The department offers
several options for students pursuing a degree in earth and planetary sciences. Students should discuss with the undergraduate program director or
any other faculty member in earth and planetary sciences which option is best
for them.The geological sciences option is for students who
expect to make geology an important component of their career, e.g., in
engineering/environmental consulting, oil and gas exploration, mineral
exploration and mining, and federal and state government; it also provides
rigorous preparation for graduate study.
The environmental geology option is for
students who wish to work in the environmental sector, which at present is the
largest employer of geoscientists in the United States; its focus is on characterizing
processes and hazards in the modern shallow subsurface; it also prepares
students for graduate study.
The planetary science option is for students who wish
to pursue a research career, e.g., at universities, research institutions,
government facilities such as NASA, and museums. It focuses on the physical and
geochemical processes in our solar system spanning the early solar nebula to
planetary formation and evolution. The option facilitates interdisciplinary
knowledge in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, and is therefore
well suited to students transferring from other STEM disciplines as well as
those preparing for graduate study.
The general option is for students who have an
interest in the earth and planetary sciences and plan to pursue a career in
science education, communication and journalism, medicine, environmental law and policy, business, etc.
Declaration of the major in earth and planetary sciences requires a grade of C or better in 01:460:101
Introductory Geology, or its equivalent, or special permission of the undergraduate program director. Course schedules for each semester should be
approved by the undergraduate program director or other faculty adviser prior
to registration.
460:
Geological Sciences Option (B.S.) [62 credits total]
Foundation
Courses
01:160:161 General Chemistry (4)
01:640 CALC1 (4)
One of the following: 01:640: CALC2 (4) or 01:960:379
Basic Probability Theory (3) or 01:960:401 Basic Statistics for Research (3)
One of the following: 01:750:203 General Physics (3)
(recommended) or 01:750:193 Physics for the Sciences (4) or 01:750:201 Extended
General Physics (5)
Core Courses
01:460:101 Introductory Geology (4) [alternatively
01:460:100 Planet Earth (3) and 01:460:103 Introductory Geology Lab (1)]
01:460:300 Introduction to Sedimentary Geology (4)
01:460:301 Mineralogy (4)
01:460:302 Petrology (4)
01:460:303 Paleontology (4)
01:460:304 Introduction to Geochemistry (4)
01:460:306 Introduction to Geophysics (4)
01:460:407 Structural Geology and Geologic Maps (4)
01:460:410 Field Geology (3) or equivalent (see field
requirement below)
01:460:480 Major Events in Earth History (3)
Elective
Courses
Three
3-credit courses in 01:460 at the 300 level or higher. Note: 01:119:115, 116 General Biology,
01:160:162 General Chemistry, General Physics 2, CALC 3, CALC 4, and 01:355:302 Scientific and Technical Writing (3) are acceptable electives. Other non-460
courses require permission of the undergraduate program director. Undergraduate
students may take graduate courses if they have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and/or
with the permission of the instructor. Students may choose from the following
specializations or create their own group of electives.
- Paleobiology and Paleoceanography: 01:460:305 Evolution and Geologic Time (3); 01:460:394 Geologic Context (3); 01:460:451 Marine Geology (3); 01:460:454 Micropaleontology (3); 01:460:476 History of the
Earth System (3); 16:460:526 Paleoceanography (3); 16:460:552 Stable Isotopes
in the Environment (3); 16:460:625 Seminar in Sequence Stratigraphy (3)
- Tectonics, Geophysics, and Hydrology:
01:460:414 Hydrologic Processes (3); 01:460:428 Hydrogeology (3); 01:460:429 Tectonics and Regional Structural Geology (3); 01:460:441 Structure and Formation of
Terrestrial Planets (3); 01:460:442 Dynamics of Planetary Interiors (3); 16:460:515 Advanced Tectonics (3); 16:460:528 Groundwater Modeling (3); 16:460:557 Seismic
Acquisition and Processing (3)
- Geochemistry and Petrology: 01:460:396
Geochronology (3); 01:460:417 Environmental Geochemistry (3); 16:460:509 Meteoritics (3); 16:460:513 Volcanology (3); 16:460:551 Isotope Geochemistry
(3); 16:460:617 Seminar in Geochronology (3); 16:460:631 Seminar in Petrology
(3)
460E:
Environmental Geology Option (B.S.) [63 credits total]
Foundation
Courses
01:160:161
General Chemistry (4)
01:640 CALC1
(4)
One of the following: 01:640 CALC2 (4) or 01:960:379
Basic Probability Theory (3) or 01:960:401 Basic Statistics for Research (3)
One of the following: 01:750:203 General Physics (3)
(recommended) or 01:750:193 Physics for the Sciences (4) or 01:750:201 Extended
General Physics (5)
Core Courses
01:460:101 Introductory Geology (4) [alternatively
01:460:100 Planet Earth (3) and 01:460:103 Introductory Geology Lab (1)]
01:460:202
Environmental Geology (3)
01:460:300
Introduction to Sedimentary Geology (4)
01:460:301
Mineralogy (4)
01:460:302
Petrology (4)
01:460:306
Introduction to Geophysics (4)
01:460:407
Structural Geology and Geologic Maps (4)
01:460:410
Field Geology (3) or equivalent (see field requirement below)
01:460:413
Environmental Geochemistry (3)
01:460:428
Hydrogeology (3)
Elective
Courses
Four
3-credit courses from the following list: 01:355:302 Scientific and Technical
Writing (3); 01:450:321 Geographic Information Systems (3); 01:450:322 Remote
Sensing (3); 01:460:304 Introduction to Geochemistry (4); 01:460:408 Geomorphology (3); 01:460:418 Geological Modeling (3); 11:375:202 Chemical
Principals of Environmental Science (3); 11:375:203 Physical Principles of
Environmental Science (3); 11:375:303 Numerical Methods in Environmental
Science (3); 11:375:423 Environmental Fate and Transport (3).
