Department of Earth Sciences

Welcome to the DES Web Site!

The Department of Earth Sciences (DES) was formed in 2002 as part of the College of Arts and Sciences on the main campus of the University of Memphis. Our 29 full-time and associated faculty represent the diverse disciplines of Archaeology, Geography, Geology, and Geophysics.  The DES faculty foster an interdisciplinary approach to Earth Science studies and research, allowing  faculty and students to pursue diverse and innovative education and research studies that might be difficult in more traditional academic departments.  Some of our faculty work at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), whereas others have close ties to the Ground Water Institute (GWI), Chucalissa Museum, and Confucius Institute (CIUM).

Our undergraduate degree programs include the B.A. and B.S. in Geography and the B.S. in Earth Sciences, with several concentrations offered in each degree program.  Our course offerings, which are thorough and demanding in all areas, range from cultural and human geographic courses to quantitative and analytical geophysics courses.  Opportunities for coursework in societally relevant areas, such as environmental science and issues, hazards, geographic information science, and natural resource management abound at several levels.

At the graduate level, the M.A. degree is awarded in Geography and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are awarded in Earth Sciences.  Our graduate program encourages academic and personal growth of students through coursework, research, and professional development opportunities. Students are encouraged to pursue graduate research in a wide range of typical disciplinary areas as well as interdisciplinary studies.  Our program maintains its greatest strength in its research focus areas:

• Hazards

• Active Tectonics & Dynamic Geomorphology

• Geoarchaeology & Quaternary Studies

• Hydrology & Water Resources

• Geophysics

• Spatial & Community Analysis

 Many aspects of these research foci take advantage of our location along the Lower Mississippi River, which is both near the New Madrid Seismic Zone as well as the region where native American cultures thrived during the pre-Columbian era.   However, our laboratory for field studies ranges across the globe from China to Antarctica.

 We invite you to explore our web site to learn about the types of earth science that we do and educational opportunities that we offer. Please feel free to contact any member of the DES for further information.