Master of Science

Earth System Science

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Overview

The master's degree in Earth System Science at Stanford University prepares the next generation of scientists to tackle the world's most pressing environmental challenges through rigorous interdisciplinary training and cutting-edge research.

Earth System Science is the study of the world's air, water, land, and life as an integrated system. Our program unites basic and purpose-driven research to understand how the Earth functions, the many ways it is changing, and what the consequences of these changes will be for people and other species. We train students to understand, predict, and respond to human-caused and natural environmental change at local to global scales.

Master's degree students engage with fundamental Earth system science, from ocean circulation and biogeochemical cycles to climate dynamics, while also addressing critical sustainability challenges related to food, water, energy, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental justice. Our students study the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the plants and animals with which we share the planet, all while developing as independent researchers capable of making significant scientific contributions.

Requirements

Program Requirements

Requirement Overview

Complete all of the following requirements:

Required Core Courses

and

Distribution Requirements

Students must take one class from each of the following three areas within the first or second year.

Complete all of the following requirements:

Area A: Analysis of the Earth System

Students must take one course to fulfill the Area A requirement. Alternative courses may be approved by petition.

Complete any of the following course(s):

BIO 231

Environmental Data Analysis

3 Units

CS 229

Machine Learning

3-4 Units

CS 230

Deep Learning

3-4 Units

CEE 362A

Uncertainty Quantification

3 Units

CME 204

Partial Differential Equations in Engineering

3 Units

CME 215

Machine Learning and the Physical Sciences

3 Units

DATASCI 294B

Data Science for Computational Molecular Biology

3 Units

ENERGY 260

Uncertainty Quantification in Data-Centric Simulations

3 Units

EPS 240

Data Science for Geoscience

3 Units

GEP 268

Topics and Methods in Global Environmental Policy I

3-5 Units

STATS 200

Introduction to Theoretical Statistics

3-4 Units

STATS 202

Statistical Learning and Data Science

3 Units

STATS 202F

Statistical Learning and Data Science [Flipped]

3 Units

STATS 206

Applied Multivariate Analysis

3 Units

STATS 207

Time Series Analysis

3 Units

OCEANS 243H

Quantitative Methods for Marine Ecology and Conservation

4 Units

and

Area B: Measurement of the Earth System

Students must take one course to fulfill the Area B requirement. Alternative courses may be approved by petition.

Complete any of the following course(s):

ESS 210

Techniques in Environmental Microbiology

1-4 Units

ESS 224

Remote Sensing of Hydrology

3 Units

ESS 241

Remote Sensing of the Oceans

3-4 Units

ESS 259

Environmental Microbial Genomics

1-3 Units

ESS 262

Remote Sensing of Land

3 Units

EDUC 450C

Qualitative Interviewing

3-5 Units

GEOPHYS 250

Fiber Sensing for a Sustainable Planet

3 Units

OCEANS 306

Observational Methods in Coastal Oceanography

3 Units

and

Area C: Earth System Processes, Models, and Human-Environmental Interactions

Students must take one course to fulfill the Area C requirement. Alternative courses may be approved via petition.

Complete any of the following course(s):

ESS 205

Fundamentals of Geobiology

3 Units

ESS 206

World Food Economy

3-5 Units

ESS 220

Physical Hydrogeology

4 Units

ESS 223

Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions

3-4 Units

ESS 227

Decision Science for Environmental Threats

3-5 Units

ESS 230

Pursuing Sustainability: Managing Complex Social Environmental Systems

3 Units

ESS 244

Marine Ecosystem Modeling

3 Units

ESS 246A

Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation

3 Units

ESS 246B

Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation

3 Units

ESS 247

Tropical Meteorology

3-4 Units

ESS 258

Geomicrobiology

3 Units

ESS 267

Climate Change & Extreme Weather

3 Units

Research Requirement

Report Requirement

The student submits a proposal for a research plan, to be approved by the DGS, by the end of winter quarter of their first year.

The proposal should describe, in about a page, what research activities you will compete for your research thesis requirement. This description should include a statement of what specific questions or project you will investigate, and a short description of milestones along the way and what quarters you will complete specific sub-tasks of the project (i.e. major fieldwork or experiments, literature review, analysis). We understand that this may change somewhat because research is not fully predictable, but you should have a clear initial plan to make sure you can stay on track even when changes are needed.

In their second year, each student must complete a thesis describing their research. Thesis research should begin during the first year of study at Stanford and should be completed before the end of the second year of residence. Early during the thesis research period, and after consultation with the student, the thesis advisor appoints a second reader for the thesis (with preference for this to be a department faculty member). The thesis advisor is the first reader. The two readers jointly determine whether the thesis is acceptable for the MS degree in the department.

Overview