
Advising & Support
Accessing Advising
Advising Calendar
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There are three ways to access advising

Appointment Advising
You may schedule an appointment using Slug Success. Appointment hours and availability can be found on the calendar above. If you do not see any appointments available in Slug Success it means that all appointments are full, please scroll to the following week to view additional appointment availability.

Drop-In Advising
Drop-in advising is available in-person and via Zoom. No appointment necessary, however drop-in advising is only available during the scheduled drop-in hours listed on the advising calendar. Drop-in advising is best for quick questions of a general nature.

Email Advising
We can assist you with many issues via email, including developing four-year academic plans, signing forms, graduation checks, and more complex questions. Email your questions to epsadvising@ucsc.edu. If you are requesting assistance with forms, please email a us a copy of your form.
Academic Planning
Exploring the Earth Science Majors
Just starting to explore Earth & Planetary Sciences and wondering what it’s all about? The Earth Science majors are varied, interdisciplinary, and involve developing practical experience with real-world tools and data. This major can take you down countless career paths! We encourage you to read course descriptions for upper division courses in our department, explore faculty websites to get a sense of what research looks like in the Earth Science field, and to take a class or two- beginning with EART 5/L, EART 10/L, or EART 20/L.
Decided you’d like to pursue the Earth major? Email us at epsadvising@ucsc.edu with your full name, student ID#, college and the major (and concentration if applicable) and get started on making an academic plan using one of our templates to the right. “Proposing” the major means you are working towards officially declaring the major.
Planning for the Earth Science Major
Click the links below to make copies of our academic planning forms. In each plan, there is a “student-editable” tab where you can move the requirements around to align with your pathway. Please reference the catalog page for your concentration of interest to review options for electives.
Once you have finished editing the “student-editable” tab, email us the link to your plan at epsadvising@ucsc.edu for review!
Major Declaration
You are qualified to declare once you have completed the combination of lab and lecture from EART 5, 10, or 20 and EART 5L, 10L, or EART 20L (mixing lab & lecture is allowed) and you have a completed and signed Academic Planning Form (APF) for your proposed major. An APF must be completed (including listing 6-8 electives of interest in the blue box to the side of the plan) then reviewed and signed by an EPS advisor before we can declare your major.
Policies, Exceptions, and Appeals
Major Declaration Appeals
- If you do not meet the major qualification requirements, please complete the Major Declaration Appeal.
- You will have the opportunity to address the EPS undergraduate advising review committee by submitting an appeal letter. In the body of your appeal letter, explain the circumstances that impacted your ability to meet the qualification requirements. Specifically address the steps you have taken to ensure you will be able to meet the future milestones in your major. You will be required to update an updated Academic Planning Form. If you have questions about updating your APF or your appeal letter contact EPS advising for guidance.
- Address the appeal to the “EPS Review Committee”.
- The committee will review and respond to appeals within 15 business days.
Please note that the information you share in your appeal or with your advisers will be kept private and shared only with campus officials as required to serve you in an advising capacity or process your appeal. However, in limited circumstances, including those related to potential harm to yourself or others, sexual assault, and abuse, we may be required by law to report incidents you disclose to other need-to-know offices on campus such as the Title IX Office and/or University of California Police Department. If you are in need of support for any issues, please see the list of confidential and/or support resources.
Exception to Policy Requests
Students may submit exceptions to policy requests for the letter grade policy and for course substitutions by completing the Exception to Policy Form. These requests are reviewed by the EPS Review Committee and will be reviewed and responded to within 15 business days.
Articulation request
Students that have completed courses outside of UCSC may request to have them reviewed for major specific course equivalency by submitting the Articulation Request Form.
Submit a separate request for each course you would like reviewed. Articulation requests are reviewed by the EPS Review Committee. Articulations can take 2-4 weeks to process. Do not wait until the last minute to submit your request. Education Abroad Program students are required to articulate their proposed coursework prior to going abroad.
EPS Letter Grade Policy
Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy
Departmental Honors and Highest Honors
We are here to help
Jade Loftus – Lead Undergraduate Advisor and Program Coordinator
Melissa Fike, M.Ed. – Undergraduate Advisor