Curriculum
Whether you’re interested in a concentration or secondary field, you’ll find a lot of flexibility in the Earth and Planetary Sciences curriculum. Building on a foundation in core sciences, you can start taking upper-level EPS courses as early as your first year.
All of our concentrators — primary, double, or joint-allied — work with the Academic Programs Manager and a faculty advisor to develop an individual thematic plan of study. During your first year, you will meet to choose coursework that best fits your background and research interests.
The EPS secondary field is an excellent complement to other scientific studies at Harvard. It will provide you with a strong foundation in one or more subfields of Earth sciences, including
- Climate, atmosphere, and oceans;
- Geobiology, geochemistry, and earth history;
- Geology, geophysics, and planetary science.
All information about course requirements can be found in the Green Book.
Department Tutorials
Each year, we host six department tutorials, during which EPS faculty speak informally about their research. These events will deepen your understanding of the field and inspire your own research interests. EPS concentrators are required to attend a minimum of five tutorials prior to graduation.
2024-2025 Department Tutorials:
- October 2
- November 6
- December 4
- February 5
- March 5
- April 2
Senior Thesis
A senior thesis is a chance for you to explore your own research interests in depth. This is a requirement for joint concentrators, and optional for primary and double concentrators.
For primary concentrators, a thesis is required for departmental (English) honors. If you are interested in completing a thesis, you should begin discussions with potential thesis advisors no later than the end of junior year.
Course Requirements
All primary, double, and joint-concentrators complete:
- Two EPS foundational courses
- Two math courses
- One data analysis, statistics, and computation course
- One physics course
- One chemistry course
- One higher-level physics or chemistry course
If you’re interested in a primary or double concentration, you need to complete 14 courses, including:
- A minimum of six EPS courses
- At least one course at the 50- or 100-level sampling all three subdisciplines in Climate, atmosphere, and oceans; Geobiology, geochemistry, and earth history; and Geology, geophysics, and planetary science
- A minimum of five department tutorials
If you’re interested in a joint-allied concentration, you need to complete 11 courses, including:
- A minimum of five department tutorials
- A minimum of five EPS courses
- A senior thesis
If you’re interested in a secondary field, you need to complete five EPS courses, including:
- Two EPS foundational courses
- Three upper-level EPS courses
General and Breadth Distinctions
General Department Offerings
| Course Number | Title | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| EPS 10 | A Brief History of the Earth | Rebecca Fischer |
| EPS 91 | Supervised Reading and Research | Roger Fu & Campbell Halligan |
| EPS 99 | Senior Thesis Tutorial | Chloe Anderson & Esther James |
| EPS 100 | The Missing Matlab Course: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Data Analysis | Miaki Ishii |
| EPS/ESE 102 | Data Analysis and Statistical Inference in the Earth and Environmental Sciences | Roger Fu |
| EPS/ESE 166 | State-of-the-Art Harvard Climate Observatory and Associated Instrumentation | Jim Anderson |
General Education Offerings
| Course Number | Title | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| GENED 1018 | How to Build a Habitable Planet | Charlie Langmuir |
| GENED 1085 | Energy Resources and the Environment | John Shaw |
| GENED 1094 | Confronting Climate Change: A Foundation in Science, Technology, and Policy | Dan Schrag |
| GENED 1098 | Natural Disasters | Brendan Meade |
| GENED 1137 | The Challenge of Human-Induced Climate Change: Transitioning to a Post-Fossil Fuel Future | Mike McElroy |
| GENED 1158 | Water and the Environment | Kaighin McColl |
| GENED 1167 | Climate Crossroads | Jim Anderson |
| GENED 1184 | World’s Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of Solar System Exploration | Robin Wordsworth |
First-Year Seminar Offerings
| Course Number | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| SCI 5 | An Introduction to Computation for Contemporary Science | Brendan Meade & Jeremy Bloxham |
