Students may choose to major in Geology for the degree of Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts.
The Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts in Geology both prepare students for professional employment. The Bachelor of Science degree also prepares students for graduate study in geology and related fields. The dominant fields of employment include:
- environmental geology
- engineering geology
- hydrogeology
- geophysics
- government compliance and regulation
- mining
- petroleum geology
- other fields within the energy industry
The Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts degrees in Geology can be completed in eight semesters if students average 16 hours of coursework per semester.
For more information, visit the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires the successful completion of a minimum of 72 s.h. of core and elective courses.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Core Competencies | 12 | |
| Writing 1 | ||
| Writing 2 | ||
| Communication Foundations | ||
Mathematics Requirement | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences | 6 | |
| Social Science | 6 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness | 6 | |
| General Education Elective / First Year Experience | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| GEOL 1505 & 1505L | Physical Geology and Physical Geology Laboratory | 4 |
| ENST 2600 & 2600L | Foundations of Environmental Studies and Foundations of Environmental Studies Laboratory | 4 |
| GEOL 2605 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 3700 | Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 3701 | Geomorphology | 3 |
| GEOL 3704 & 3704L | Structural Geology and Structural Geology Laboratory | 3 |
| GEOL 3718 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | 4 |
| GEOL 3750 | Geoscience Seminar | 1 |
| GEOL 5802 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (Capstone course) | 3 |
| MATH 1570 | Applied Calculus 1 | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Science Electives I: | ||
| Select a minimum of 18 s.h. from the following: | 18 | |
| Moon and Planets | ||
| General Biology: Molecules and Cells and General Biology: Molecules and Cells Laboratory | ||
| General Biology: Organisms and Ecology and General Biology: Organisms and Ecology Laboratory | ||
| General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
| General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Weather | ||
| Applied Calculus 2 | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics 1 and Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography | ||
| Geology and the Environment 1 | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics 2 and Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Science Electives II: | ||
| Select a minimum of 20 s.h. from the following: | 20 | |
| Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry Lab | ||
| Glacial Geology | ||
| Geology of Economic Mineral Deposits | ||
| Subsurface Investigations | ||
| Principles of Paleontology | ||
| Environmental Impact of Abandoned Mines | ||
| Field Investigations in Geology | ||
| Water Quality Analysis and Water Quality Analysis Lab | ||
| Environmental Research | ||
| Environmental Sampling Methods | ||
| Ground Water | ||
| Tectonics | ||
| Geophysical Well Log Analysis | ||
| Special Topics | ||
GEOL 48XX Geology Field Camp (4 s.h. minimum) | ||
| Special Problems in Geology | ||
| Environmental Safety | ||
| Geographic Information Science 1 | ||
| Geographic Information Science 2 | ||
| Groundwater Resource Evaluation | ||
| Geology and the Environment 2 | ||
| Environmental Geochemistry | ||
| Environmental Regulations | ||
| Total Prescribed Semester Hours: 108-111 s.h. | ||
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| GEOL 1505 & 1505L |
Physical Geology and Physical Geology Laboratory |
4 |
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 1515 & 1515L |
General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry 1 Laboratory |
4 |
| GER Arts and Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| GEOL 3750 | Geoscience Seminar | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 2605 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| CHEM 1516 & 1516L |
General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Laboratory |
4 |
| GEOG 2626 | World Geography | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOL 3700 | Mineralogy | 4 |
| MATH 1570 | Applied Calculus 1 | 4 |
| GEOG 5810 | Geographic Information Science 1 | 3 |
| ENST 2600 & 2600L |
Foundations of Environmental Studies and Foundations of Environmental Studies Laboratory |
4 |
| GEOL 3750 | Geoscience Seminar (Optional) | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 3718 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | 4 |
| Science Elective II | 3-5 | |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| Science Elective I | 3-5 | |
| Science Elective I | 3-5 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOL 3701 | Geomorphology | 3 |
| FNLG 1550 | Elementary Foreign Language | 4 |
| GER Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| GEOL/ENST 3700+ Science Elective II | 3-4 | |
| GEOL 3750 | Geoscience Seminar (Optional) | 1 |
| Science Elective I | 3-5 | |
| Semester Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 3704 & 3704L |
Structural Geology and Structural Geology Laboratory |
3 |
| FNLG 2600 | Intermediate Foreign Language | 4 |
| GER Arts and Humanities | 3 | |
| GEOL/ENST Science Elective II | 3-4 | |
| ENST 5810 | Environmental Safety | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOL 3750 | Geoscience Seminar (Optional) | 1 |
| GER Social Personal Awareness | 3 | |
| GEOL/ENST 3700+ Science Elective II | 3-4 | |
| GEOL/ENST 3700+ Science Elective II | 3-4 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 5802 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (Capstone Course) | 3 |
| Science Elective I | 3-5 | |
| GEOL/ENST 3700+ Science Elective II | 3-4 | |
| PHIL 2631 | Environmental Ethics (GER Social and Personal Awareness) | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 123 | |
Request a Graduation Evaluation after completing 80-85 s.h. from the STEM Advising Center, 2325 Moser Hall, (330) 941-2512.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The learning outcomes for the Bachelor of Science in Geology are as follows:
- Communicate effectively using the language, concepts, and models of geology in written, visual, and numerical formats.
- Properly apply the scientific method to research a geologic problem and formulate conclusions.
- Demonstrate ability to apply appropriate field- and laboratory-based methods (of acquiring, quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing, and interpreting geologic data and information).
- Demonstrate understanding of plate tectonics regarding the petrologic, stratigraphic, and structural evolution of continents and oceans.