Undergraduate Program

College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

  • Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
  • Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Communication.
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics.
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Second Language.

Completion of Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences major admission coursework with grades of "C" or better:

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences: GEOL 1110L; CHEM 1215; MATH 1230 or 1240 or 1512.
  • Environmental Science: CHEM 1215; ENVS 1130; MATH 1230 or 1240 or 1512.

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Planetary Sciences (B.A.)
  • Bachelor of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences (B.S.)
  • Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (B.S.)

Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Planetary Sciences

Required Courses

(ENVS 1130 and ENVS 1130L) or (GEOL 1110 and GEOL 1110L); EPS **301, **302L, **303L **304L, **307L, 310L (or **319L), 401, *490; GEOL 2110C; 6 additional credit hours in Earth and Planetary Sciences upper-division courses (excluding 491-492, 493 and 495).
(Total = 37 credit hours)

Supporting Science Required Courses

(CHEM 1215 and 1215L) and (PHYS 1230 or 1310); 9 additional credit hours from Chemistry or Physics above the required levels, or from MATH 1512 or above, BIOL 1140/1140L or above, or ASTR 2110 or above, or (with permission from the EPS Undergraduate Committee) from selected Anthropology, Engineering or Geography courses.
(Total = 16 credit hours)


Bachelor of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences

Required Courses

(ENVS 1130 and ENVS 1130L) or (GEOL 1110 and GEOL 1110L); EPS **301, **302L, **303L, **304L, **307L, **319L, 401, *490; GEOL 2110C; 12 additional credit hours in Earth and Planetary Sciences upper-division courses (excluding 300, 491–492, 493 and 495) or Environmental Science upper-division courses.

(Total = 43 credit hours)

Supporting Math/Science Required Courses

(EPS 428 or ENVS 315 or STAT **345); CHEM 1215, 1215L, 1225, 1225L; MATH 1512, 1522; PHYS 1310, 1320; 7 additional credit hours from Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics above the required levels, or BIOL 1140/1140L or above, or ASTR 2110 or above, or (with permission from the EPS Undergraduate Committee) from selected Anthropology, Engineering (including Computer Science) or Geography courses.
(Total = 32 credit hours)

ENGL 2120 or 2210 or 2220 is required.

No minor study is required for students completing this B.S. program, although an optional minor or second major may be selected.


Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Science synthesizes quantitative studies of the interactions between the solid earth, oceans, atmosphere and biological processes taking place therein. The degree provides scientific training for environment-related occupations, including environmental sciences per se as well as peripheral fields such as Law and Medicine. Environmental Science covers a vast sweep of applied Earth science. Students, therefore, have considerable flexibility in tailoring the major to their individual interests while pursuing a common core of supporting math and science. By taking courses from four out of seven subdisciplinary groups, a wide variety of approaches to environmental science can be accommodated, including preparation for graduate study in the subdisciplines. Students pursuing this degree are strongly encouraged to consult the Environmental Science undergraduate advisor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at an early stage in their program in order to design their curriculum in the disciplinary groups. All majors are encouraged to pursue an undergraduate thesis (493 and 495) in collaboration with a faculty advisor.

Required Courses

(ENVS 1130 and 1130L) or (GEOL 1110 and GEOL 1110L); ENVS 315, 320L, 321L, 322L, **423L, **424, 430L; EPS 401, *490; 12 additional credit hours in EPS courses (excluding 493 and 495) or other approved courses (of which no more than 4 credit hours may be below 300).
(Total = 44 credit hours)

Supporting Math/Science Required Courses

BIOL 1140/1140L or above; CHEM 1215/1215L, 1225/1225L; CS 151L or 152L; MATH 1512, 1522; PHYS 1310, 1320; 3 additional credit hours from: Astronomy (270 or above) or, with permission, from selected Geography or Engineering courses; Biology (above 1140L); Chemistry (above 1225L); Mathematics (above 1522); Physics (above 1320). An additional advanced mathematics course selected from: MATH 2530, 311, **314, **316 is strongly encouraged.
(Total = 32 credit hours)

ENGL 2120 or 2210 or 2220 is required.

No minor study is required for students completing this B.S. program, although an optional minor or second major may be selected.


Minor Study Requirements

Minor in Earth and Planetary Sciences

A total of at least 20 credit hours distributed as follows:

  1. 12 credit hours of upper-division courses (excluding 401, 493 and 495).
  2. No more than 3 credit hours of problems (491–492) may be applied to the Earth and Planetary Sciences minor.

Minor in Environmental Science

A total of at least 18 credit hours distributed as follows:

  1. (ENVS 1130 and ENVS 1130L) or (GEOL 1110 and GEOL 1110L); ENVS 320L.
  2. At least 10 additional credit hours selected from ENVS 315, 321L, 322L, **423L, **424, 430L; EPS 352, 410, 415, *439, 455L, 462, 476, 481L, 485L; GEOG **381L; GEOL 2110C; or other approved courses. Only one lower-division course may count toward this requirement.

Departmental Honors

Students seeking honors in Earth and Planetary Sciences should consult with the department honors advisor no later than two full semesters prior to graduation. EPS 493 and 495 are required, as is a written senior thesis that is orally defended.


