Minor in Astrobiology
The goal of this interdisciplinary undergraduate minor degree program, which spans courses in eight schools, is to give students an overview of the field astrobiology. Students will be introduced to the breadth of topics in astrobiology by taking the required course EAS 1601 Habitable Planet (4 credits). Students will then obtain a greater depth in subfields of astrobiology by taking upper-level electives (at least 11 credits) selected from three divisions: (1) Earth, Space, and Other Worlds, (2) Foundations of Life, and (3) Astrobiology in a Wider World. Students will take courses taught by Georgia Tech faculty who are leaders in the astrobiology field.
There are no prerequisites for entering the Astrobiology minor program. Students in any major at Georgia Tech are eligible to complete the Astrobiology minor. All courses counting toward the minor must be taken on a letter-grade basis and be completed with a grade of C or higher. Students may petition for eligibility for elective courses on a case-by-case basis. Courses used to satisfy general education (Core) IMPACTS areas in a student's major degree program cannot also be used to satisfy the course requirements for a minor. Courses in Field of Study courses may be counted as coursework in a minor.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to:
- Understand the physical and chemical conditions for development of a habitable planet;
- Obtain in-depth knowledge related to Earth, space, and planetary science;
- Obtain in-depth knowledge related the origin and evolution of life on Earth;
- Critically evaluate scientific issues related to Astrobiology in media and popular culture.
More information: Georgia Tech Astrobiology Program
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Course | ||
| EAS 1601 | Habitable Planet | 4 |
| Electives 1 | 11 | |
| Division 1: Earth, Space, and Other Worlds | ||
| Space Flight Operations | ||
| Jet and Rocket Propulsion | ||
| Special Topics (Planetary Spacecraft Development) | ||
| Special Topics (Space Instrumentation for Life Detection) | ||
| Environmental Geochemistry | ||
| Mineral Surface Geochemistry | ||
| Introduction to Physical and Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Physical and Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography | ||
| Space Physics and Space Instrumentation | ||
| Physics of Planets | ||
| Earth and Planetary Materials | ||
| Biogeochemical Cycles | ||
| Earth System Modeling | ||
| Special Topics (Planetary Science and Astrobiology Seminar) | ||
| Analytical Chemistry Lecture and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Stars and Planets | ||
| Cosmology and Galaxies | ||
| Theoretical Astrophysics | ||
| Division 2: Foundations of Life | ||
| Microbiology and Microbiology Lab | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology and Cell and Molecular Biology Lab | ||
| Evolutionary Biology | ||
| Protein Biology | ||
| Molecular Evolution | ||
| RNA Biology and Biotechnology | ||
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Origin of complex life: from cells to societies | ||
| Molecular Biology of Microbes: Disease, Nature, and Biotechnology | ||
| Microbial Physiology | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Biochemistry II | ||
| Survey of Biochemistry | ||
| Special Topics (Origins of Life) | ||
| Biophysics | ||
| Division 3: Astrobiology in a Wider World | ||
| Environmental Field Methods | ||
| Special Topics (Seminal Papers in Astrobiology) | ||
| Women in Science and Engineering | ||
| Sociology of Science | ||
| Space Policy | ||
| The Age of Scientific Discovery | ||
| The Age of Scientific Revolution | ||
| Evolution and the Industrial Age | ||
| Science Fiction | ||
| Science Fiction Film and Television | ||
| Science, Technology, and Ideology | ||
| Science, Technology, and Gender | ||
| Science, Technology, and Race | ||
| The Rhetoric of Scientific Inquiry | ||
| Science, Technology, and Postcolonialism | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
- 1
At least 3 credits must be completed from each of the divisions.