Climate Science Course Requirements

Course Outline

Intro Course

Students must complete the following intro course:

• EAS 2250 The Earth System

Core Courses

Students must complete the following 3 core courses:

• EAS 3050 Climate Dynamics
• EAS 3410 Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Hydrostatistics
• EAS 3420 Atmospheric Dynamics

Concentration Courses

Students must complete 5 concentration courses at the 3000-level or above. Students should speak with their advisor about which concentration courses are most appropriate for their program of study.

• EAS 3340 Microclimatology
• EAS 3530 Physical Oceanography
• EAS 4350 Statistical Methods in Meteorology and Climatology
• EAS 4470 Physical Meteorology
• EAS 4800 Our Changing Atmosphere: Global Change and Atmospheric Chemistry (also BEE 4800)
• EAS 3010 Evolution of the Earth System
• EAS 3030 Biogeochemistry
• EAS 3421 Atmospheric Dynamics: Quantitative Visualization
• EAS 4443 Global Climate Change Science and Policy
• EAS 4444 Climate Smart Communities: State and Local Climate Change Science
• EAS 5555 Numerical Techniques for Weather and Climate Modeling
• BEE 2000 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge
• BEE 4110 Hydrologic Engineering in a Changing Climate

Field Course

Exposure to the basic observations of earth science in the field is necessary to fully understand the chosen area of concentration in the major. A minimum of 3 credits of appropriate coursework is required, although more experience with fieldwork is encouraged. The following field course is recommended:

• EAS 2500 Meteorological Observations and Instruments

Other field options:

• Field courses offered by another college or university*
• Experience gained participating in field research with Cornell faculty (or REU at another institution)*
• 3-semester credits of advisor-approved Independent Research (EAS 4910 / EAS 4920).
  Independent research must conclude with formal paper describing results and conclusions or else a poster or oral presentation of results presented at a public venue.

*Field course options marked by an asterisk (*) require pre-approval by the faculty advisor and the EAS Curriculum Committee. These courses/internships/REUs should require observations to be taken in the field and interpreted by the student. Field courses should generally require 40+ hours of active observation and data collection in the field. Students using a non-credit research option for the field course requirement are required to complete an additional EAS concentration course.