About this Degree
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program involves a broad curriculum that prepares students for employment immediately after graduation or for more advanced graduate study in the geosciences. For those students that pursue advanced degrees in geoscience, the undergraduate major prepares them for a wide range of fields, including hydrology and environmental geology, geochemistry and biogeochemistry, igneous and metamorphic petrology, structural geology and tectonics, stratigraphy and sedimentary geology, paleontology, economic geology, geophysics, and archaeological geology. Because many of the requirements are the same for the B.S. and A.B. degree, if a students starts in the A.B. program and decides at a later time to switch to the B.S., this is generally easy to do.
Lab and Field Exercises
Core classes involve extensive lab work that provides crucial hands-on experience. Field exercises are standard in most core classes and form an indispensable link between lectures and real world observations and analyses. Students may examine coastal processes and organisms on Georgia's barrier islands, the outstanding mineral assemblages at Grave's Mountain in the Inner Piedmont, major fault systems in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the rich fossil assemblages and ancient depositional environments preserved in rocks of the Valley and Ridge and Cumberland Plateau.
Summer Field Courses
Some courses take place entirely in the field, including the department's six-week summer field school (required for the B.S. and the A.B. degree), based in Canon City, Colorado. Projects include field mapping in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, pollution monitoring of streams in the Colorado Plateau, and field trips to Utah and New Mexico. Students gain valuable experience with traditional and computer-based mapping tools, with GIS, and with geochemical analyses. Other, optional, summer field programs include the Honors Interdisciplinary Summer Field Program in Geology, Anthropology, and Ecology.
What you will learn
The Geology Department offers a broad curriculum that prepares students for more advanced graduate study in the geosciences and for employment immediately after graduation. Most of our students go on to graduate school or directly enter careers in environmental, mining, and petroleum. Our undergraduate program is hands-on, with opportunities for field work and undergraduate research. For many students, the highlight of their undergraduate experience is the department's six-week summer field school based in Canon City, Colorado.
Other Information about Degree or Program
The Department of Geology offers three degree tracks, the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree, and the Geology Minor.
The Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) program is designed for students who desire a more flexible program of study than is provided by the B.S. degree. It may be used by those seeking a more liberal education or a background in geology for use in other fields. It is also a popular choice for students wishing to pursue Geology as a second major. The A.B. degree is not intended to prepare a student for professional or graduate work in geosciences unless the student takes the additional courses in mathematics, chemistry, and physics required for the B.S. degree. Because many of the requirements are the same for the B.S. and A.B. degree, if a students starts in the A.B. program and decides at a later time to switch to the B.S., this is generally easy to do.
The geology minor is intended for students who wish to supplement their major field with additional background in selected areas of geoscience, depending on the interests of the student. The minor is ideal for students pursuing careers in other fields that benefit from additional understanding of earth resources, natural hazards, and the environment, such as anthropology, biosciences, business, education, geography, journalism, law, or public policy.
- Petrology
- Paleobiology
- Geochemistry
- Geoarchaeology
- Environmental Geosciences
- Structural Geology and Tectonics
- Sedimentary Geology
- Geophysics
- Economic Geology
Employment Information
AECOM
Beals and Thomas, Inc.
BHP Billiton
Consortium GCS
Consolidated African Mining
Earth Surface Processes Team
Kinross Gold Corporation
Earth Watch
Enscicon Corporation
Engineers Epoch Well Logging
Offshore Sea Exploration
Exploration Geology Corps
Kaiser Engineering Group
PRC Environmental Management
Kemron Petroleum companies
Kennecott Ridgeway Mining Co.
Glenwood Group
Nexen Inc.
Occidental Petroleum
NTH consultants
Newmont Mining
National Geospatial Program
Quaternary Paleoclimatology
Shell
U.S. Department of the Interior
United Carbide
Winzler & Kelly Consulting
Rettew Associates
Remote Sensing Clearinghouse
Tropical Prediction Center
National Wetlands Research Ctr.
Hurricane Impact Researcher
UN Office of Boundaries
U.S. Geological Survey
Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology
Fossil Invertebrates Field Museum
Geologists study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. May use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. May study the Earth's internal composition, atmospheres, oceans, and its magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces. Includes mineralogists, crystallographers, paleontologists, stratigraphers, geodesists, and seismologists.
Astro-geologist
Geological oceanographer
Cartographer
Geologist
Civil engineer
Geophysicists
Computer engineer
Geochemist
Computer Services Specialist
Hydro-geologist
Metallurgical engineer
Construction consultant
Energy engineer
Mine Geologist
Engineering Technician
Mining engineer
Environmental scientist
Nuclear engineer
Field equipment specialist
On-sight Environmental
Paleontologist
Particle physicist
Petroleum geologist
Planetary scientist
Quaternary Geologist
Research scientist
Sedimentary Geologist
Seismologist
Soil scientist
Vector Geologist
