Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Program Learning Outcomes for the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Upon completing the BA degree with a major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of how the Earth, and also terrestrial planetary systems, operate over geologic and modern timescales.
- Demonstrate the ability to make and record observations in the field, and to analyze and interpret these data in the context of the geologic history.
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to evaluate published research in the Earth, Environmental and Planetary sciences.
Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences must complete:
- A minimum of 20 courses (60-63 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 9 courses (31 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor, or where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences | 60-63 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| MATH 101 | SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS I | 3 |
| or MATH 105 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS I | |
| MATH 102 | SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS II | 3 |
| or MATH 106 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS II | |
| CHEM 121 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I | 3 |
| or CHEM 111 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY I | |
| CHEM 123 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I | 1 |
| or CHEM 113 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB I | |
| CHEM 122 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II | 3 |
| or CHEM 112 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II | |
| CHEM 124 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II | 1 |
| or CHEM 114 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB II | |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| THE EARTH | ||
| INVESTIGATING EARTH'S SURFACE | ||
| CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME WEATHER | ||
| NATURAL DISASTERS | ||
| OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| THE EARTH SYSTEM, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIETY | ||
| INHABITING PLANET EARTH | ||
| THE PLANETS | ||
| THE EARTH AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM | ||
| EEPS 321 | EARTH AND PLANETARY SURFACE ENVIRONMENTS | 4 |
| EEPS 322 | EARTH AND PLANETARY CHEMISTRY AND MATERIALS | 4 |
| EEPS 323 | EARTH AND PLANETARY STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS | 4 |
| EEPS 325 | OCEANS, ATMOSPHERES AND CLIMATE | 4 |
| EEPS 334 | THE EARTH LABORATORY | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Directed Electives in Fields Outside Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences | ||
| Select 2-4 courses from either Group A or Group B: | 6-8 | |
| Group A | ||
| Select 1 from the following: | ||
| INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I and INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II | ||
| MECHANICS (WITH LAB) and MECHANICS DISCUSSION and ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (WITH LAB) and ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM DISCUSSION | ||
| GENERAL PHYSICS (WITH LAB) and GENERAL PHYSICS II (WITH LAB) | ||
| CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS I and CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS II | ||
| Group B | ||
| Select 2 from the following Option Categories: | ||
| Option Category - 1 | ||
| Select 1 from the following: | ||
| MECHANICS (WITH LAB) and MECHANICS DISCUSSION | ||
| GENERAL PHYSICS (WITH LAB) | ||
| ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (WITH LAB) and ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM DISCUSSION | ||
| GENERAL PHYSICS II (WITH LAB) | ||
| CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS I and CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS II | ||
| Option Category - 2 | ||
| INTERMEDIATE EXPERIMENTAL CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES and INTRODUCTORY LAB IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION | ||
| Option Category - 3 | ||
| ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND LINEAR ALGEBRA | ||
| Option Category - 4 | ||
| Directed Electives in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATION IN THE EARTH, ENVIRONMENT AND PLANETARY SCIENCES | ||
or CMOR 220 | INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING COMPUTATION | |
| Select 4 courses from Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences departmental (EEPS) course offerings at the 300-level or above. 1 | 12 | |
| Directed Electives in Natural Science and Engineering | ||
| Select 2 courses from the School of Natural Sciences or the School of Engineering course offerings at the 200-level or above. 2 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences | 60-63 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 26-29 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student’s declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
| 1 | Students may select any course from Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences departmental (EEPS) course offerings between course numbers EEPS 300:399, EEPS 407:476, EEPS 495:499 to fulfill the 4 courses (minimum of 12 credit hours) from departmental (EEPS) course offerings. |
| 2 | Courses must be approved by the department undergraduate advisor. Courses from the School of Natural Sciences or the School of Engineering include the following subject codes: ASTR, BIOS, BIOE, CEVE, CHBE, CHEM, CMOR, COMP, DSCI, EEPS, ELEC, ENGI, ENST, GLHT, HEAL, KINE, MATH, MECH, MSNE, NEUR, NSCI, PHYS, STAT. |
Policies for the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences should be aware of the following program restrictions:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, under Declaring Majors, Minors and Certificates, students may not obtain both a BA and a BS in the same major. Students pursuing the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences may not additionally pursue the BS Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s transfer credit advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:
- Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program’s official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Earth Environmental and Planetary Sciences major page, on the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences website: https://eeps.rice.edu/undergraduate/
Opportunities for the BA Degree with a Major in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Undergraduate Independent Research
The department encourages, but does not require, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (EEPS) undergraduate majors to pursue independent supervised research in EEPS 481. This can also be carried out as part of the Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Honors Thesis Program (described below), or independently with a faculty mentor. Undergraduates enrolled in the Honors Research program automatically will be eligible for consideration for the university honor, the Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Other students who wish to be considered for this honor within the EEPS majors should discuss with an EEPS major advisor at the beginning of their senior year.
Honors Research
Undergraduates are encouraged to embark on an undergraduate honors thesis. The purpose of the honors thesis is for students to develop and demonstrate their creative and independent research potential. Students are recommended to begin in the fall of their junior year to provide ample time for research projects to be developed, executed, and written. However, honors theses must commence during the fall semester of senior year. Students are expected to enroll in at least two semesters of the course EEPS 481, spanning their senior year. Juniors who have identified a research project and mentor can also enroll in EEPS 481. Students should sign up for EEPS 481 for 3 credit hours.
Requirements and Recommendations for Completing an Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Fall Semester of Senior Year
At the beginning of the fall semester, seniors interested in the honors thesis program must identify a thesis advisor, a thesis topic, and enroll in the required courses. During the semester, students will participate in meetings with other honors thesis candidates to discuss basic research protocols and philosophies, and meet independently with their chosen scientific advisor, and generate data, experiments or models. At the end of the semester, students must submit final versions of their proposals, describing motivation, hypothesis, methodology, and preliminary results. The honors thesis committee will evaluate the proposals, and if approved, students can continue in the honors thesis program. Required courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EEPS 401 | SEMINAR: UNDERGRADUATE HONORS THESIS | 1 |
| EEPS 481 | UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN EARTH, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES | 1-6 |
Spring Semester of Senior Year
A mid-semester progress report must be submitted to the thesis committee for feedback. At the end of the spring semester, students submit their final theses, and give public oral exit talks. To complete the honors thesis program, student theses must be approved by the honors thesis committee. Required courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EEPS 401 | SEMINAR: UNDERGRADUATE HONORS THESIS | 1 |
| EEPS 481 | UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN EARTH, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES | 1-6 |
Further details about the program, and expectations and criteria for the thesis proposal and final thesis can be found on the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences website (https://eeps.rice.edu/eeps-honor-thesis/).
Other Points of Consideration
Students who are accepted into the Rice Undergraduate Scholars Program (RUSP) can substitute EEPS 481 courses for semesters 2 and 3 with HONS 470 and HONS 471. However, the students will have to meet all other requirements of the honors thesis set by the department.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences major page, on the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences website: https://eeps.rice.edu/undergraduate/