Earth System Science and Environmental Science & Policy majors at UCI are trained to be data analyzers, scientists who understand both gloabal environmental issues, as well as local climate concerns. Whether you plan on continuing your education after obtaining your Bachelor's Degree (such as pursuing a Master's, Doctorate, or applying to a professional school to study law, medicine or one of the other many enriching areas of study) or plan to join the workforce and pursue a successful career, the Earth Science degrees can help you with that. The ESS department consists of faculty who are: chemists, biologists, ecologists, physicists, hydrologists, geologists, meteorologists, engineers, applied mathematicians, and oceanographers. They use a combination of classroom, laboratory and field experience to educate students in areas of hydrology, biology, physics, and chemistry to understand how the Earth's systems interact to form our environment.

An optional Concentration in Geosciences Education can help you focus your elective courses, especially in your last two years. It is also a great way to make yourself more desirable post-graduation should you plan to apply for a teaching position, or graduate work in education.

The department offers an Honors Program for qualified students. This program involves honors level research and a written thesis, and is usually completed during the final year of study.

Many students find that combining their degree with a minor is the way to go. Popular choices include a minor in Global Sustainability, Biological Sciences, Management, Educational Studies, Mathematics, or Urban and Regional Planning. Many students choose to pursue a double major with one of the other sciences.

While studying at UCI, research, student tutoring, field work, data and sample collecting, outreach, etc., are some of the things that our Earth Science students do outside of the classroom.

Areas of study within the Earth Sciences includes: Atmospheric Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles, and Physical Climate.

Please see an Academic Counselor today for more info on any of the above. And please go to https://www.ess.uci.edu/undergrad for more information.