Earth and planetary sciences provides a dynamic interdisciplinary environment for studies of the Earth and planets, as well as the history of life on Earth, and applied and environmental geosciences. Students gain advanced knowledge of plate tectonics, structural geology, geophysics, geochemistry, petrology, rheology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology, in relation to evolution of the earth and planets; paleoecology, phylogeny reconstruction, and functional morphology in relation to biological evolution and paleoenvironments; environmental geology, geomorphology, ocean chemistry, paleoclimatology, and sedimentology in relation to modern/paleo climate change. Students graduate with the qualitative and quantitative skills necessary for professional research and teaching of earth structure and evolution; resource geology; paleobiology; paleoenvironments; modern/paleo climate change. The campus is well situated to provide access to field areas exhibiting diverse geologic and tectonic phenomena, to the Bodega Marine Laboratory, and to other UC research stations.

Graduate Program Requirements