Program Overview

Overview of the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability

The School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of Iowa offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs in earth and environmental sciences, geographical and sustainability sciences, and environmental policy and planning.

Undergraduate Programs

• Majors:
  • BA in Earth & Environmental Science
  • BS in Earth & Environmental Science
    • Track in Earth and Planetary Science
    • Track in Environmental Bioscience
    • Track in Environmental Geoscience
  • BA in Geographical & Sustainability Sciences
  • BS in Geographical & Sustainability Sciences
    • Track in GIScience
    • Track in Sustainability Science
  • BA in Environmental Policy & Planning
    • Track in Planning
    • Track in Policy
• Minors:
  • Minor in Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Minor in Environmental Policy & Planning
• Certificates:
  • Certificate in Geographical Information Science
  • Certificate in Sustainability
• Undergraduate to Graduate Programs:
  • U2G in Environmental Policy & Planning
  • U2G in Geoinformatics

Graduate Programs

• Degrees and Certificates:
  • MA in Geography
  • PhD in Geography
  • MS in Geoscience
  • PhD in Geoscience

Research Areas

• Climate Variability & Change
• Ecology & Paleontology
• Environmental Management & Policy
• GIScience, Modeling & Remote Sensing
• Health, Vulnerability & Natural Hazards
• Human-Environment Interactions
• Natural Resources & Sustainability
• Tectonics, Solid Earth & Planetary Geology
• Water, Soil & Surface Processes

Research Facilities

• Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory (APLL)
• Ecoclimatology of Carbon & Water Lab
• Geochemistry Lab
• Geographical Information Systems Instructional Lab (GISIL)
• Hydrogeology Lab
• Lab for Observing & Quantifying Aquatic & Terrestrial Ecosystems (LOQATE)
• Micropaleontology Lab
• Mineral Separation & Sample Processing Facility
• Paleontology Repository
• Planetary Exploration Lab
• Sedimentary Materials Lab
• Thin Section & Sample Preparation Lab

Bachelor of Science in Earth and Environmental Science (EES)

The Bachelor of Science in Earth and Environmental Science (EES) major comprises three tracks:

Earth and Planetary Science

Learn about planetary composition and processes, emphasizing how planets, their environments, and life have evolved and continue to evolve.

Environmental Geoscience

Discover how recent human actions and climate change interact with surface processes that involve soil, groundwater, and other near-surface materials.

Environmental Bioscience

Study how altered ecosystem structure and function impacts population and community dynamics across different space and time scales.

The integrated biological, chemical, physical, and geological components of the degree program offer students opportunities in and exposure to the entire spectrum of Earth and environmental sciences while at the University of Iowa. This program offers flexibility to discover your passion, while preparing you to tackle real-world problems in job sectors like industry, consulting, government, and academia.