The Earth & Space Science Major
The Earth & Space Science major has been designed with a great deal of flexibility to allow for students to tailor this major to their career goals.
For students considering a career in astronomy, the electives in this major would include the introductory and the advanced astronomy courses that we offer, as well as Independent Study work with our telescopes for observational experience. Summer internships at locations such as Green Bank NRAO are encouraged.
For students considering careers in Meteorology or agencies such as NASA (earth science-related areas), your electives would include the Physics courses that fit into the US Government's GS-1340 meteorology requirements. These courses would include Mechanics (PHYS 320), Thermodynamics (PHYS 330), Geophysics (PHYS/GEOL 406) and Electricity and Magnetism I (PHYS 421). A third semester of calculus (MATH 251) and one semester of Differential Equations (MATH 346) would also be added.
For students considering a career in secondary science education, we would work with you and the Department of Education to get you certified to teach high school. The required Education courses as well as student teaching experience are essential to make a successful transition to the K-12 school classroom. As a school with a long tradition of "educating the educators," Radford graduates have gone on to distinguished careers in science education throughout Virginia and elsewhere.
 |
Required Courses: (credit hours in parentheses) |
| ASTR 111:112 (4:4) | General Astronomy I, II |
| PHSC 301 (4) | Meteorology |
| PHYS 111:112 (4:4) | General Physics I, II |
| or, | |
| PHYS 221:222 (4:4) | Physics I, II |
| CHEM 101 (4) | General Chemistry |
| GEOL 101, 106 (4,4) | Exploring Earth, Environmental Geology |
| or, | |
| GEOL 101, 103 (4,4) | Exploring Earth, Earth Through Time |
| GEOL 365 (4) | Oceanography |
| BIOL 101 (4) | Principles of Biology |
| or, | |
| BIOL 121 (4) | General Biology |
| MATH 151:152 (3:3) | Calculus and Analytic Geom. I, II |
| or, | |
| MATH 155 (6) | Calculus and Analytic Geometry (151 & 152 combined) |
|
A minimum of 9 semester hours from (these are some of the "electives" in the example curriculum below): |
| ASTR 421 (3) | Solar System Astronomy |
| ASTR 422 (3) | Galactic Astronomy and Cosmology |
| PHSC 431 (3) | Energy and the Environment |
| PHSC 498 (1-6) | Independent Study |
| CHEM 102 (4) | General Chemistry |
| PHSC 350 (4) | Physical Science |
| Any Geology course(s) at or above the 200 level. | |
A typical Earth & Space Science major's course of study might look like the four-year plan below. However, we recognize that students entering the major have different career goals. Each student will work closely with their advisor to plan the specific course sequence that's best for them and their career choice.
Freshman Year
MATH 138 3 hrs. MATH 140 3 GEOL 101 4 GEOL 106 4 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Total:
16 Total:
16 Sophomore Year
MATH 151 3 MATH 152 3 ASTR 111 4 ASTR 112 4 PHYS 111 4 PHYS 112 4 COMP SCI 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Total:
14 Total:
14 Junior Year
PHSC 301 4 PHSC 350 4 GEOL 361 3 ELECTIVE 4 ELECTIVE 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Gen. Ed. 3 Total:
16 Total:
14 Senior Year
ASTR 421 3 ASTR 422 3 CHEM 101 4 CHEM 102 4 BIOL 101 4 PHSC 431 3 ELECTIVE 3-4 ELECTIVE 3-4 PHSC 498 2-3 Total:
14-15 Total:
15-16
For more information about the Earth & Space Science program and the Department of Chemistry and Physics, please contact
Department of Chemistry and Physics
P. O. Box 6949
Radford University
Radford, VA 24142
wjaronsk@radford.edu