Welcome to Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California

Welcome to Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California.  We are home to nearly   40 faculty and staff scientists whose collaborative and interdisciplinary research efforts cover a broad range of the geosciences and explore fundamental problems at the interfaces between disciplines.

Research  USC geoscientists study basic questions on the operation of the Earth system, from understanding convection in the mantle to the evolution of life. We are addressing problems of increasing social relevance, from development of bio fuel cell technology and modeling of El Nino effects to geoinformatics and seismic hazard analysis.

Graduate Approximately 50 graduate students in USC Earth Sciences participate in research all over the world and in the laboratory. Our Ph.D.s move on to tenure-track and post-doctoral positions at major institutions.

Undergraduate Through a series of outstanding courses, the Department of Earth Sciences teaches more General Education (GE) science credits than any other science department at USC and our majors and minors have many opportunities to participate in hands-on research.

Collaborative Research
Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC)
USC Marine Environmental Biology
USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
Los Angeles County Natural History Museum
Center for Chinese Fossil Discoveries