Courses & Curriculum
Senior Comprehensive Requirement
All students must satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement. The intent of this requirement is to synthesize knowledge and skills from a student’s undergraduate career. Therefore, prior to completing an activity to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement, students should have already completed EART 110A, one of EART 110B or EART 110C, and three other upper-division courses that fulfill major requirements.
The options for fulfilling this requirement vary slightly by concentration.
Note: Courses used to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement cannot be used to satisfy the upper-division elective requirement or the field/laboratory/data analysis requirement.
Option 1: Earth Sciences Capstone Course
The capstone course is an option for fulfilling the senior comprehensive requirement for the general major and every concentration except for Geology, as Geology students must complete the summer field option.
Reference the Course Offerings table to see when each capstone course will be offered
Review the prerequisites for each option below:
EART 191: Earth Sciences Capstone Seminar
EART 191C: Practical Geophysics
-required for Geophysics concentrations if pursuing the capstone course option
Option 2: Satisfactory completion of Summer Field
A two-part field experience course that takes place over Spring (EART 189A) and Summer (EART 189B) quarters.
Summer Field is particularly suited for those with an interest in geology. It is a requirement for the Geologist in Training certification. 189A introduces students to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for geologic mapping and interpretation. They gain experience with satellite, air photo, and digital elevation model (DEM) interpretation, and research the geology, tectonics, paleontology, and stratigraphy for field sites in eastern California. 189B involves advanced geologic mapping, acquiring and analyzing original data refining their interpretations. The emphasis is on geologic mapping, stratigraphy, structure and tectonic analysis, and petrology. Summer Field is a two quarter capstone taught over spring and summer quarters.
- This is the REQUIRED capstone course for the Geology concentration
- This is an option for fulfilling the Senior Comprehensive requirement for all Earth Science concentrations except for the Geophysics concentration, which requires the completion of the Practical Geophysics Capstone course or a senior thesis.
- To participate in summer field, students must have completed EART 110A, EART 110B, and EART 109/L.
- It is an application-based program; applications open in Winter quarter each year.
- The department subsidizes the cost of participating in this program through generous contributions from our donors. Do not let fear of cost keep you from applying!
Option 3: Satisfactory completion of a senior thesis
A senior thesis must include a significant element of independent research or original work and can only be undertaken after an agreement is obtained from a faculty member to supervise it. It is recommended that students allocate at least three quarters for the thesis process. Students must enroll in and pass EART 195 in the quarter they plan to complete their thesis.
We are here to help
Jade Loftus – Lead Undergraduate Advisor and Program Coordinator
Melissa Fike, M.Ed. – Undergraduate Advisor