Group of EPS undergraduate students standing on the rim of a crater in Hawaii.

Geoscientists Making a Difference

Sustainable Development Goals

No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health and Well-Being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water and Sanitation
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
Life Below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Partnerships for the 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
Tyler with gas mask.
  • About Geohazard Mitigation
  • Recommended degree path(s): Geology BS
  • Sustainable Development Goals: Geohazard Mitigation
  • Climate Action
    No Poverty
    Life on Land
    Sustainable Cities and Communities
    Life Below Water
    Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

     

  • 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
Female student showing young child in Ethiopia their photo on the camera screen.
  • About Geomorphology
  • Recommended degree path(s): Geology BS
  • Sustainable Development Goals: Geomorphology
  • Climate Action
    Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
    Sustainable Cities and Communities

     

  • Geology Elective Courses: Geomorphology
  • GEL 136 - Ecogeomorphology of Rivers & Streams
    GEL 140 - Introduction to Process Geomorphology
  • Additional Coursework to Consider: Geomorphology
  • Coming soon.
 
Geophysics
Female student using a 3D mini-CAVE to virtually explore the oceans.
  • 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
  • Clean Water and Sanitation
    Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
    Sustainable Cities and Communities

     

  • 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
A male student sitting at a table measuring a plesiosaur fossil.
  • 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
  • Climate Action
    Life Below Water
    Life on Land

     

  • 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
A male student sitting at a table measuring a plesiosaur fossil.
  • 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
  • No Poverty
    Quality Education
    Gender Equality
    Climate Action

     

  • 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