Featured News
A Case for Majoring in Earth and Planetary, or the Environmental Sciences
In this vignette, Professor Maggie Osburn explains the roles of Earth and environmental scientists in a world affected by climate change and the energy transition and how our Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) trains students to fill these roles.
Nominations are open for the 2026 The Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences
Improving urban resilience to the emerging impacts of climate change
Characterizing Seismic Events in an Industrial Corridor of the Chicago Area
Alumni Prof Heather Bedle named inaugural Director of OU Sustainable Energy Systems Program
Our Programs and Curriculum
See what DEEPS can offer you
Learn More
Major in Environmental Science
Our ENVR SCI major offers a STEM-based interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares students to address one of society’s greatest challenges, namely preservation and stewardship of the natural world.
Major in Earth & Planetary Sciences
The EARTH major covers traditional topics and the latest advances in earth science. Courses may include theory, descriptive studies, data analysis, computer modeling, laboratory exercises, and field training.
Minor in Earth & Planetary Sciences
The EARTH minor is a flexible path to improved knowledge of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, for science/engineering majors, and also those in humanities and social sciences.
Courses
Courses may include theory, descriptive studies, data analysis, computer modeling, laboratory exercises, and field training. Our 100 level is pitched at non-science students. Our 200 level features core courses. Our 300 level provides Advanced Studies.
Further Opportunities
Explore further opportunities – research, scholarships, off-campus study, summer programs, career advancement, student organizations, and graduate programs.Our Research and Facilities
Explore our Research Areas
Funded projects within the department span a wide range of research areas. Many of these projects are collaborative both within and outside the department, with notable ties to Argonne National Labs, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), the Field Museum, and the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
Learn about our research facilities
Our Integrated Laboratories for Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (ILEEPS) fosters interdisciplinary research, with over 10,000 square feet over 10 different research modules.
Join our research efforts
We welcome you to explore how you may pursue your first ever foray into research as an undergraduate, or consider joining our PhD Program as you fully launch into your future as a scientist.
Nemmers Prize
Prof. Barbara Sherwood Lollar is the 2024 recipient of the Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences, for her “groundbreaking discoveries [...] illuminating fundamental aspects of Earth’s life-sustaining water and carbon cycles.”