Courses

ENVS 1130. The Blue Planet. (3)



ENVS 1130L. The Blue Planet Laboratory. (1)



ENVS 315. Statistics and Data Analysis. (3)



ENVS 320L. Environmental Systems. (4)



ENVS 321L. Earth Materials and Critical Zone Geology. (4)



ENVS 322L. Life and the Earth System . (4)



ENVS 323L. Water in the Earth System. (4)



ENVS **423L [323L]. Water in the Earth System. (4)



ENVS **424 [324]. Earth's Climatic Environment. (3)



ENVS 430L / 530L. Advanced Environmental Science. (4)



ENVS 530L / 430L. Advanced Environmental Science. (4)



EPS **300. Topics in Geology. (1-4, may be repeated once Δ)



EPS **301. Mineralogy/Earth and Planetary Materials. (3)



EPS **302L. Mineralogy Laboratory. (2)



EPS **303L. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. (4)



EPS **304L. Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. (4)



EPS **307L. Structural Geology. (4)



EPS 310L. New Mexico Field Geology. (4)



EPS **319L. Introductory Field Geology. (4)



EPS 352. Global Climate Change. (3)



EPS **365. Exploring the Solar System. (3)



EPS *400. Topics in Earth and Planetary Sciences. (1-4, may be repeated once Δ)



EPS 401 / 501. Colloquium. (1, may be repeated twice Δ)



EPS 405L / 505L. Stable Isotope Geochemistry. (3)



EPS 410 / 510. Fundamentals of Geochemistry. (3)



EPS 415 / 515. Geochemistry of Natural Waters. (3)



EPS 420L. Topics in Advanced Field Geology. (2-4 to a maximum of 8 Δ)



EPS *425. X-ray Diffraction. (3)



EPS 427 / 527. Geophysics. (3)



EPS 428 / 528. Applied Mathematics for Earth and Environmental Sciences. (3)



EPS *439. Paleoclimatology. (3)



EPS 444 / 544. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



EPS 445 / 545. Topics in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. (1-4, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 450L / 550L. Volcanology. (4)



EPS 455L / 555L. Computational and GIS Applications in Geomorphology. (3)



EPS 462 / 562. Hydrogeology. (3)



EPS 476 / 576. Physical Hydrology. (3)



EPS 481L / 581L. Geomorphology and Surficial Geology. (4)



EPS 482L. Geoarchaeology. (3)



EPS 485L / 585L. Soil Stratigraphy and Morphology. (3)



EPS *490. Geologic Presentation. (1)



EPS 491–492. Problems. (1-3; 1-3)



EPS 493. Independent Study. (3)



EPS 495. Senior Thesis. (3)



EPS 501 / 401. Colloquium. (1, may be repeated twice Δ)



EPS 502. Center for Stable Isotopes Seminar. (1, may be repeated eight times Δ)



EPS 505L / 405L. Stable Isotope Geochemistry. (3)



EPS 507L. Thermodynamics and Physical Foundations of Geochemistry. (4)



EPS 510 / 410. Fundamentals of Geochemistry. (3)



EPS 513. Planetary Materials and the Evolution of the Solar System. (3)



EPS 515 / 415. Geochemistry of Natural Waters. (3)



EPS 516. Selected Topics in Geomorphology. (3, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 518L. Electron Microprobe Analysis. (3)



EPS 522. Selected Topics in Geophysics. (3, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 523. Topics in Tectonics. (3, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 527 / 427. Geophysics. (3)



EPS 528 / 428. Applied Mathematics for Earth and Environmental Sciences. (3)



EPS 534. Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry. (3)



EPS 536. Climate Dynamics. (3)



EPS 538L. Analytical Electron Microscopy. (3)



EPS 544 / 444. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



EPS 545 / 445. Topics in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. (1-4, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 547–548. Seminar. (2-3, may be repeated five times Δ; 2-3, may be repeated five times Δ)



EPS 550L / 450L. Volcanology. (4)



EPS 551–552. Problems. (1-3; 1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



EPS 555L / 455L. Computational and GIS Applications in Geomorphology. (3)



EPS 562 / 462. Hydrogeology. (3)



EPS 576 / 476. Physical Hydrology. (3)



EPS 581L / 481L. Geomorphology and Surficial Geology. (4)



EPS 585L / 485L. Soil Stratigraphy and Morphology. (3)



EPS 587. Advanced Mineralogy. (3)



EPS 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)



EPS 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)



GEOL 1110. Physical Geology. (3)



GEOL 1110L. Physical Geology Laboratory. (1)



GEOL 1140. Geological Disasters. (3)



GEOL 1996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



GEOL 2110C. Historical Geology Lecture and Laboratory. (4)



GEOL 2140. Geology of New Mexico. (3)



GEOL 2430. Volcanoes!. (3)



GEOL 2996. Topics. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



NTSC 1110. Physical Science for Teachers. (4)



NTSC 1120. Life Science for Teachers. (4)



NTSC 2110. Environmental Science for Teachers. (4)



NTSC *400. Science Topics for Educators. (1-4, may be repeated twice Δ)



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