The Earth & Environment program at Dominguez Hills combines elements of the academic disciplines of geography, geology and earth science to create a new option for students wanting careers in the environment and sustainability. Students who complete the program acquire a strong physical science foundation and they are trained in the social and political contexts shaping human responses to environmental crises. They also assemble a kit of powerful analytical tools that employ cutting edge technologies.

The core curriculum has three major areas of emphasis: (1) The Natural Environment, (2) Environmental Policy and (3) Applied Methods.

Courses focused on the natural environment – including Global Change, Environmental Geology, Earth's Climate and Natural Resources – ground students in the science of environmental research. Elective courses in this area include The World Ocean, Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle, Groundwater, and Biogeography.

Courses in environmental policy – including Environmental Analysis and Planning and Urban Environmental Geography – introduce students to regulatory processes while highlighting the human dimension of environmental issues. Elective courses in this area include North America.

Applied methods courses – including GIS and Field Mapping – equip students with cutting edge tools for collecting and analyzing environmental data. Many students choose to complete a five-course sequence of required and elective applied methods courses and, thereby, earn a Geotechniques Certificate. Elective courses in this area including Remote Sensing and Image Processing and Cartography.

Our faculty and staff include human and physical geographers, geologists, earth scientists, and experts in Geotechniques (including GIS).

The Earth & Environment major does not require a separate minor.