| FRSENR 22i | The Science of Sailing | Jeremy Bloxham |
| FRSEMR 23l | Earth Science Goes to the Movies: Math and Physics of Natural (?) Disasters | Miaki Ishii |
| FRSEMR 50r | What Do You See in the Night Sky? | Roger Fu |
| FRSEMR 51c | Science in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | Brendan Meade |
| FRSEMR 52l | Life and Death Lessons from the Fossil Record | Javier Ortega-Hernandez |
| FRSEMR 52q | Roots & Routes: The Biogeochemistry of Food, From Soil to Plate | Ann Pearson |
| FRSEMR 58f | The Life of an Iceberg | Fiamma Straneo |
| Course Number | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| EPS/ESE 6 | Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering | Steve Wofsy & Bryan Yoon |
| EPS/ESE 50 | The Fluid Earth: Oceans, Atmosphere, Climate, and Environment | Marianna Linz |
| EPS 53 | Marine Geochemistry | Dave Johnston |
| EPS/ESE 101 | Global Warming Science 101 | Eli Tziperman |
| EPS/ES 112 | Thermodynamics | Scot Martin |
| EPS/ESE 129 | Climate and Atmospheric Physics Laboratory | Marianna Linz |
| EPS/ESE 131 | Introduction to Physical Oceanography and Climate | Eli Tziperman |
| EPS/ESE 132 | Introduction to Meteorology and Climate | Brian Farrell |
| EPS/ESE 133 | Atmospheric Chemistry | Daniel Jacob |
| EPS 134 | Climate Change Debates: The Reading Course | Peter Huybers & Eli Tziperman |
| EPS/ESE 135 | Observing the Ocean: Measurements and Instrumentation | Fiamma Straneo |
| EPS/ESE 138 | Mysteries of Climate Dynamics | Brian Farrell |
| EPS 139/230 | Paleoclimate as Prologue | Peter Huybers |
| EPS/ESE 161 | Applied Environmental Toxicology | Elsie Sunderland |
| EPS/ESE 162 | Hydrology | Kaighin McColl |
| EPS/ESE 164 | Environmental and Industrial Chemistry for Energy, Climate, and Sustainability | Scot Martin |
| EPS 168 | Human Environmental Data Science: Agriculture, Conflict, and Health | Peter Huybers |
| EPS/ESE 169 | Seminar on Global Pollution | Elsie Sunderland |
| EPS 174 | Field Experiences in Earth and Planetary Sciences | Roger Fu & Nadja Drabon |
| Course Number | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| EPS 53 | Marine Geochemistry | Dave Johnston |
| EPS/OEB 56 | The History and Evolution of Life on Earth | Javier Ortega-Hernandez & Nadja Drabon |
| EPS 110 | Introduction to Planetary Materials and Earth Resources | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 139/230 | Paleoclimate as Prologue | Peter Huybers |
| EPS 140/243 | Geochemical and Cosmochemical Thermodynamics | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 141/240 | Isotope and Trace Element Geochemistry and Geochronology | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 174 | Field Experiences in Earth and Planetary Sciences | Roger Fu & Nadja Drabon |
| EPS 182 | Stratigraphy and Sedimentology | Nadja Drabon |
| EPS 187/287 | Biogeochemistry | Ann Pearson |
| Course Number | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| EPS 52 | Global Geophysics | Jerry Mitrovica |
| EPS 54 | Minerals and Rocks of the Earth and Planets | Rebecca Fischer |
| EPS 55 | Earthquake Explorer | Mostafa Mousavi |
| EPS/ESE 109 | Earth Resources and the Environment | John Shaw |
| EPS 110 | Introduction to Planetary Materials and Earth Resources | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 120/220 | Introduction to Planetary Sciences | Roger Fu |
| EPS 121 | Geology and Evolution of Planetary Crusts | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 140/243 | Geochemical and Cosmochemical Thermodynamics | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 141/240 | Isotope and Trace Element Geochemistry and Geochronology | Stein Jacobsen |
| EPS 145/245 | Introduction to Igneous Petrology and Petrogenesis | Charlie Langmuir |
| EPS 146/247 | Ocean Ridges and the Earth System | Charlie Langmuir |
| EPS/ESE 160 | Space Science and Engineering: Theory and Applications | Robin Wordsworth |
| EPS/ESE 162 | Hydrology | Kaighin McColl |
| EPS 165/265 | Introduction to Seismology | Miaki Ishii |
| EPS 171 | Structural Geology and Tectonics | John Shaw |
| EPS 174 | Field Experiences in Earth and Planetary Sciences | Roger Fu & Nadja Drabon |
Planning Tools
You can track your course requirements using the worksheets on the Undergraduate Forms page. If you have any questions, please reach out to Campbell Halligan or the Head Tutors.