Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Earth Sciences


www.smu.edu/earthsciences

Professor Heather DeShon, Department Chair

Professors: Heather DeShon, Robert T. Gregory, Matthew Hornbach, Zhong Lu, Maria Beatrice Magnani, Jim Quick, Brian Stump (Director of Undergraduate Studies), Neil Tabor, Crayton Yapp
Associate Professors: Stephen Arrowsmith, Rita Economos
Assistant Professors: Alexander Chase, Xiao Yang
Research Professors: Dori Contreras, Anthony Fiorillo, Sarah McComas, Mihan H. McKenna Taylor, Ian Richards, Matthew Siegler, H. Troy Stuckey, Alisa J. Winkler, Dale A. Winkler, Pierre ZippI

General Information

The Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences provides ways of understanding and appreciating dynamic Earth processes, the physical environment, and the place of humanity in the long and complex history of the planet and solar system. The programs also provide the background for rewarding careers in industry, government and academia. The faculty offers learning and research opportunities in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, resource geology, planetary geology, paleontology, and natural resource and energy management.

Earth science is an interdisciplinary, applied science that integrates well with other fields. It attracts students with broad interests in geology, chemistry, biology, environmental science, archaeology, astronomy, oceanography, engineering, applied mathematics or physics. The department strongly encourages combined majors. In addition to combinations with the above fields, many undergraduate Earth science majors have double majors or minors in business (especially finance, real estate or marketing), economics, prelaw, computer science, archaeology, world languages, English, history, journalism and premed.

Academic programs are tailored to the educational and career objectives of each student. Because of the heavily funded active research programs within the department and ties with the Dallas geological community, students often receive excellent pre- and post-graduation employment opportunities. The department also has some financial aid available for undergraduate majors, including department scholarships and support for off-campus field programs.

The department offers two different majors in Earth sciences: earth sciences B.A. and B.S. Two minors, one in geology and the other in environmental earth sciences, are available for those not pursuing a major in the earth sciences.

The department is also the home of the environmental science and environmental studies programs, which can be found in archived undergraduate catalogs prior to 2019-2020 under Dedman College Interdisciplinary programs.

Programs

    Major(s)Minor(s)

    Courses

      Earth Sciences