As an international direct student at USC, you’ll receive:

• Exclusive and rigorous academic coursework
• Priority access to in-demand courses that fit your interests
• Guidance from academic advisors and mentors
• Career development and networking opportunities
• Intensive classes with domestic students

Understanding and caring for our planet requires an appreciation of the sweeping arc from the solid earth, to freshwater and marine systems, to the relationship of humans to those environments. Our mission at the School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment is to achieve an understanding of Earth’s diverse environments and human relationships through research, and to convey that understanding through education, and outreach to the broader community. We are one of only two institutions in the southeastern U.S. that offers a Geophysics undergraduate major degree.

As a geophysics major, you will benefit from a combination of quality classroom education, laboratory experience and field based activities. You will focus on the physics of the earth and its atmosphere, including seismology, oceanography and volcanology.

You will also have the unique opportunity to complete a six-week field course in Colorado to get valuable hands-on experience. This opportunity synergizes your education in geophysics to understanding the earth's formation in an observational setting.

A major in geophysics can prepare you for careers in:

• Environmental consulting
• Energy industries
• State entities such as the Department of Natural Resources, the S.C. Geological Survey and the Department of Health and Environmental Control