BA Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University

The Earth and Planetary Sciences department is focused on critical events that have shaped the Earth’s evolution and its place in the solar system. Our approach is to apply interdisciplinary tools to investigate processes from tectonic plate to microbial scale, and across the full sweep of geological time, from the early Earth to the modern world. Using a combination of theoretical, computational, laboratory, and field-based methods, we study natural experiments in Earth's history, and ultimately test the limits of the Earth’s resilience in the geological past and in our progressively warming world.

Faculty: Harvard College: Sciences  |  Department: Earth and Planetary Sciences  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Cambridge, MA, United States

What you will study

Because the Earth’s natural systems are interconnected, the training of Earth and planetary scientists broadly spans biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, mathematics, and the Earth sciences themselves, and provides a wide range of intellectual foundation that is beyond what is typically possible in a “pure” science program. Gateway courses include EPS-ESE 6: Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering EPS 10: A Brief History of the Earth E-PSCI 6: Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering (Fall 2024; concurrent or pre-req Math 1B) E-PSCI 10: A Brief History of the Earth (fall).

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