Sustainable Development Goals

















In the UC Davis Earth and Planetary Sciences department, we believe we can make a difference.
Geoscientists will be crucial in meeting society’s future challenges, be that through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement to avoid dangerous climate change, or through other important policies to protect the environment and ensure the availability of vital resources for all." -- Geological Society of London
A geoscientist's curiosity about the world — past, present and future; physical and theoretical; terrestrial and interplanetary — can help guide society as it works to make life on earth sustainable and equitable for all.
Here in Earth and Planetary Sciences, our courses will prepare you for a career in the geosciences and provide you with the skills to make a difference in our world.
Prepare for a career in...
Geohazard Mitigation

- About Geohazard Mitigation
- Recommended degree path(s): Geology BS
- Sustainable Development Goals: Geohazard Mitigation
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- Geology Elective Courses: Geohazard Mitigation
- GEL 131 - Risk: Natural Hazards & Related Phenomena
GEL 133 - Environmental Geochemistry
GEL 136 - Ecogeomorphology of Rivers & Streams
GEL 134 - Environmental Geology and Land Use Planning
GEL 138 - Volcanology - Additional Coursework to Consider: Geohazard Mitigation
- Coming soon.
Geomorphology

- About Geomorphology
- Recommended degree path(s): Geology BS
- Sustainable Development Goals: Geomorphology
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- Geology Elective Courses: Geomorphology
- GEL 136 - Ecogeomorphology of Rivers & Streams
GEL 140 - Introduction to Process Geomorphology - Additional Coursework to Consider: Geomorphology
- Coming soon.
Geophysics

- About Geophysics
- Geophysicists gather data and develop computer models to image the subsurface. These data help to inform decision-making related to clean water, mineral and hydrocarbon resources, environmental remediation, and building sustainable cities and communities.
Recommended degree path(s): Geology AB - Sustainable Development Goals: Geophysics
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- Geology Elective Courses: Geophysics
- GEL 131 - Risk: Natural Hazards & Related Phenomena
GEL 160 - Geological Data Analysis
GEL 161 - Geophysical Field Methods
GEL 162 - Geophysics of the Solid Earth
GEL 163 - Planetary Geology & Geophysics - Additional Coursework to Consider: Geophysics
- Coming soon.
Paleontology

- About Paleontology
- Paleontologists study the history and evolution of life, as revealed by the fossil record. Understanding life in the past, and how it is both similar to and different from life today, can educate us about organismal responses to environmental change and inform us in policy-making to better adapt to change in the future.
Recommended degree path(s): Geology AB - Sustainable Development Goals: Paleontology
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- Geology Elective Courses: Paleontology
- GEL 141 - Evolutionary History of Vertebrates
GEL 144 - Historical Ecology - Additional Coursework to Consider: Paleobiology
- NPB 118 - Comparative Biomechanics
ANS 119 - Invertebrate Aquaculture
ANT 151 or 152 - Primate Evolution or Human Evolution
BIS 2ABC - Introduction to Biology
BIS 101 - Genes & Gene Expression
BIS 122 - Population Biology & Ecology
EVE 100 or 101 - Introduction to Evolution or Intro to Ecology
ENT 100 - General Entomology
MIC 101 - Introductory Microbiology
PLB 108 - Systematics & Evolution of Angiosperms
MAT 107, 124, 135 - Probability in BioSci; Mathematical Biology
STA 100 - Applied Statistics for Biol Sci
UWP 102B - Writing in the Disciplines: Biology
Teaching

- About Teaching
- Schools from across the educational spectrum are increasingly in need of science educators, especially those who understand the overall earth system and how our planet's various components work together.
Recommended degree path(s): Geology BA or BS (K-12), Earth and Planetary Sciences MS (community college), Earth and Planetary Sciences PhD (universities) - Sustainable Development Goals: Teaching
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- Geology Elective Courses: Teaching
- GEL 181 - Teaching in Science & Mathematics (Middle School)
GEL 183 - Teaching High School Mathematics & Science
GEL 186 - Facilitating Learning in STEM Classes - Additional Coursework to Consider: Teaching
- GEL 081 - Learning in Sciences & Mathematics (K-6)
EDU 142 - Introduction to Environmental Education