BS in Earth Sciences at San Francisco State University

The Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences is designed for students intending to prepare for direct entry into a career as a professional in industry or government, or for graduate school in any of the earth sciences, such as geology, oceanography, and meteorology. Courses in the BS degree’s Earth Sciences core, supported by courses in the basic science and math foundation, give students a strong understanding of the structure and behavior of Earth’s systems (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere) and the physical process through which they interact. The Earth Sciences core courses teach not only interdisciplinary science concepts but also skills in quantitative problem solving, fieldwork, and writing and oral communication, which are directly applicable to both graduate school and a career.

Students develop disciplinary depth by selecting one of three emphases: Geology, Hydrology, or Oceans, Weather & Climate.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Scientific principles and methods - Apply the scientific method to solve problems in the Earth sciences, which
includes making observations, asking scientific questions, forming and testing
hypotheses, and analyzing and evaluating the results. In particular:

• Collect, analyze, and interpret observations, and use field and laboratory equipment and data analysis software appropriate to their area of emphasis in the Earth sciences
• Explain that all observations contain uncertainty and be able to quantify this uncertainty
• Retrieve, use, and critically interpret the scientific literature
• Create and interpret graphical representations of data
• Create, manipulate, and interpret mathematical representations of Earth systems models

2. Process-level understanding

• Demonstrate a qualitative understanding of the processes driving the major
  Earth systems, including the tectonic cycle, hydrologic cycle, carbon cycle, and
  Earth’s energy budget
• Demonstrate a quantitative understanding of the processes driving the Earth
  systems in their area of emphasis
• Demonstrate an understanding of the time and space scales of processes
  controlling changes in the major Earth systems

3. Application to societal issues

• Use scientific principles to inform society and evaluate issues arising from
  environmental change, such as natural hazards, resource management, and
  climate change
• Give an informed critique of the scientific issues underlying current policy
  discussions that relate to their emphasis area

4. Communication

• Collaborate effectively
• Effectively communicate scientific information in a variety of oral, visual, and
  written formats