Earth Science

The minor in earth science allows students to study the Earth, including the materials that compose it, the processes that change it, and its evolution over time. Inherently interdisciplinary, earth science includes aspects of chemistry, biology, and physics. Fieldwork will be a vital part of your studies, and you’ll collaborate with professors and students on projects in and out of the classroom. As with all of our programs, the earth science minor provides a science-based, interdisciplinary focus promoting the development of citizenship, stewardship, and a global perspective.

Why Study Earth Science at Principia College?

Principia’s earth science experience is unique because its primary academic scope includes land, sea, and space.
Course offerings include geology, earth history, oceanography, and astrophysics. Most earth science courses are lab courses, which include local and overnight field trips. Over the course of the term, you'll form close bonds with your professors and classmates.
Principia's extensive mineral, rock, and fossil collections provide rich material for hands-on learning opportunities.
Field research for Principia's mammoth dig is complete, and the results are on display as part of the Mammoth Museum in the Science Center atrium.
Earth science courses such as Oceanography include opportunities to conduct field work with research oceanographers and to participate in sea-going deployments of submersibles and drifters.
Students intern at top oceanographic research labs around the country, including Mote Marine Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution.
You can engage in original research with faculty mentors.

Scientific Skills

You’ll develop the following scientific skills at every stage of the program through hands-on projects and individualized instructor feedback:

field work
data collection and analysis
collaborative research
scientific writing
presentation of scientific findings

In addition, you can gain experience in GIS, a valuable professional skill.

Note: See the College Catalog for more detailed information about our program.

An earth science minor is available for students majoring in disciplines other than geosciences that are interested in increasing their knowledge of earth science topics. It focuses on earth materials, earth processes, and earth history and is intended to prepare students for graduate school and careers in the earth sciences.

The study of earth sciences at Principia is strengthened and enhanced by our proximity to the remarkable natural geological landscape of the Ozarks. Regional field trips and outdoor laboratory activities expose students to a wide array of geologic processes and provide unique field-based learning opportunities. The numerous fossil rich outcrops, karst topography, and mining operations provide excellent, real-world experiences for students.

Students graduating with a minor in earth sciences are employed by geo-engineering and environmental/hydrology consulting firms, state and federal governmental agencies, and the extractive industries (mining, oil and gas, and industrial minerals).