Earn your BA in Earth & Environmental Science

Earth and environmental sciences majors study the geologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, and biotic systems that make up our dynamic Earth, emphasizing local and global interactions between these systems in the present and over deep time.

The major is well-suited for students interested in the natural world, and provides ample opportunities for hands-on learning and research, including faculty research, field-based courses, Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory, Lakeside Laboratory, and numerous multi-day field trips across the country and the world.

The BA in Earth & Environmental Science is intended for students who are interested in the fundamentals of geology or earth science. The integrated biological, chemical, physical, and geological components of the BA program offer students flexibility and exposure to the entire geoscience and environmental discipline while at the university, but with fewer supporting science and math requirements and more electives than the BS program. The program is most applicable as a second degree to students pursuing allied majors, such as the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability’s environmental policy and planning or geographic and sustainability sciences majors, or an associated degree in the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tippie College of Business, or others.