Program Overview
The undergraduate programs in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences provide an understanding of the natural functioning of our planet and considers the consequences of human interactions with it. The program instills a comprehension of how complex earth systems work at a level that will encourage students to think creatively about how to address multidisciplinary environmental problems.
The program for minors, beginning Fall 2024, are designed to be flexible, with tracks serving students with little to no background in science and math, as well as students with a substantial background in science in math who wish to dive deeply into a topic. The minors in Earth and Environmental Science, Climate System Science, and Earth and Space (joint with the Astronomy Department) will provide students with an introduction to the dynamics of the earth system, provide an orientation to the rapidly developing field of climate science, and help students gain a sense of the scales studied in both time and space.
The program for concentrators serves students who want more exposure to earth and environmental science than is provided by introductory-level courses. It is designed to give students an understanding of how the Earth works and an introduction to the methods used to investigate earth processes, including their capabilities and limitations. In addition to the environmental science and earth science concentrations, the department sponsors a special concentration in Environmental Science for Environmental Biology majors.
Students interested in declaring a major, minor, or concentration in our department can find more info on our Prospective Students page.
Note:
- For a course to count towards the major, the course must be taken for a letter grade, earning a grade of C- or higher.
- Students are only able to declare one program per department. For example, a student may not declare both an Earth Science major and a Climate System Science minor.
- Concentrations are available only to students who entered Columbia in or before Fall 2023.
You can use the below chart to compare the four DEES majors and the Sustainable Development major.
The Climate System Science major is designed for students who are interested in how the past, present, and future climate system works and in solution strategies for the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. The overall goal is to establish the fundamental sciences at the core of the climate system, and to inspire solution-oriented analytical thinking and expertise. The flexible course structure combines geology, physics, biology, chemistry and math with a core in climate system science and climate solution, justice, policy and communication courses. Sample tracks through the major in sea level change, decarbonization and modern climate link to the mission and applied centers of Columbia’s Climate School. The major requires a minimum of 43.5 points to be completed.
The major in Earth Science provides an introduction to the study of the solid and fluid earth and its geological history. The program is designed to provide students with a solid background of related science fields, then delve into particular fields in earth science in greater depth.
The major in Environmental Science focuses on the interaction between Earth's physical environment and the biosphere, on anthropogenic processes like pollution and global climate change, and on environmental remediation. The program is designed to provide students with a solid background in related science fields, then delve into particular fields in environmental science in greater depth.
The Climate and Sustainability major is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES) in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development (UPSD) in the Columbia Climate School. It is open to all students in Columbia College and the School of General Studies.
The Climate and Sustainability major is designed for students who are interested in an interdisciplinary educational experience focused on the intersection of the climate crisis and sustainability. The program balances depth in climate science courses with depth in the social science and interdisciplinary subjects that address the social, economic, and justice dimensions of the climate crisis. Students take classes on the climate system, earth history, climate adaptation and mitigation while also learning about climate policy, law, and justice. The major prepares students for the widely expanding climate job market in areas that include finance, insurance, urban design, and sustainability management as well as for professional degrees in law, business, and policy.
The Climate System Science Minor is designed to provide students an orientation to the rapidly developing field of climate science. With a mix of science and social science electives, the coursework for the CSS Minor should be accessible to a wide range of undergraduates, including those who are interested in the basic scientific under-pinning of the climate crises as well as those who are seeking a deeper understanding of climate science.
The Earth & Environmental Science (EES) Minor is designed to provide an introduction to the dynamics of the earth system, including interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. Within this minor, students can explore topics as varied as volcanic and earthquake hazards, critical mineral resources, oceanography, geodynamics, dinosaurs, and past environments on earth. The EES minor consists of five courses within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES) from a choice of over 60 elective courses. These courses draw from DEES and the world-famous Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, which together involve over 100 instructional and research faculty. The EES minor is designed to be flexible, serving both students with little to no other college-level prerequisites in math and science and students with substantial science, math or computational background who wish to dive deeply into a topic.
The Earth and Space Minor is a joint minor between the Astronomy Department and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Geology and Astronomy share a unique feature in science: they both study unreachably remote places in time and space. They are driven by observation of the natural world and their experiments must often use proxies for the quantities of interest. And they are both subjects of great interest to the general public. These cultural similarities between the disciplines motivates the “Earth and Space” Minor. Combining introductory courses in two Departments, students who participate in this minor will:
— Gain a solid sense of the scales we study in both space and time,
— Examine the Earth in some detail as a representative of the ~6000 planets now known
— Situate Earth’s place in the cosmos
— Appreciate what it means for life to have evolved on this particular planet, and
— Obtain a solid grounding in the quantitative reasoning skills scientists use.
The Earth Science Concentration provides students further exposure into the earth sciences than what introductory courses cover. The concentration allows students the freedom to delve into a variety of courses that support their interests in the earth sciences.
The Environmental Science Concentration provides students further exposure into the environmental sciences than what introductory courses cover. The concentration allows students the freedom to delve into a variety of courses that support their interests in the environmental sciences.
The department sponsors a special concentration in Environmental Science for Environmental Biology majors. It allows for freedom to take a variety of courses in environmental science that support the major in Environmental Biology.