460P:
Planetary Science Option (B.S.) [63 credits total]
Foundation
Courses
01:160:161,162
General Chemistry (4, 4)
01:640 CALC1,
CALC2 (4, 4)
One of the following: 01:640 CALC3 (4) or 01:960:401 Basic Statistics for Research (3)
One of the following: 01:750:193 Physics for the
Sciences (4) or 01:750:201 Extended General Physics (5) or 01:750:203 General Physics
(3)
One of the following: 01:750:194 Physics for the
Sciences (4) or 01:750:201 Extended General Physics (5) or 01:750:204 General
Physics (3)
Core Courses
01:460:101
Introductory Geology (4) [alternatively 01:460:100 Planet Earth (3) and
01:460:103 Introductory Geology Lab (1)]
01:460:222
Planet Mars (3) or 01:460:224 Geology
of Moons and Planets (3)
01:460:301
Mineralogy (4)
01:460:302
Petrology (4)
01:460:304
Introduction to Geochemistry (4)
01:460:441
Structure and Formation of Terrestrial Planets (3) [or 01:460:442
Dynamics of Planetary Interiors (3)]
01:460:480
Major Events in Earth History (3)
Elective
Courses
Four
3-credit courses from the following list: 01:355:302 Scientific and Technical
Writing (3); 01:450:321 Geographic Information Systems (3); 01:450:322 Remote
Sensing (3); 01:460:300 Introduction to Sedimentary Geology (4); 01:460:410 Structural Geology and Geologic Maps (4); 01:460:414 Hydrologic Processes
(3); 01:460:418 Geological Modeling (3); 01:460:442 Dynamics of Planetary Interiors
(3) [or 01:460:441 Structure and Formation of Terrestrial Planets (3)];
16:460:630 Seminar in Planetary Science (3); 01:640:244 Differential Equations
for Engineering and Physics (4) or 01:640:250 Introductory Linear Algebra (3)
or 01:640:252 Elementary Differential Equations (3) or 01:640:292 Honors
Calculus IV (4); 01:750:341 or 342 Principles of Astrophysics (3)
460L:
General Option (B.A.) [40 credits total]
Foundation
Courses
01:160:161
General Chemistry (4)
01:640 CALC1
(4)
Core Courses
01:460:101 Introductory
Geology (4) [alternatively 01:460:100 Planet Earth (3) and 01:460:103
Introductory Geology Lab (1)]
01:460:300
Introduction to Sedimentary Geology (4) (assumes change in name and
number)
01:460:301
Mineralogy (4)
01:460:302
Petrology (4)
01:460:303
Paleontology (4)
01:460:407
Structural Geology and Geologic Maps (4)
01:460:411
Geologic Field Methods (2)
Elective
Courses:
Two additional 3-credit courses in
01:460, one of which must be at 300-level or higher; other acceptable courses are 01:119:115 General
Biology, 01:750:203 General Physics, and those approved by undergraduate program director.
Field Requirement
All majors in the geological sciences option and the environmental geology option must take a minimum of 3
credits in field geology. Most students satisfy this requirement by taking an
external field camp offered by many geoscience departments at other
universities; ask the undergraduate program director for guidance. Many
students do the field training during the late spring/summer between junior
and senior years.