Nov 23, 2024

2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog

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2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Geoscience - Geoscience (GSCE) - BA Major

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47-52 S.H. (minor required)

2.0 GPA required.

C grade or better required in GEOS 235 and above.

This program prepares students for graduate study or employment in geologic disciplines or in a variety of other disciplines, depending on the student’s chosen minor field. The goal is to prepare students for success in an increasingly interdisciplinary world. Students should speak with their academic advisor about their career goals so that this program can be tailored to best suit their goals.

Students choose a minor (or double major) field that they must relate to their work in geoscience by completing an internship or research project. Students must obtain approval from the Department of Geoscience before engaging in this work. The research project topic must integrate geoscience with the second discipline.

The flexibility of this program enables students to pursue careers in diverse areas such as geochemistry and geophysics or environmental law and environmental justice, scientific illustration, scientific writing, etc. Professionals in many disciplines, including science, law, medicine, and politics, hold undergraduate BA degrees in Geoscience.

This major has six parts:

Part I: Entrance to the Major
Part II: Geoscience Core Courses - provides students with an overview of the fundamentals of the geosciences
Part III: Geoscience Focus Areas - provides students an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in specific areas of study within the geosciences
Part IV: Geoscience Capstone - provides students with research experience and opportunities for professional development
Part V: Geoscience Electives - allows students to explore areas of interest in the geosciences
Part VI: Minor or Second Major

PART I: ENTRANCE TO GEOSCIENCE MAJOR (4-5 S.H.)

Choose one:

GEOS 113 - Natural Disasters with Laboratory (4 S.H.)
GEOS 114 - Catastrophes and Extinctions with Laboratory (4 S.H.)
GEOS 120 - Dynamic Earth with Laboratory (4 S.H.)
GEOS 199 - Introductory Geoscience Laboratory (1 S.H.) & one of the following: GEOS 100 ,
102
,
103
,
104
,
105
,
106
,
107
,
108
,
110
,
111
,
115
,
116
, or
121
(3-4 S.H.)
GEOS 215 - Earth & Space Systems (4 S.H.)

PART II: GEOSCIENCE CORE COURSES (19 S.H.)

GEOS 090 - Earth Talks Speaker Series (0 S.H.) (0; enrollment with a grade of “P” required 6 times prior to graduation, unless excused by the department chairperson)
GEOS 235 - Earth and Life Through Time (4 S.H.)
GEOS 301 - Field and Analytical Methods I (4 S.H.)
GEOS 305 - Minerals and Rocks (4 S.H.)
GEOS 309 - Watershed Science (4 S.H.)
GEOS 316 - Geographic Information Systems (3 S.H.)

PART III: GEOSCIENCE FOCUS AREAS (11-12 S.H.)

Rocks & Tectonics (4 S.H.)

Choose one:

GEOS 360 - Structural Geology (4 S.H.)
GEOS 435 - Optical Mineralogy and Petrology (4 S.H.)
◆ GEOS 442 - Geophysics (4 S.H.)
△ GEOS 365 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 S.H.)

Surface Processes (4 S.H.)

Choose one:

△ GEOS 375 - Planetary Geology (4 S.H.)
◆ GEOS 415 - Advanced Geomorphology (4 S.H.)
◆ GEOS 420 - Applied Hydrogeology (4 S.H.)
◆ GEOS 445 - Geochemistry (4 S.H.)

Broader Perspectives (3-4 S.H.)

GEOS 325 - Environmental Geoscience (3 S.H.)
GEOS 335 - Global Climate Change (3 S.H.)
GEOS 345 - Dinosaur Field Palentology (4 S.H.)
◎ GEOS 385 - Geology of North America (3 S.H.)
GEOS 401 - Geological Field-Research Methods (2-4 S.H.)
GEOS 405 - Current Topics in Geoscience (1-4 S.H.)
◎ GEOS 416 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems (4 S.H.)
△ GEOS 441 - Paleontology and Paleoecology (4 S.H.)
◎ GEOS 443 - Global Water Resources (4 S.H.)

PART IV: GEOSCIENCE CAPSTONE (5-6 S.H.)

△ GEOS 470 - Geological Research Strategies (2 S.H.)
GEOS 475 - Geoscience Seminar (1 S.H.)

Choose 2-3 S.H. from the following:

GEOS 399 - Internship (1-3 S.H.)
△ GEOS 470 - Geological Research Strategies (2 S.H.)
GEOS 499 - Directed Research-Geoscience (1-3 S.H.)

PART V: GEOSCIENCE ELECTIVES (8-10 S.H.)

Choose 8-10 additional S.H. from the following Geoscience Focus Areas:

Part III:   Rocks & Tectonics
               Surface Processes
               Broader Perspectives

Part IV: Geoscience Capstone

PART VI: MINOR OR SECOND MAJOR

An approved minor or second major is required for the BA major.

Legend

◎ = Oral Intensive

◆ = Math/Critical Analysis Intensive

△ = Writing Intensive

✽ = Physical Development and Wellness Graduation Requirement