Nov 05, 2024  
2023-2024 University Catalog 
    
2023-2024 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Planetary Sciences, BS


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About the Program


Planetary sciences is a multidisciplinary study of planetary dynamics and includes course work in planetary geology, planetary atmospheres, planetary physics, spacecraft design and operation, and astronomy with elective options in astrobiology, impact cratering, and related topics with which to focus their study.  All students receive a strong background in math, chemistry, physics, computer science, geophysics, and remote sensing and are encouraged to get involved in undergraduate research in this unique program.

Planetary Sciences Website

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science


A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program.  Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

  1. Major
  2. Science Core Curriculum
  3. Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

  • Purdue Coursework
  • AP, IB, and CLEP credit.  The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
  • Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 

Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Departmental/Program Major Courses (35 credits)


EAPS Selective (3 credits)


  • Choose an EAPS course not taken above.
  • EAPS 10000:59900 - (could satisfy Science, Technology, & Society for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00

Planetary Science Selectives (9 credits)


Choose 9 credits from this list: Planetary Science Supplemental Information . One course cannot be used to meet both Major Course and Planetary Science Selective.

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (53-80 credits)


COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CORE REQUIREMENTS


^ Labeled as a Science Core Selection in the four year plan of study

*Requirement may be met with a zero credit experiential learning option. See your advisor for more information.

Composition & Presentation


Written Communication (3-4 credits)

Choose one course from the Written Communication list here. (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)

Technical Writing And Presentation* (0-6 credits)

Students may elect to take one course (COM 21700), a combination of courses, or experiences to meet the TWTP requirement. The list of approved courses and experiences can be found here . (satisfies OC for core)

  • Special Note: Students completing both COM 11400 (elective) and COM 21700 (Technical Writing and Presentation requirement) may use both courses to meet degree requirements.
  • *Students wishing to meet the Technical Presentation and/or Technical Writing requirement through experience are required to complete the Experiential Learning Contract process.
  • International Students Only: International students whose primary high school/equivalent instruction was not in English may meet this requirement with a course option only.

Cultural Diversity (Language & Culture)^* (0-9 credits)


Choose courses from this list  to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Humanities for core).

  • Language & Culture Option I
  • Language & Culture Option II
  • Language & Culture Option III

General Education^ (9 credits)


Choose courses from this list  to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Behavioral/Social Science for core).

  • General Education Option I
  • General Education Option II
  • General Education Option III

Great Issues In Science (3 credits)


Choose one course from this list .

Science Technology and Society^* (3 credits)


Choose one from the Science Technology and Society list here, excluding those on the College of Science No Count list (satisfies STS for core).

Electives (5-32 credits)


Grade Requirements


  • All courses, with the exception of Language & Culture, CS 17700, General Education, and Electives, must have a grade of C- or higher. All EAPS courses, regardless of area in plan of study, must have a grade of C- or higher.

GPA Requirements


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree
  • 2.0 average in EAPS major courses required to graduate

Course Requirements and Notes


  • One course cannot be used to meet both Major Course and Planetary Science Selective.
  • Courses cannot double count between General Education, Culture and Diversity, and Great Issues requirements.

College of Science Pass/No Pass Option Policy


  • Only free electives and courses at the 50000-level general education requirement may be taken under the pass/not-pass option. 
  • The pass/not-pass grade mode may be entered for courses which are not required by a student’s major(s), minor(s) or science core curriculum.
  • Grade mode Passing is equivalent to at a minimum grade of C- had a letter grade been awarded.
  • Students may elect to use the pass/not-pass option for no more than 20% of the 124/120 credit requirement for graduation and for no more than two courses per academic year (Fall-Summer).
  • The pass/not-pass option cannot be elected for a course that has already been completed with a letter grade. University Regulation.
  • Students may take elective credit while abroad using the P/NP mode.  In the case of universities which only post P/NP, the University will apply a calculation process to determine a letter grade.
  • Department of Languages and Cultures P/NP policy and Language Placement results. Students must take advanced coursework for a letter grade to receive credit for lower-level language courses.

College of Science Transfer Credit Policy


College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of non-Purdue originated credit (AP, IB, CLEP, and transfer credit). Students work closely with their academic advisors and degree plan audits to review the use and approval of each non-Purdue credit option.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

  • Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Earning a passing grade for one of these approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course).

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Additional Information


  • ^Planetary Science Selectives for advanced courses and specializations

Sample 4-Year Plan


15-17 Credits


14-15 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15 Credits


15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • Science Core Selection TWTP (COM 21700 strongly recommended) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science Core Selection General Education - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Planetary Science OR Skills Selective^ - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • EAPS Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Planetary Science or Skills Selective^ - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science Core Selection Multidisciplinary - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 6.00

12-15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Planetary Science or Skills Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science Core Selection Great Issues in Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science Core Selection General Education - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Electives - Credit Hours 3.00

15 Credits


Prerequisite Information


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japenese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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