Geology

College of Arts and Sciences, The Department of Earth, Environment, and Society

Owens Science Hall (OWS) 153, (651) 962-5243
Caplow (Chair), Clotts, Hickson, Lamb, Lorah, McDermott, McKay, Small, Theissen, Vislova

Overview of the Geology degree

Learn about the College of Arts and Sciences Experience

Departmental Overview

The Department of Earth, Environment and Society prepares students to address complex environmental challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future. We offer courses of study in Environmental Science (major, minor), Environmental Studies (major), Geography (minor), Geography-GIS (major, minor, certificate), Geology (major, minor), and Sustainability (minor). 

Program Overview

Geology is the field of study that tackles a wide range of issues facing society today: preparing for natural disasters, finding and extracting natural resources in responsible and sustainable ways, understanding and preparing for global environmental change, preventing, assessing and mitigating environmental pollution, and public health issues, to name a few. Many of us grew up thinking geologists simply study rocks. Although it is true rocks provide some of the fundamental clues to understanding these issues, geologists also study soil, sediments, lakes, groundwater, and the interior of the earth. Spatial analysis using ArcGIS, numerical computer modeling, and geochemical analysis using sophisticated instrumentation are common methods used by different geoscientists.

In the Geology program, we strive to develop the whole student by emphasizing critical thinking and analytical, quantitative, public speaking and writing skills. Students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with geology faculty on research projects, in addition to learning the key field, lab and research skills of a professional geologist. These skills are transferable to many different fields and help prepare students for a range of career paths. The geology curriculum has been designed to provide students with a solid core, but with sufficient flexibility to allow students with particular interests to pursue a more customized Geology program. At the heart of this program are a number of hands-on learning opportunities, a fundamental and basic component of a St. Thomas geoscience degree. Program faculty emphasize the fact that geology must be learned by practicing skills and as a result offer analytical experiences in all courses that extend from a short afternoon trip to a multi-week field course on field methods and regional geology. Majors will visit many of the geologically significant localities throughout the upper Midwest as part of their program as well as use analytical instrumentation.

For information about Teacher Licensure in one of the following concentrations, please see the education section.

• Elementary Education with a Co-major in Science and Mathematics for Elementary Education
• Elementary Education with a Specialty in Science (5-8)
• Co-major in Science (5-8) – Earth and Space Science (9-12) and a Co-major in Secondary Education

52 Credits

The Bachelor of Arts in Geology is designed for students that want a rigorous foundation in the geosciences that prepares them for a career as a professional geologist, but also lays the groundwork for careers in earth and space science teaching, public policy, natural resource management, environmental law, or many others that do not require additional education and/or specific licensure. Some graduate programs might consider this degree sufficient for entry, but some may require more allied courses in mathematics, chemistry, and/or physics. If you are considering careers in environmental geology that will lead to a Professional Geologist state certification, pay particular attention to the elective and allied courses marked with an asterisk (*) that will help prepare you to take the Fundamentals of Geology exam after graduation as the next step toward this certification.

EES Core (required for all majors in the department)

• ESCI 132 Intro to Environmental Science OR GEOL 115 Environmental Geology OR GEOL 163 Applied Geology (4 credits)
• GEOG 215 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4 credits)
• ESCI 310 Environmental Problem Solving (4 credits)
• ENVR 401 Environmental Capstone (4 credits)
• Experiential Learning Requirement (4 credits of GEOL 260, Internship, Research, or other options as approved)

Geology (B.A.) Major Requirements:

• GEOL 210 Soils and the Environment (2 credits)
• GEOL 211 Earth Materials (4 credits)
• GEOL 260 Geology in the Field (4 credits)*
• GEOL 340 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I (Petrology) (4 credits)
• GEOL 360 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere II (Structural Geology) (4 credits)
• GEOL 410 Hydrogeology
• GEOL 420 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 credits)

Electives (choose ten credits from the following):

