2025-2026 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science in Geology

Requirement for a Major in Geology
Emphases
Suggested order of coursework for a Major in Geology
B.S. in Geology - Environmental Emphasis

A degree in Geology equips students with the knowledge and skills to study Earth's dynamic systems and address critical environmental and resource challenges. Through hands-on fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and research experiences, students gain expertise in areas such as environmental assessment, water resource management, mineral and energy exploration, and natural hazard mitigation. Students have multiple opportunities for mentorship, professional networking, and real-world application of geoscience principles. Graduates are well-prepared to make meaningful contributions to society, whether pursuing careers in environmental consulting, engineering geology, government agencies, or even environmental law and policy.

Requirement for a Major in Geology

The geology major requires fulfillment of general university degree requirements, geology core requirements (including a field requirement) (32-33 credits), cognates (including 2-course sequences in chemistry and physics, and a selection from calculus/statistics/computer science or GIS) (31-33 credits), and geology elective requirements for the B.S. in Geology or B.S. in Geology with an Environmental Emphasis (12-13 credits). All majors must complete at least 44 credits in geology with a minimum overall GPA of C (2.0).

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

Core Courses

Core Geology Courses (33 semester hours):

GEO 111 - Exploring the Earth (4 credits) OR GEO 100 - Environmental Geology (3 credits) OR GEO 103 - Oceans (3 credits) OR GEO 105 - Living with the Great Lakes (3 credits) OR GEO 107 - Climate Change: A Hot Science (3 credits) OR GEO 109 - Natural Hazards and Disasters (3 credits)
GEO 112 - Earth History (4 credits)
GEO 175 - Research Tools for Geosciences (1 credit)
GEO 214 - Solid Earth Materials and Systems (4 credits)
GEO 220 - Earth Surface Materials and Systems (4 credits)
GEO 311 - Structural Geology (4 credits)
GEO 312 - Sedimentation-Stratigraphy (4 credits)
GEO 485 - Geology Research and Writing Seminar (1 credit)
GEO 484 - Geology Reading Seminar (1 credit) (recommended to take before GEO 485)
Geology field requirement (6 credits): Geology majors must complete a total of 6 credits of field-based coursework, which includes a summer field camp in geology taken at another college or university and pre-approved for credit as GEO 493. This requirement can be fulfilled in one of the following ways:
- GEO 315 - Geological Field Methods (3 credits) plus an approved summer field camp (GEO 493 - Applied Field Geology) (3 credits).
  OR
- An approved summer field camp (GEO 493 - Applied Field Geology) (6 credits).

Emphases

Requires 12 to 14 credits from either the B.S. in geology or the B.S. in geology - environmental emphasis.

B.S. in Geology Degree Requirements

GEO 314 - Petrography: Mineral and Rock Analysis (2 credits)

AND one of the following (three credits):

PLUS the following (at least nine credits):

GEO electives: Three Geology courses at the 300- or 400-level. Geology Issues courses cannot count toward the geology major.

B.S. in Geology with an Environmental Emphasis Degree Requirements

AND choose one from:

PLUS the following (at least two credits):

GEO elective: One geology course at the 300- or 400-level. Geology Issues courses cannot count toward the geology major.

Cognate Courses

Requires 31 to 33 credits of cognate science courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and/or geographic information systems as follows.

a. Chemistry Courses (two)

b. Physics Courses (choose one of the following pairs)

EITHER