Undergraduate Program

Employment Opportunities

Geoscience Careers

Students that graduate from our department have a high success of finding jobs in a variety of industries shortly after they graduate. According to the American Geosciences Institute, Geoscientists earn an average of $90,000 per year, with starting salaries around $50,000. Graduates find jobs in the Oil & Gas industry, Environmental Consulting, Government, Academia/Research, the Education Sector, and more.

The Geological Society of America (GSA) has a large list of resources for undergraduate geoscience majors and is a good place to start when considering career paths.

GSA Geocareers Website

Current Job Opportunities

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Check back later for updated information on companies currently looking to hire students for internships or geology graduates for full-time positions. The RU Geology Club host careers nights during the academic year. Contact the Undergraduate Program Director for information on connecting with the Geology Club.

Research Opportunities

There are a variety of research opportunities Earth and Planetary Sciences students can take advantage of. Check out the following programs or contact the Undergraduate Program Director for more information.

Meet our EPS Majors and Alumni

Majoring in EPS can take you where you want to go!

Our Department offers both challenging and comprehensive instruction, and students are encouraged to become vital members of this research community. Click on the photographs above to read profiles of alumni. Reload the page to see other alumni,

To find out if a career in the Earth & Planetary Sciences is right for you, download this brochure.

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Ria Sarkar

"I connected right away with geology,” Sarkar said. “It was that sense of being aware of our natural surroundings and all the issues that are related to that."
“It became obvious to me that this would be my major.”

Study Earth And Planetary Sciences

Explore the relationships among the solid Earth, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
Acquire knowledge about the long history of the Earth and solar system using principles of geology, biology, chemistry, and physics
Participate with faculty in conducting research in the field and/or laboratory
Secure gainful employment with environmental and engineering consulting firms, energy and resource companies, federal and state surveys, and educational institutions and museums.

The Department of EPS is part of the School of Arts and Sciences

As an EPS major in the School of Arts and Sciences, you’ll have full access to a liberal arts education that spans 47 programs for undergraduates. You will acquire both the specialized knowledge of the field you choose to study in depth, and broad knowledge of the world from the renowned scholar-teachers at Rutgers. You’ll graduate ready to meet contemporary challenges in your workplace, in your hometown, and in the global community.

Visit Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Website

Departmental Honors Program

Students may be admitted to candidacy for honors in geology if they make a written application to the department chairperson before May 1 of their junior year. To qualify, a student must have a minimum overall cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 and a minimum grade-point average in major courses of 3.4. In addition, the student must have completed all geology core courses except 01:460:410 and 01:460:476/480.

01:460:495 (3) Honors in Geology - Fall
01:460:496 (3) Honors in Geology - Spring

Honors students must successfully complete at least two additional 3-credit courses in geology (at the 400 level) and/or in the allied sciences as well as 01:460:495,496 Honors in Geology.
In consultation with a faculty adviser, students choose an honors research project which they document in a paper or a formal presentation to the department.

Recent Honors Theses

(email missing info to Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo)

Year	Student	Thesis Title	Advisor(s)
2021	Lucia Bellino	Presence of Hydrothermal Mineral Alteration in the Eridania Basin on Mars: Implications for Serpentinization, Magnetization, and Habitability	Lujendra Ojha
2020	Mariya Galochkina	Intensification of the North Atlantic subtropical thermocline during the Mid Miocene climate transition	Kenneth Miller, Maria Makarova, James Browning, James Wright
2020	Sophie Benaroya	Reconstructing Miocene sea surface, thermocline, and deep-water temperatures in the North Atlantic, Site 608	Kenneth Miller, Maria Makarova, James Browning, James Wright
2019	Christian Rowan	Geologic controls on fossil distribution and recovery in the vertebrate fossil record: a case study from Koobi Fora, Kenya	Craig Feibel
2015	Michael Klaser	Lithospheric inventory: An exploration of Quebec, Canada with P-to-S receiver functions	Vadim Levin
2014	Sean Kinney	Influence of mechanical stratigraphy on the development of thrust faults and associated secondary structures: A scaled experimental approach	Martha Withjack, Roy Schlische
2013	Corie Hlavaty	Geological, social and political factors affecting carbon capture and sequestration deployment: The case of the proposed PurGen One power plant in Linden, New Jersey	Robert Kopp, Kenneth Miller

Learning Goals

Majors and Minors.

Students will develop scientific critical-thinking, writing, and oral-presentation skills and demonstrate mastery of the scientific method. Students will become proficient at collecting and interpreting data in both the field and laboratory. The required core courses will provide the knowledge of the Earth and planetary sciences needed to critically evaluate scientific issues discussed in the media.

Other Students.

Students taking Geological Sciences classes for the general science requirement should develop an appreciation of critical thinking and the scientific method, including hypothesis testing. Students should appreciate the importance of earth sciences in understanding of the physical, social, and economic resources and history of our planet. One example: We would expect that any student successfully completing our courses should be able to critically evaluate scientific issues in earth systems discussed in the popular press.

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Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Undergraduate Program