Earth Science

All of the pressing environmental issues sit at the nexus of climate, hydrology, biology, and geology. You know that Earth, water, and climate are essential for life and society as we know it. In the Earth Science major, you will gain the skills and knowledge to understand the complex relationships between atmospheric, hydrologic biologic, and geologic processes. Through it all, you will learn how people are influenced by and have an impact on the Earth.

Courses in this major will get you interacting with Earth and its systems first-hand, through labs and field trips. Your Earth Science major at Northland is heavily focused on hand-on learning experiences that will directly prepare you to address future environmental challenges. Whether working with area organizations to analyze climate risks or develop climate plans, sampling water quality and aquatic invertebrates to better understand threats to the Lake Superior watershed, or traveling the region to see the remarkable geologic history written in the rocks, you will get the real-world experiences that make for a rich education centered around the Earth.

Throughout this major, you will learn about the role that Earth Science can play in creating a more sustainable and just future for all and explore the diverse careers available in this growing field.

The Earth Science Major spans a breadth of coursework necessary for understanding the wide range of Earth Science issues. But you will also focus your interests more deeply through 1 of 3 emphases: Climate Science, Water Science, and Geology.

Areas of Study as an Emphasis:

Climate Science:

Applied climate science is a rapidly growing field that addresses the global need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and build a clean energy economy as well as the local need to identify climate-related risks and prepare for an uncertain future. You will gain the skills needed work with climate data, translate climate science information for a variety of audiences, and design inspiring climate solutions. Graduates are ready to work as climate resilience specialists, climate risk analysts, or consultants in corporate sustainability, renewable energy, or carbon markets, or pursue graduate studies in a climate-adjacent specialty.

Water Science:

The water science emphasis gives you all the skills and knowledge you need to understand the chemistry, biology, and movement of water in the environment. You’ll also gain a deep appreciation for how we are connected to each other and the Earth through water. Courses focus on the science of the occurrence, circulation, and distribution of surface water, ground water, lakes, oceans, and atmospheric water. You’ll graduate with an understanding of the importance of water resources to all ecosystems and be ready for graduate school or a career in the field. In addition to rigorous and relevant coursework, Northland students also have the opportunity to gain real-world work experience through Northland College’s Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation.

Geology:

Delve into the remarkable history of the Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the Earth is continually undergoing. To understand the Earth, you need to study its minerals, rocks, soils, and landscapes in many different settings. You have to study it at all scales, too, from vast landscapes to microscopic soil particles. You have to interact with it through hands-on experiences in labs and on field trips. In the geology emphasis, you will learn through getting out in the field as well as in the classroom through maps, rock samples, slides, and stories. You will gain a thorough understanding of how the physical earth—its minerals, rocks, soils, water, landscapes—form the foundation on which all ecosystems exist.