Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences

Our program consists of four possible tracks: Environmental Geoscience, Geography & Environmental Planning, Professional Geology, and GIS and Spatial Analysis. All four tracks start with a common core of four courses in which students study how the Earth works, the peoples of the world, the impacts people have on the environment (and the impact the environment has on us), and ways to use maps to record, store, and communicate information about the world around us. Having a common core helps build a sense of community, exposes each student to all aspects of our program, and allows majors to make more informed choices about which major track they ultimately pick.

Common Core Courses:

• EGGS 100 – Introduction to Environmental Science
• EGGS 102 – World Cultural Geography or EGGS 104 World Regional Geography
• EGGS 120 – Physical Geology with laboratory
• EGGS 242 – Mapping and GIS Fundamentals

All EGGS majors must take courses in related science disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. These are vital for developing a good understanding of the Earth and our interactions with it, and for providing students with the quantitative tools need to analyze and solve problems. For example, to treat a stream affected by acid mine drainage, one must understand basic water chemistry; to work for an alternative energy company, the essential physics of electrical generation is important; and understanding stream biology and hydrology is necessary to restore a stream damaged by dredging or bank erosion. The number and type of required cognate science and math courses varies depending on your chosen EGGS track.

In addition to courses required for the major, every student at Commonwealth University must also complete the General Education requirements. General Education courses will connect you to the world of ideas outside of EGGS, and help you develop the critical thinking and communication skills that are vital for success in every job.

Thoughtful planning will allow you to choose approved General Education courses that reflect your interests, strengthen your major, and perhaps even get you started on a related minor. For example:

If you are interested in working for an environmental advocacy organization, Public Speaking will be of value.

A foreign language would be of great benefit for those working or studying internationally.

If you plan to work in public policy or get a job with a municipality, the Commonwealth, or the Federal Government, you might want to take Elements of Political Science or U.S. Government.

Introduction to Business or Principles of Management might be appropriate for students interested in environmental consulting, where career paths often start in the field, but lead into the office where you would oversee projects and/or help manage the business.

Many of our advanced courses include built-in activities and skills that are directly relevant to your future career choices. For example, courses like EGGS 460 - Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry require small groups of students to collaborate on a high-level research project and often culminates in a presentation at the Northeastern Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America professional conference. Our advanced courses in GIS provide hands-on skills with ESRI ArcPro, the dominant GIS product used in industry. Our class in UAV Applications (EGGS 325) provides hands-on experience with terrain stitching and image analysis software, often involves group research projects, and provides the background needed to become an FAA Certified Drone Pilot. Our course in Hazardous Materials (SFGM 210) leads directly to certification in hazardous materials (HAZWOPER 40).

Pennsylvania has an embarrassingly rich array of places for field research, and our students have worked in many of the PA State Forests, like Tioga, Susquehanna, and Weiser, and along many of our local watersheds including the Fishing Creek and Briar Creek Watersheds. Mill Cove Environmental Area near Mansfield is another wonderful and accessible resource for many projects.

Many students complete internships ranging from part to full time, and these are often paid activities. Recent interns have worked in Ricketts Glen and Worlds End State Parks, Northumberland and Montour County Conservation Districts, Carroll County Planning Bureau, Union and Columbia County GIS offices, Columbia County Emergency Management, Stroud Water, City of Rehoboth Beach, Monroe Golf course, Lacawac Sanctuary, PennDOT GIS, and the U.S. Department of Energy. If you want to do it, we’ll help you get that internship.

Some of our majors complete a capstone field course. PASSHE offers an array of outstanding summer field courses at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station (CBFS) in coastal Virginia – courses like Wetlands Ecology or Coastal Environmental Oceanography. Professional Geology majors take a 4 to 6 week summer Field Camp course so they can qualify to be licensed as Professional Geologists upon graduation. These courses are offered all over the U.S. and abroad (we’ve had students go to Iceland and New Zealand!), but PASSHE also offers its own Field School that stays closer to home if that’s your desire.

A few days getting prepped is followed by two weeks in the field, camping, hiking, and investigating the geology, geography, and environmental characteristics and processes operating in each area. Field notebooks are integrated into the course to start students on the lifelong process (and skill) of observing, recording, and reflecting on the natural world. Graduating seniors often point to this course as a highlight of their time in the major.

A generous donor to the Bloomsburg Foundation subsidizes much of the travel expenses, and the course is open to all students who have completed one or more of the EGGS core classes.

The course location varies from year to year. Previous trips have focused on these regions:

• Appalachian Transect (Coastal plain to the Appalachian Plateau)
• Death Valley and Owens Valley
• Four corners (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico)
• Southern California - from the Coast to the High Desert
• Great Lakes Environments
• Planned future trips include:
  • Return to Death Valley and Owens Valley
  • Florida - Geology, Ecology, and Environmental Issues
  • Great Parks of the Northern Rockies - Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier

Check out these Tumblrs on our trips from 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Whether or not you have research to present, you should try to attend at least one conference of a professional organization – American Association of Geographers (AAG), American Geophysical Union (AGU), Geological Society of America (GSA), or others.

Our department routinely hosts recent graduates who work in our field to return to campus, either in-person or virtually, to speak with current majors about their experience at CU, how they landed their first job and advice for this process, and what their current work-life involves. Recent alumni visits have included a gold-mining geologist (zooming in from Alaska!), a PA State Game Warden, two USGS Hydrologists, a Planner with Monroe County, and a GIS Team specialist with Comcast.

If you've been working on a research project, you may also get the experience of presenting your results to a scientific audience in either a professional poster presentation or an oral presentation to an audience. This is especially important if you are thinking about graduate school because these are the same people who will make admission decisions when you apply.

Whether it’s associated with a research project, conference presentation, internship, or volunteer activity, it’s important to meet and get to know other students, faculty, and professionals in your field. All of our alumni reiterate the importance of building that network of peers, mentors, and professionals as a key to landing that first (and most important!) job.