Geological Sciences Minor
The minor in geological sciences is designed for students who would like to acquire a basic knowledge of geology in addition to their major area of study. The minor requirements can be satisfied with a wide variety of course work that will provide students with an understanding of earth resources, structure, processes, and history. These topics are particularly valuable to students who are interested in natural resources, including energy and water, and environmental hazards.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Four EMES courses from the list of options below. 1 | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
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Only one course may be numbered less than 200.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EMES 68 | First-Year Seminar: Soundscape of Our Planet | 3 |
| EMES 72H | First-Year Seminar: Field Geology of Eastern California | 3 |
| EMES 76 | First-Year Seminar: Energy Resources for a Hungry Planet | 3 |
| EMES 77 | First-Year Seminar: Volcanoes and Civilization: An Uneasy Coexistence | 3 |
| EMES 79 | First-Year Seminar: Coasts in Crisis | 3 |
| EMES 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 1 | 3 |
| EMES 101 & 101L | Planet Earth and Planet Earth Laboratory | 4 |
| EMES 103 & 103L | The Marine Environment and The Marine Environment Laboratory | 4 |
| EMES 200 | The Solid Earth | 3 |
| EMES 201 | Earth's Surface: Processes, Landforms, and History | 3 |
| EMES 203 | Data Analysis for Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences | 3 |
| EMES 221 | Geology of North America | 3 |
| EMES 301 | Earth Materials: Minerals | 4 |
| EMES 302 | Structural Geology | 4 |
| EMES 303 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | 4 |
| EMES 304 | Petrology and Plate Tectonics | 4 |
| EMES 305 | Planetary Geology: Meteorites and Asteroids | 3 |
| EMES 306 | Earth Systems History | 3 |
| EMES 310 | Coastal Environmental Change | 3 |
| EMES 314 | Earth Systems in a Changing World | 3 |
| EMES 324 & 324L | Water in Our World: Introduction to Hydrologic Science and Environmental Problems and Water in Our World Laboratory | 4 |
| EMES 395 | Undergraduate Research in Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences 2 | 1-3 |
| or EMES 396 | Independent Study in Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences | |
| EMES 405 | Geochemistry | 3 |
| EMES 406 | Introduction to Geophysics | 3 |
| EMES 412 | Principles and Methods of Teaching Earth Science | 4 |
| EMES 414/ENEC 514 | Flood Hydrology: Models and Data Analysis | 3 |
| EMES/ENEC 417 | Surface Processes and Landscape Evolution | 4 |
| EMES/ANTH 421 | Archaeological Geology | 3 |
| EMES 425 | Introduction to Field Geology | 3 |
| EMES 431 | Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea | 3 |
| EMES 432 | Paleoclimatology | 3 |
| EMES/ENEC 435 | Principles of Environmental Consulting: Mechanics of Groundwater Flow | 3 |
| EMES 436 | Geochemistry of Natural Waters | 3 |
| EMES 438 | Principles of Seismology | 3 |
| EMES 483 | Geologic and Oceanographic Applications of Geographical Information Systems | 4 |
| EMES 485 | Summer Field Course in Geology | 3 |
| EMES 486 | Summer Field Course in Geology | 3 |
| EMES 501 | Geological Research Techniques | 3 |
| EMES 504 | Advanced Petrology | 3 |
| EMES 508 | Global Hydrology | 3 |
| EMES/ENEC 511 | Stable Isotopes in the Environment | 3 |
| EMES/ENEC 512 | Advanced Coastal Environmental Change | 3 |
| EMES 520 | Data Analysis in the Earth Sciences | 3 |
| EMES 525 | Inverse Theory: Advanced Data Analysis and Geophysical Modeling | 3 |
| EMES 567 | Application of Plasma Mass Spectrometry in Earth and Environmental Sciences | 3 |
| EMES 580 | Evolution of Earth's Surface Environment | 3 |
| EMES 608 | Continuum Mechanics in the Earth Sciences | 3 |
| EMES 655 | Recent Advances in Non-Traditional Stable Isotope Geochemistry | 3 |
| GEOG 440/GEOL 502 | Earth Surface Processes | 3 |
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With permission, based on topic.
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Student must register for a minimum of 3 credit hours. No more than 3 credit hours may apply towards the minor.
See the program page here for special opportunities.
Department Programs
Majors
Minors
Graduate Programs
Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences
Murray and Mitchell Halls
