Earth Scientists focus on today’s pressing challenges to society: earthquake risk, sustainability, water resources, ocean health, natural resources and societal impact of changing climate/atmospheric chemistry. We also tackle the foremost problems in the earth sciences: the temporal and spatial evolution of life, habitability, the origin and movement of Earth’s crust, deep earth structure and the study of complex chemical cycles.

USC Earth Sciences at a Glance

50+

Graduate Students

20+

Full Time Faculty

10+

Research and Adjunct Faculty

28th

Earth Sciences graduate program rankings, US News 2022

21+ million

Research Funding

Contact Us

Staff Graduate and Undergraduate Advisor

Darlene Garza

Main Office

Department of Earth Sciences
Zumberge Hall of Science (ZHS)
3651 Trousdale Pkwy
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740

Faculty Graduate Advisor

Professor John Platt