American University of Beirut

The Department of Earth Sciences offers a program that leads to the degree of bachelor of science in earth sciences. Students wishing to transfer to earth sciences must secure the approval of the department. In addition, students must have a strong science background and have taken the freshman science program or its equivalent.

The department also offers undergraduate elective courses which include GEOL 101, GEOL 102, GEOL 103, GEOL 104, GEOL 106, and GEOL 201 in general earth sciences, and GEOL 204, GEOL 205, GEOL 206, GEOL 208, GEOL 209, GEOL 227, and GEOL 290B in the fields of environmental and planetary earth sciences.

Field trips are a required part of most earth sciences courses.

The Department of Earth Sciences provides a solid grounding in geosciences at the service of a sustainable earth. Through a series of foundational courses, students acquire a thorough appreciation of the physical, chemical, and biological processes shaping the structure and evolution of the Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere and the complex interactions between them. Process-based concepts combined with fieldwork techniques, lab, and computational experience allow the construction of quantitative models of relevance to resource exploration (e.g., water, oil and gas, and minerals), risk and hazard assessment (e.g., earthquakes and landslides), and emerging environmental issues (e.g., Landfills, soil, and water contamination). A venerable geological museum features a historical collection of rocks, fossils, and maps which bring the field to the classroom with in-house exposure to Earth Science processes. With our track-oriented approach and interdisciplinary curriculum, our graduates acquire an appreciation of the broad relevance of geosciences to landscapes, built and natural environments, and life’s evolution around them. We seek to provide our students with the knowledge, conceptual frameworks, and technical skills that prepare them to lead successful careers as professional geoscientists and/or future researchers.

The requirements for a BS degree in earth sciences are 90 credits for students entering the department at the sophomore level, including 36 credits in the major. The distribution of university requirements is as follows:

Core required earth sciences courses: GEOL 201, GEOL 203, GEOL 207, GEOL 213, GEOL 216, GEOL 216L, GEOL 219, GEOL 221, GEOL 223, GEOL 223L, GEOL 226, GEOL 297, GEOL 298, and GEOL 299 which is a total of 30 credits, in addition to at least two required earth sciences elective courses (6 credits).

Students have to take three required Quantitative Reasoning (9 credits) - MATH 201 STAT 210 or STAT 231, and CMPS 203 or equivalent, in addition to two Understanding the World courses (6 credits) from chemistry and/ or physics. Students may opt for MATH 202 or Understanding the World course to fulfill the 3 remaining mandatory credits.

Students are also required to take a total of 6 credits to be selected from a list of approved departmental courses or interdepartmental courses A 0-credit mandatory internship course GEOL 299 provides students with the opportunity to acquire a professional experience in the field of earth sciences.

No course may be taken without its prerequisite unless authorized by the department chair.

The general education requirements are Understanding Communication - English (6 credits), Understanding Communication - Arabic (3 credits), Cultures and Histories (9 credits), Human Values (3 credits), Societies and Individuals (6 credits), Understanding the World and Quantitative Reasoning (9 credits with at least 3 credits from each), and Community Engaged Learning (3 credits).

At least one of the courses from Cultures and Histories or Human Values should be from the History of Ideas: CHLA. At least one course from your degree requirements (except Understanding Communication) should cover the theme of Social Inequalities (3 credits).

Students admitted in earth sciences are eligible to continue in the program provided they obtain, by the end of their third regular term at AUB, a minimum average of 2.3 in any three out of the following five courses: GEOL 201, GEOL 216, GEOL 213, and GEOL 223. Otherwise, they will normally be dropped from the department. Consideration for readmission requires a minimum cumulative average of 2.3 overall and a minimum average of 2.3 in any three out of the following five earth sciences courses: GEOL 201, GEOL 216, GEOL 213, and GEOL 223, and this should be achieved within the following two regular terms (at the very latest) after being dropped from the major. Majors must complete the following courses, in which a general average of 2.3 or more must be maintained in core earth sciences required courses.

To obtain a minor in earth sciences, students must complete the following core course GEOL 201, and any four courses from the following: GEOL 209, GEOL 216, GEOL 213, GEOL 223, and GEOL 227 (for a total of 15 credits).