At completion of the program (part of the Earth and Environmental Science Department), graduates know the basic physical and chemical processes that operate in and on the planet and understand how direct and indirect methods are used to examine and understand the structure, composition and dynamics of Earth. Graduates appreciate how humans and ecosystems interact with the dynamic Earth, and have an in-depth knowledge of the atmosphere and climate change, the rock cycle, natural hazards and the hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles. The major introduces students to the core concepts of Earth Science and then allows students to focus in one of the three concentrations: Geology, Environmental Science and Paleobiology.