Minimum Grades
A grade of "C-" ("C" for summer field camp) is the minimum acceptable performance for each unit of credit for each required course, including those in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. Courses with grades of "D" may fulfill the College's 120 total hours requirement, but they do not meet the Departmental requirements. A grade of "C-" is also the minimum acceptable performance for each unit of credit for any course required as a prerequisite to enrolling in advanced or sequential courses.
Double Counting Courses
If a student has two majors, only introductory (100- and 200-level) courses may be counted, when relevant, toward the requirements of both majors. All advanced (300- and 400-level) courses must be unique to each major; in other words, no advanced course may "double-count" for the course work needed to fulfill the minimal requirements for either major. Should both major programs require the same course, a departmentally sanctioned elective must be chosen to replace the course in one of the programs.
Other Credits
Transfer credits and advanced placement courses
Credits to be transferred from another institution must have prior approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the relevant Arts & Sciences department.
Students may transfer up to nine credits (or three courses, whichever is greater) of advanced coursework (course numbers 300 or above) towards the completion of a major in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. Students may transfer up to three credits (or one course, whichever is greater) of advanced coursework (course numbers 300 or above) towards the completion of a minor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. This policy includes credit earned for courses taken while studying abroad or studying at another US institution. Credits earned through the completion of an approved field camp do not count towards this limit.
Students entering the program in Fall 2019 or later may not place out of the chemistry, physics, or math requirements for the EEPS major. These courses must be taken at Washington University or at another accredited institution.
For students who entered prior to Fall 2019, an AP Chemistry score of 4 or 5 satisfies the General Chemistry 1 and 2 requirement. The math and physics course requirements must be satisfied by courses offered at the university level, either at WashU or another accredited institution.
University College
Courses taken at University College will not normally count towards fulfillment of any EEPS major or minor.
Graduate Courses
Advanced undergraduates are welcome to enroll in graduate level (500+) courses, assuming they have the appropriate prerequisites and permission from their undergraduate advisor and the specific course instructor. Graduate-level courses will generally fulfill an elective option for a major.
Capstone Courses
Integrative courses that fulfill the capstone requirement (EEPS 496 Undergraduate Field Geology, EnSt 539 Environmental Law Clinic, and EnSt 405 Sustainability Exchange) may now be substituted for certain electives if the capstone is fulfilled in another way. Please check the curriculum for relevant major to see if these courses will count.
Independent Study
In the past, there has been a college-level prohibition on a student receiving pay and academic credit for the same experience. Under the new policy faculty may choose, based on the availability of resources, to pay students who are conducting independent research for credit.