Undergraduate Programs
Minors
The Department of Earth & Space Sciences offers four different minors from which students can choose. Students wishing to pursue a minor are required to complete the following courses:
Astronomy Minor (18 credits)
Astronomy Minor (18 credits)
A. Students may count no more than 6 credits from the following courses:
- ESS 111 - Other Worlds, Other Stars
- ESS 112 - Galaxies and Cosmology
- ESS 311 - Astronomy
- PHY 105 - Structure of the Universe
B. Students may count 12 or more credits from the following courses:
- ESS 307 - Geology of the Solar System
- ESS 355 - Intermediate Astronomy
- ESS 362 - History of Astronomy
- ESS 491 - Independent Study **
- SCB 210 - Origins of Life and the Universe
- PHY 390 - Fundamentals of Astrophysics
- PHY 490 - Introduction to Research
** Students who choose ESS 491 - Independent Study to complete their minor can choose a wide variety of projects are available. Past projects have included working with observational data from astronomical satellites such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, performing individual observations using the WCU Observatory, and working on public education and outreach projects in the WCU Planetarium.
Earth Sciences Minor (18 credits)
Earth Sciences Minor (18 credits)
| FOUNDATIONAL COURSEWORK: (9 CREDITS) | Credits | Course | Semester | Grade | Rep/W* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS 101 – Introduction to Geology | 3 | ||||
| ESS 201 – Field Geology | 3 | ||||
| ESS 204 – Historical Geology | 3 |
| ADVANCED COURSEWORK: (9 CREDITS) | Credits | Course | Semester | Grade | Rep/W* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS 300- or 400-level course from approved course list | 3 | ||||
| ESS 300- or 400-level course from approved course list | 3 | ||||
| ESS 300- or 400-level course from approved course list | 3 |
Approved Course List
ESS 301 – Environmental Geochemistry
ESS 302 – Mineralogy
ESS 307 – Geology of the Solar System
ESS 321 – Geometrics
ESS 323 – General Geologic Field Studies of Southeast PA
ESS 330 – Introduction to Oceanography
ESS 331 – Paleontology
ESS 332 – Advanced Oceanography
ESS 336 – Environmental Geology
ESS 343 – Geomorphology
ESS 344 – Advanced Geomorphology
ESS 348 – International Geology Field Studies
ESS 370 – Introduction to Meteorology
ESS 371 – Advanced Meteorology
ESS 394 – Geology of the NW Parks
ESS 395 – Geology of the SW Parks
ESS 405 – Petrology
ESS 420 – Structural Geology
ESS 435 – Remote Sensing
ESS 439 – Hydrogeology
ESS 442 – Geophysics
ESS 450 – Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
ESS 460 – Internship (in Earth Science)
ESS 480 – Special Problems (in Earth Science)
ESS 490 – Soils
ESS 491 – Independent Studies (in Earth Science)
ESS 499 – Geoscience Capstone
Science Education Minor (18 credits)
Science Education Minor (18 credits)
| 12 credits from: | 6 credits Advanced Coursework: |
|---|---|
|
SCI 101 or SCI 102 BIO 100 or BIO 110 BIO 111 (BIO 110 is a prerequisite) BIO 204, 214, 259, 270 (BIO 110 is prerequisite) ESS 101, 111, 112, 130, 170 ESS 201 (ESS 101 is prerequisite), 204 SCB 210 CHE 103/CRL 103 CHE 104/CRL 104 (CHE 103/CRL 103 is prerequisite) PHY 130 PHY 140 (PHY 130 is prerequisite) |
Required: SCE 320 or 330 or SED 360 (Teacher Candidacy override if not EGP/MGP/SED major) Choose 3 credits from: BIO 310, 312, 313, 314, 357, 387, 414, 428, 454, 457, 475, 484 CHE 321, 361, 403, 409 ESS 301, 302, 307, 311, 321, 323, 330, 331, 332, 336, 343, 344, 348, 355, 363, 370, 371, 394, 405, 420, 435, 439, 450, 460, 480, 490, 491 PHY 300, 330 |
EGP Focus: take SCE 320 as per degree requirement
MGP Focus: take SCE 330 as per degree requirement
Community Focus: take SED 360 (these are students in all other majors; clearances will be needed for 25 hour field placement, Teacher Candidacy (TC) override/waiver necessary from Secondary Education Department)