Tufts’ Department of Earth and Climate Sciences will introduce two new majors, Earth Science and Climate Science, along with a new minor in Earth and Climate Sciences, starting in fall 2025. The current departmental offerings — majors in environmental geology and geological sciences and minors in geology and geosciences — will be phased out with students who graduate in spring of 2027.
Jill Vantongeren, associate professor and chair of the Earth and Climate Sciences Department, explained that the new Earth science major will be similar to the current geosciences major, which focuses on Earth systems, including earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as the history of the Earth. For example, classes in mineralogy and petrology will cover concepts including carbon capture and storage and carbon sequestration.
Vantongeren emphasized the interconnectedness of Earth systems and the climate. “Understanding the full Earth system is really important to understanding the climate today as well,” Vantongeren said.
The new climate science major represents a significant change for the department, Vantongeren said, and will examine the interconnected roles of the atmosphere, ocean and cryosphere in shaping Earth’s environment. The major, designed to equip students with a multidimensional grasp of the climate system, includes courses spanning from introductory climate science to specialized classes in fields such as paleoclimate, physical oceanography, the cryosphere and climate modeling.
Tufts is one of multiple colleges across the country to launch a new climate science major in recent years, speaking to a growing demand for more in-depth climate education. Historically, Tufts students could only explore climate science through one or two entry-level courses embedded within the geosciences major.
Vantongeren explained that the department saw the need for a curriculum that provided a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of climate science.
“There’s so many parts to understand about the climate system. When you cover it … just in those two classes, you don’t get the full breadth of the climate system,” Vantongeren said.
Jonah Bloch-Johnson, new assistant professor of Earth and climate sciences, emphasized Tufts’ distinctive position in higher education, noting that the university stands out as one of the few in the nation offering a climate science major.
“Tufts is one of the first places to move on this realization that this is a field that needs broader attention,” Bloch-Johnson explained.
Recognizing the urgency of addressing climate challenges, Bloch-Johnson highlighted the importance of climate science education.
“Climate change is going to be a key part of the story of the next decades and years to come, and it's important that Tufts students are equipped with the academic tools they need to engage with it as it unfolds,” Bloch-Johnson said.
To support these new offerings, the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences has expanded its faculty, which has grown from five to eight members. New professors include Andy Kemp, who leads courses in introductory climate science and paleoclimate; Rebecca Jackson, a physical oceanographer focusing on glacial melt and ocean circulation; and Jonah Bloch-Johnson, an atmospheric scientist specializing in climate modeling and dynamics. Allie Balter Kennedy, an expert on land-based glaciers, is also set to join in the fall of 2025.
Vantongeren highlighted that the expansion of faculty is part of the department’s ongoing commitment to student success. “Our faculty care a lot about the students [and] working with them to help them reach their goals,” Vantongeren said.
Vantongeren added that the addition of these new faculty members to the department opens up diverse opportunities for students to study earth and climate sciences. “No matter if you’re interested in the climate side or in the earth side, there are lots of projects and opportunities for research associated with our faculty,” she said.
The expanded course offerings have sparked enthusiasm among current students in the department. First-year Ellie Wilkins expressed her excitement about the new course offerings and shared why she is drawn to pursue a minor in earth and climate sciences.
“I am considering a minor in Earth and Climate Sciences because I want to learn about the ways in which our climate is impacted by human activity, and the ways in which we can improve the world’s environmental condition,” Wilkins wrote in an electronic message to the Daily. “I think it is important I understand the dynamics and science of the wildlife, nature, natural resources, and geologic structures around me.”
Students interested in exploring these new majors can start by enrolling in introductory courses such as The Dynamic Earth, ECS 1 or ECS 2, or Intro to Climate Science, ECS 3. The department also offers introductory-level courses for non-ECS majors.
