Astrobiology Minor for Geology Majors

Astrobiology

The Department of Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, participate in a multidisciplinary minor in Astrobiology for students majoring in these or other disciplines.

Program Requirements

To be eligible for the minor, students must pass the 3-credit course ASTR 4510 Origins of Life - A Cosmic Perspective and at least two semesters of the 1-credit seminar course ISCI 4510; they must also undertake a 4-credit research project on a topic related to Astrobiology under the supervision of a faculty member engaged in Astrobiology research in one of the above departments; finally, they must complete a further two courses* outside the major field of study, selected from the following:

• ASTR 2050 - Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics Credit Hours: 4
• BIOL 2120 - Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Credit Hours: 4
• BIOL 4620 - Molecular Biology Credit Hours: 4
• BIOL 4720 - Molecular Biology Laboratory Credit Hours: 4
• CHEM 2250 - Organic Chemistry I Credit Hours: 3
• CHEM 4810 - Chemistry of the Environment Credit Hours: 4
• ENVE 2110 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 4
• ERTH 4540 - Organic Geochemistry Credit Hours: 4

Additional Information

*The requirement that two selected courses must be outside the major is reduced to one in the case of a dual or double major, provided that both majors are in the primary relevant areas of study (i.e., biology, chemistry, geology, and physics).