Earth Science Interdisciplinary Program
The Geological Sciences department administers the Earth Science major and minor. Both are intended for students obtaining teaching certification from the College of Education. A graduate school preparatory concentration in Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences is also available.
Program Director: Dr. Kazuya Fujita
(Geological Sciences)
Earth Sciences Curriculum Committee: Dr.
Danita Brandt (Geological Sciences), Dr. Julie Winkler (Geography), Dr. Ed Loh
(Physics-Astronomy)
Last updated April 17, 2008
Course changes posted under breaking news
How to contact Dr. Fujita:
By phone: 517-355-0142. Calls
in the late morning have the best chance of being answered.
By FAX: 517-353-8787.
By e-mail - fujita@msu.edu
(no HTML or attachments, please. pure ASCII text preferred)
In person: Room 15 Natural Sciences
Building. Office hours are generally TTh 10:30-11:30. Click here for other times I am usually
around.
!!!!! (see also
Frequently Asked Questions, below)
- Dr.
Fujita’s office is now in room 15 Nat Sci. You have to go through a series of doors to get there.
- Dynamic
meteorology is being offered annually by Dr. Sharon Zhong as
an provisional course. Register for GEO 492, and the appropriate
section number. You may substitute
GEO 492 (Dynamic) for GLG 401 on a provisional basis.
- GLG 304 is
only offered during spring semesters.
- Oceanography
is now offered as ZOL 303. It is interdepartmental
with Geology as GLG 303. You may take the course under either code.
- Attention
Elementary Education Students: If you are a General Science (old system) or Integrated Science (new system) student, you must
take GLG 201, GEO 203, and AST 207 as your Earth Science component.
You DO NOT take GLG 401. However if you are an Earth Science MINOR (old system or secondary
educatuin), you MUST still take GLG 401.
- BOT 335 is now PLB
335. PLB 335 will continue to be offered every other year and does
count towards your biological science requirement for the College of
Natural Sciences.
- AST 201 has been
discontinued. AST 303, 307, or 317 (note that these courses require
PHY 183 - calculus based physics) now replace this requirement. You may
need a non-conforming major statement for CoE.
- Secondary Education Seniors
must pass the MTTC examination in both their major and minor prior to the
start of their internship year. Study guides are available at the
CoE Student Affairs office and at the assigned reading desk of the main
library.
WARNING TO STUDENTS: Many classes
required for the Earth Science major and minor are only offered once a
year. In addition, no courses for
the major or minor are offered in the summers. Please plan
accordingly. Failure to determine what terms courses are offered in will
not exempt you from said classes and may delay your admission to
your internship year.
NOTICE: If you require an override into a course, you must see the instructor and/or department. Dr. Fujita can not do this for you except for GLG 401.
Requirements for the major and minor.
Earth Science (Teaching) Minor requirements
Earth Science (Teaching) Major requirements
Earth Science (Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences Concentration) Major requirements
For Deadlines for applying to the College of
Education, please see their web site
I have a conflict between GLG 401 and my TE 408 lab. Go ahead and register for both GLG 401 and TE 408. Usually the small overlap can be accommodated.
SME 401 and 420 may be taken in either order
for DI students. Contact Merle Heidemann
for details.
I took MTH 124 prior to declaring an Earth Science major, do I still have to
take MTH 132? Yes, if you declared your major after Spring
semester, 2001. If you declared your major prior to Spring, 2001, see Dr.
Fujita. You may now receive credit in both.
I have taken CEM 251, do I still have to take CEM 142? Yes. CEM 251 (organic I) is equivalent to CEM 143. The prerequisite for GLG 321 is CEM 142 (inorganic II). Neither CEM 143 nor CEM 251 have CEM 142 as a prerequisite, thus even though they are higher numbers, they do NOT cover the material in CEM 142.
What is the prerequisite for ZOL 303 (interdepartmental as GLG 303) - Oceanography? It is one semester of physics AND one semester of chemistry.
Is calculus-based physics a prerequisite for GLG 401? No, neither calculus nor calculus-based physics (PHY 183) are required. You can take the non-calculus physics course (PHY 231).
A required course doesn't fit into my schedule or is closed. What do I do? If you can not fit a required course into your schedule, you must complete a non-conforming minor using another course. If a course is closed, the instructor of that course may be willing to give you an override.
I need to do a non-conforming major or minor. What do I need to do? If you are completing a non-conforming major or minor, you must obtain approval taking alternate courses. You also need to obtain a non-conforming minor/major certification from Dr. Fujita during your senior year so that you can go into your internship year.
How do I get an override into a course? You must consult the instructor of that course. Neither Dr. Fujita nor Ms. Knutson can authorize an override without approval of the instructor.
I would like to take an study abroad course. Can I use it in place of an Earth Science major or minor requirement? In general, no. If, however, the overseas study program has explicit (documentable) coursework in Earth Science that is equivalent to the degree requirements at MSU or the Michigan standards, it may be considered. Prior approval of both Dr. Fujita and the department chairperson is required.
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Last Updated April 17, 2008.