Chair: Erich C. Osterberg
Undergraduate Major Coordinator: Carl E. Renshaw
Graduate Coordinator: Marisa C. Palucis
Professors R. L. Hawley, M. A. Kelly, M. Morlighem, E. C. Osterberg, C. E. Renshaw, M. Sharma; Professors Emeriti J. L. Aronson, X. Feng, G. D. Johnson; Research Professors B. P. Jackson, W. C. McClelland; Associate Professors C. B. Keller, M. C. Palucis, J. V. Strauss; Associate Professors Emeriti W. B. Dade, L. J. Sonder; Research Associate Professor V. F. Taylor; Assistant Professors M. Al Asad, E. M. Lacroix, S. P. Slotznick; Research Assistant Professor J. D. Landis; Senior Lecturers E. E. Meyer; Lecturers T. Chaffee, J. T. Gilchrist, M. E. Peach, S. B. Penprase, A. N. Sommers, J. S. Stroup, E. Tamre; Adjunct Professors J. Mankin, K. J. Peterson; Adjunct Professors Emeriti F. J. Magilligan, R. A. Virginia; Adjunct Associate Professors C. Hicks-Pries, C. Meyer, E. Newton, H. E. Seroussi, J. M. Winter; Adjunct Assistant Professor Y. Nakayama; Adjunct Senior Lecturer J. W. Chipman.
To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Undergraduate courses, click here.
To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate requirements, click here.
To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate courses, click here.
Prerequisites for all majors and minors, including modified majors:
The Earth and Planetary Sciences Major:
Prerequisites (3 courses): As described above
Required Courses (10 courses):
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One (1) Advanced Quantitative Analysis course (EAPS 50-69)
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One (1) Advanced Topics course (EAPS 70‐89)
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Two (2) additional Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered 15-89
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Among the courses above, at least two (2) must be field data collection courses, as described below
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At least one (1) culminating experience course, as described below
The Earth and Planetary Sciences Minor:
Prerequisites (3 courses): As described above
Required Courses (5 courses): Five (5) Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered between 15-89, of which at least one (1) must be a field data collection course.
The Modified Major:
Modified Major with Earth and Planetary Sciences as the primary department (in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog).
Prerequisites (3 courses): As described above
Required Courses (6 courses): Six (6) Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered between 15-89, of which at least two (2) must be field data collection courses.
In addition, fulfill the culminating experience requirement, as described below.
Modified Major with Earth and Planetary Sciences as the secondary department (in addition to the general rules in the Regulations section of this catalog.)
Prerequisites (3 courses): As described above.
Required Courses (5 courses): Five (5) Earth and Planetary Sciences courses numbered between 15-89, of which at least one (1) must be a field data collection course.
Field Data Collection course requirement:
All Earth and Planetary Sciences majors, minors, and modified majors must enroll in at least one (1) or two (2) field data collection courses depending on the requirements listed above. The following courses count towards this requirement:
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences encourages students interested in summer field courses offered by other universities and/or accessible field courses listed on the International Association for Geoscience Diversity website to reach out to the Chair for approval in lieu of the courses listed above. Since transferred field courses will likely receive one or two Dartmouth course transfer credit(s), a student may need an additional EAPS field data collection course to meet the field requirement for the major requirement. Be advised that the Registrar may charge a fee to transfer course credits to Dartmouth. Please contact the Registrar's Office for more information.
Culminating Experience requirement for all majors, except modified majors with EAPS as the secondary department:
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Honors thesis, as described below (EAPS 92 and, optionally, EAPS 93)
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Independent research project, generally of one-term duration, under the supervision of a faculty member (EAPS 90)
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Senior seminar (EAPS 91)
Earth and Planetary Sciences Honors Program:
A candidate for the Honors Program in Earth and Planetary Sciences must satisfy the College requirements of at least a 3.0 (B) overall grade point average and at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average in the major at the beginning of senior year. Those students who a) enroll in and satisfactorily complete Earth and Planetary Sciences 92, b) satisfactorily complete and submit a written senior thesis, and c) have a 3.3 (B+) average or higher in the nine (9) courses constituting their major will earn Honors or, in appropriate cases, High Honors, in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the end of senior year. High Honors will be granted only by vote of the Department faculty based on overall academic performance including both classroom and independent work. Note: enrollment in Earth and Planetary Sciences 92 in and of itself does not constitute admission to the Honors Program, nor does completion of a senior thesis guarantee the awarding of Honors.
**Advisories for Majors**
First-year students planning a major in Earth and Planetary Sciences are encouraged to complete the prerequisite courses by the end of their sophomore year.
Students contemplating a professional career in Earth and Planetary Sciences should consider the following:
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Additional training at the Master’s or PhD degree level.
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Most graduate schools, including our own, have minimum entrance requirements equivalent to MATH 3 and MATH 8, CHEM 5-6 or 11, and PHYS 3-4 or PHYS 13-14.