earth
GEOL 101: Introduction to Physical Geology
GEOL 103/ ESES 103: Planet Earth (Quant II)
GEOL 104: Geology of the National Parks and Monuments
GEOL 107: Physical Geology
GEOL 117/ ESES 117: The Oceans
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GEOL 118/ ESES 118: Natural Disasters
GEOL 208/ ESES 208: Earth System History
Introduction to Earth’s Biological Systems (3-4)
One course from the following list of courses:
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GEOL 143/ ESES 143: History of Life
IB 100: Biological Sciences
IB 101: Biological Sciences
IB 102: Plants, Environment, and People
IB 103: Introduction to Plant Biology
IB 105: Environmental Biology
IB 106/ ESES 126: Extinction: Dinosaurs to Dodos
IB 107: Global Warming, Biofuels, Food
IB 150: Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
MCB 150: Molecular and Cellular Basis of Life
Introduction to Society and the Environment (6-8)
Two courses from the following list:
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ACE 251: The World Food Economy
AGCM 220: Presenting Environmental Information
ANTH 209: Food, Culture, and Society
ANTH 249: Evolution and Human Disease
ANTH 278: Climate Change and Civilization
ANTH 279: Culture and Ecology in Human Health
ATMS 202: Soc Impacts Weather and Climate
ECON 210: Economics of the Environment
HIST 201: Environmental History
HIST 101: Global Environmental Change
HIST 282: Nature and American Culture
LA 215: Buildings, Land and Culture
LA 250: Environmental Site Analysis
GEOG 101: Geography of Developing Countries
GEOG 106/ ESES 106: Geography of a Globalizing World
GEOG 110: Geography of International Conflicts
GEOG 210/ ESES 210: Contemporary Social and Environmental Problems
GEOG 214: Conservation of Natural Resources
GEOG 222/ ESES 222: Big Rivers of the World
NRES 287: Environment and Society
PS 225: Environmental Politics and Policy
SOC 160: Global Inequality and Social Change
SOC 270: Population Issues
Total Credits: 12-14
Cognate Course Work, Science of the Earth System (SES) Concentration
Course
Title
Math 220
Calculus I
Chemistry 102/103
General Chemistry + lab
Statistics: STAT 100/MATH 161Introduction to Statistics
Physics 101 or 211
College Physics
Highly Recommended
Computer Science 101/110
Hours
5
4
3
4-5
Introduction to Computing + lab4
Total Credits: 16-18
Cognate Course Work, Society and the Environment (SAE) Concentration
Course
ECON 101 or 102
Introductory Social
Science/Humanities Courses
Anthropology 102
Geography 104
Political Science 100
Psychology 100
Sociology 100
Introductory Statistics
Statistics 100
Sociology 280
Geography 280
Title
Introduction to
Economics/Microeconomic Principles
Hours
Choose 3 from the following list:
10-12
Anthropology: Human Origins and Culture
Social and Cultural Geography
Introduction to Political Science
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Choose one of the following:
3-4
Introduction to Statistics
Introductory Statistics
Introductory Statistics
Total Hours: 12-13
Existing Capstone Course Options
Course
Title
ESES 482 Challenges of Sustainability
GEOG 408Watershed Analysis
ATMS 421Earth System Modeling
ESES 401 Earth System Capstone
View upper level course options
Notes
3
Graduate programs may require additional coursework. All students wishing to attend
graduate school in any field should discuss necessary supplementary coursework with
their advisor as early as possible.
A minimum of 120 hours of course work is required for graduation, including twelve
hours of advanced (400 level or approved 300 level) courses that must be taken on this
campus.
All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
There is no ESES minor option, but there is the Environmental Fellows Program minor.
A Major Plan of Study form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student
Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Study abroad courses
may be substituted for major and minor requirements with approval of advisor.
Double majoring is generally allowed, as per the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s
guidelines, with the following exception: undergraduate students may not major in both
ESES and in a major directed by one of the three departments (Geology, Geography, and
Atmospheric Science) that make up the School.
Departmental Distinction: Students who maintain grade point averages of at least 3.3 in
all courses within the major and who fulfill the Capstone requirement with a facultyguided individual research project are recommended for graduation with distinction.