Undergraduate Program

Explore Course 12

With an emphasis on personal attention, the Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences undergraduate program provides students with a challenging course of study in the geophysical sciences, uniting faculty and students in the quest to solve real world problems through the application of biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

The Course 12 undergraduate major and minor programs are highly interdisciplinary, data-driven, and hands-on. Many of our classes go beyond the lab, offering opportunities to study in the field, at sites near and far. And, through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), students in EAPS have ample opportunity to work alongside faculty conducting significant research. We also offer a distinctive Fifth-Year Master of Science degree program.

Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate
Environmental Systems
Geoscience: Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geobiology
Planetary Science and Astronomy

Explore the Major

Astronomy
Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Energy Studies
Environment + Sustainability

Explore the Minors

At MIT, First-Year students choose their major at the end of their first spring term. The EAPS Education Office is happy to provide information about everything from classes and major requirements to UROPS and career possibilites, or to put you in touch with members of our faculty studying areas of particular interest to you.

Explore FAQ and Info for First-Year Students

We’re here to support every aspect of EAPS academic programming and are an important part of our students’ support network, helping to connect you with resources and opportunities.

Prospective students, if you have a question about academic life at MIT, or want to arrange a visit, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Ann Greaney-Williams
Education Officer

Room: 54-910
Phone: 617-253-3380
Email: agreaney@mit.edu

On Campus Schedule: Mon, Wed, Thu
Remote Schedule: Tues, Fri

Responsible for administrating EAPS undergraduate and graduate programming. Advises students regarding degree requirements, career options, funding, policies and procedures, and Institute resources for student support.

Jamu White
Senior Academic Assistant

Room: 54-912
Phone: 617-253-3381
Email: jamuw@mit.edu

On Campus Schedule: Tue, Wed, Thu
Remote Schedule: Mon, Fri

Provides administrative support for the EAPS Education Office, including room scheduling, classrooms and supplies, reimbursements, Canvas sites, student appointments, and various forms, including grading and evaluations, registration, and thesis submissions.

“EAPS at MIT combines many different fields — astronomy, oceanography, geology, atmospheric chemistry… There were so many things I could explore.”
Charlotte MINSKY ’20

Real-world experience.

The complex interactions we study require a rigorous approach, integrating remote sensing data, field observations, laboratory experiments, and mathematical models to investigate the Earth and planetary systems. You could be mapping rocks in the desert southwest to understand ancient climatic changes, or taking precision measurements of the outer solar system at our own Wallace Observatory.

Interdisciplinary strengths.

Many of our scientists work in more than one area which gives students in EAPS a key advantage to tackle complex questions. Geologists team with atmospheric scientists to understand how models of changing precipitation trends can help predict landslides. Oceanographers harness microbiology and data science to reveal the interplay between climate, oceanic food webs, and the carbon cycle.

Transferable skills.

You’ll develop a broad suite of skills while learning to quantify and model natural phenomena spanning the full scale of space and time, becoming fluent in techniques for analyzing the behavior of complex systems—important tools that can later be adapted to the study of problems in virtually any field.

Chart Your Own Course

Trying to decide among interests in biology, physics, chemistry, and math? Perhaps you’re interested in data science or engineering as well? When you learn more about the research areas in EAPS, you might just find an option as an undergraduate major that encompasses all of your research interests. Course 12’s flexible academic program allows students to develop individualized courses of study, and our small class sizes encourage and enhance student-professor interactions.

Major in Course 12

Looking for the Course 1-12 joint major in Climate System Science and Engineering?

Jointly offered by EAPS and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), the Course 1-12 Climate System Science and Engineering degree program combines scientific understanding of the Earth’s systems with engineering skills—as well as an understanding of human and institutional behavior—to prepare students for careers in the global response to climate change.

Explore climate-major.mit.edu