About DEES

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES) at Columbia University hosts one of the top-rated earth and environmental science programs internationally. Faculty from all over the world bring their expertise and knowledge to our classrooms, preparing students to take on the most current challenges facing earth and humanity. With climate change rapidly reshaping the planet, it has never been a more crucial time to train the next generation of scientists in the earth and environmental science fields. Students will graduate with a degree that readies them to think critically and tackle the problems of Earth's unpredictable future.

Our historic department shares staff and facilities with Columbia University's world-renowned research institution, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The Department and the Observatory work as partners to understand how planet Earth works, in all of its physical, chemical, and biological manifestations. Together, we are scientifically acclaimed throughout the world for our problem- solving innovation, our unique geological and climatological archives, and the outstanding achievements of our graduates.

The department has close affiliations with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the Earth Institute at Columbia (EI), departments such as Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, as well as departments within the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. These relationships provide opportunities for students to participate in a wide variety of research programs. Summer employment, research, and additional educational opportunities are available at Lamont, AMNH, and GISS. The department encourages majors to become involved in a research project by their junior year. The department has facilities in Schermerhorn Hall on Columbia's main campus in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, and on the Lamont campus, located about 15 miles north of Morningside in Palisades, NY. The University provides regular shuttle bus service between the Morningside and Lamont campuses.