May 10, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
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2025-2026 Catalog

Environmental Systems Science, Earth and Climate Science Emphasis, B.S. Four-Year Course Plan

All General Education course options can be found here.  

Please Note: This four-year plan serves as a general guide and assumes that all prerequisite requirements have been met prior to each course. Students may need to complete additional prerequisite coursework (MATH 005 , CHEM 001 , WRI 001 ) based on placement results or prior preparation. Be sure to consult with your academic advisor to create a personalized plan that aligns with your individual progress and goals.

First Year
Fall Spring
ESS 001: Introduction to Earth Systems Science   Major Lower Division ESS Elective
MATH 011: Calculus I  or  MATH 021: Calculus I for Physical Sciences and Engineering   MATH 012: Calculus II  or  MATH 022: Calculus II for Physical Sciences and Engineering   
SPRK 001: Spark Seminar  or SPRK 010: Spark Seminar   WRI 010: College Reading and Composition  
CHEM 002: General Chemistry I  and CHEM 002L   CHEM 010: General Chemistry II  and CHEM 010L  

Second Year
Fall Spring
Major Probability and Statistics ESS 148: Fundamentals of Ecology  or BIO 148  
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past
Major Computer Science Requirement Major Lower Division NS/ENGR Elective
PHYS 018: Introductory Physics I for Biological Sciences  and PHYS 018L  OR  PHYS 008: Introductory Physics I for Physical Sciences  and PHYS 008L   PHYS 019: Introductory Physics II for Biological Sciences  and PHYS 019L  OR  PHYS 009: Introductory Physics II for Physical Sciences  and PHYS 009L  

Third Year
Fall Spring
ESS 100: Environmental Chemistry in Natural Sciences   ESS 170: Fundamentals of Soil Science  and ESS 170L  
ESS 110: Hydrology and Climate   ESS 190: Undergraduate Seminar  
General Education: Upper Division Writing in the Discipline Major Earth and Climate Science Emphasis Elective
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past General Education: Upper Division Crossroads

Fourth Year
Fall Spring
Major Earth and Climate Science Emphasis Elective Major Earth and Climate Science Emphasis Elective
Major Earth and Climate Science Emphasis Elective Major Research or Service-Learning Course
Major Upper Division NS/ENGR Elective Major Upper Division NS/ENGR Elective
Free Elective Free Elective