• GEOG 223 Remote Sensing (4 credits)
• GEOL 130 Earth History (4 credits)
• GEOL 220 Oceanography (4 credits)
• GEOL 230 Digital Field Science (2 credits)
• GEOL 231 Applied Environmental Policy (2 credits)
• GEOL 252 Earth Surface Processes and Geomorphology (4 credits)*
• GEOL 262 Earth's Record of Climate (4 credits)
• GEOL 310 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
• GEOL 491 Research (4 credits)

Quantitative Analysis (choose one of the following):

• CISC 130 Programming and Problem Solving (4 credits)
• DASC 120 Introduction to Computational Statistics* (4 credits)
• MATH 113 Calculus I (4 credits) OR MATH 108 and 109 Calculus with Review I and II (8 credits total)

*Strongly recommended for students wishing to pursue professional geologist (PG) state certification.

68 credits

The Bachelor of Science in Geology is designed for students who want a rigorous foundation in the geosciences that prepares them for a career as a professional geologist and/or lays the groundwork for graduate study. Many graduate programs require allied courses in mathematics, chemistry, and/or physics. If you are considering careers in environmental geology that will lead to a Professional Geologist state certification, this major helps prepare you for the Fundamentals of Geology exam, which is one step within the professional certification. 

EES Core (required for all majors in the department)

• ESCI 132 Intro to Environmental Science OR GEOL 115 Environmental Geology OR GEOL 163 Applied Geology (4 credits)
• GEOG 215 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4 credits)
• ESCI 310 Environmental Problem Solving (4 credits)
• ENVR 401 Environmental Capstone (4 credits)
• Experiential Learning Requirement (4 credits of GEOL 260, Internship, Research, or other options as approved)

Geology (B.S.) Major Requirements:

• GEOL 111 Introductory Physical Geology (4 credits)
• GEOL 114 The Science of Natural Disasters (4 credits)
• GEOL 115 Environmental Geology (4 credits)
• GEOL 162 The Earth’s Record of Climate (4 credits)
• GEOL 210 Soils and the Environment (2 credits)
• GEOL 211 Earth Materials (2 credits)
• GEOL 252 Earth Surface Processes and Geomorphology (4 credits)*
• GEOL 260 Regional Geology and Geological Field Methods (4 credits - if not taken as EES Core)*
• GEOL 310 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
• GEOL 340 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I (Petrology) (4 credits)
• GEOL 360 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere II (Structural Geology) (4 credits)
• GEOL 410 Hydrogeology (4 credits)
• GEOL 420 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 credits)

Electives (choose eight credits from the following):

• GEOG 223 Remote Sensing (4 credits)
• GEOL 130 Earth History (4 credits)
• GEOL 220 Oceanography (4 credits)
• GEOL 230 Digital Field Science (2 credits)
• GEOL 231 Applied Environmental Policy (2 credits)
• GEOL 262 Earth's Record of Climate (4 credits)
• GEOL 491 Research (4 credits)

Quantitative Analysis (choose one of the following):

• CISC 130 Programming and Problem Solving (4 credits)
• DASC 120 Introduction to Computational Statistics* (4 credits)
• MATH 113 Calculus I (4 credits) OR MATH 108 and 109 Calculus with Review I and II (8 credits total)

*Strongly recommended for students wishing to pursue professional geologist (PG) state certification.

Allied requirements:

• MATH 113 Calculus I (4 credits) OR MATH 109 Calculus with Review II (4 credits - if not taken as Quantitative Analysis)
• CHEM 111 General Chemistry I (4 credits)
• CHEM 112 General Chemistry II (4 credits)
• PHYS 211 Introduction to Classical Physics I (4 credits)

For students wishing to pursue careers in paleontology, geobiology, or geomicrobiology:

• BIOL 207 Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution (4 credits) and 208 Biological Communication and Energetics (4 credits)

Depending on a student’s interest and career goals, substitutions may be made for other advanced courses in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics for certain listed courses, in consultation with the geology department chair.

Required (four credits from the following):

• ESCI 132 Intro to Environmental Science (4 credits)
• GEOL 115 Environmental Geology (4 credits)
• GEOL 163 Applied Geology (4 credits)

Electives:

Choose 16 GEOL credits, at least 12 credits of which are numbered 200 or above.