2023-2024 Catalog

Major Requirements

COURSEWORK

The following courses (13) are required for completion of the major program in the Department of Geology:

Fundamental Coursework:

GEO 105Earth: Our Environment

4 units

Or

GEO 106Earth and the Human Future

4 units

 

And

GEO 220Earth Materials

4 units

GEO 225Earth: A field perspective

4 units

GEO 245Earth's Climate: Past and Future

4 units

GEO 315Sedimentary Geology

4 units

GEO 315LSedimentary Geology Laboratory

1 unit

GEO 324Advanced Field Mapping

2 units

GEO 325Structural Geology

4 units

GEO 325LStructural Geology Laboratory

1 unit

GEO 345Petrology

4 units

GEO 345LPetrology Laboratory

1 unit

GEO 391Research Methods

2 units

GEO 491Senior Seminar

2 units

Electives

Students must select an additional four courses from the list below, one of which may be a 200-level course. Geo 390 (Special Topics) may be taken multiple times as course content varies. 

 

GEO 215Evolution of the Earth

4 units

GEO 235Global Geophysics and Tectonics

4 units

GEO 255Remote Exploration of Earth

4 units

GEO 342Geomorphology

4 units

Mathematics Component:

Choose one option:

Option 1-

MATH 120Calculus 2

4 units

Or department approved equivalent.

Option 2-

MATH 110Calculus 1

4 units

And

 

GEO 160Spatial Analysis with Geographic Information Science

4 units

Or

COMP 146Statistics

4 units

Major with ES Concentration

Fundamental Geology:

GEO 105Earth: Our Environment

4 units

Or

GEO 106Earth and the Human Future

4 units

And

GEO 215Evolution of the Earth

4 units

GEO 220Earth Materials

4 units

GEO 225Earth: A field perspective

4 units

GEO 245Earth's Climate: Past and Future

4 units

GEO 255Remote Exploration of Earth

4 units

GEO 315Sedimentary Geology

4 units

GEO 315LSedimentary Geology Laboratory

1 unit

GEO 325Structural Geology

4 units

GEO 325LStructural Geology Laboratory

1 unit

GEO 391Research Methods

2 units

GEO 491Senior Seminar

2 units

Geology Elective

GEO 225Earth: A field perspective

4 units

GEO 235Global Geophysics and Tectonics

4 units

GEO 324Advanced Field Mapping

2 units

GEO 342Geomorphology

4 units

GEO 345Petrology

4 units

GEO 390Special Topics in Geology

4 units

Students may also apply GEO 390 as an elective for the Environmental Science concentration if they have enrolled in the "Volcanology" or "Geochemistry" sections of the course.

Biology Component:

One course from:

BIO 105Marine Biology

4 units

BIO 110Organisms on Earth

4 units

BIO 115General Zoology

4 units

 

And one course from:

BIO 260Biodiversity and Organization of Marine Ecosystems

4 units

BIO 270Ecology

4 units

Economics Component:

ECON 101Principles of Economics I

4 units

ECON 301Environmental Economics and Policy

4 units

Quantitative Component:

Choose one option:

Option 1-

MATH 120Calculus 2

4 units

Or department approved equivalent.

Option 2-

MATH 110Calculus 1

4 units

And

 

GEO 160Spatial Analysis with Geographic Information Science

4 units

Or

BIO 268Biostatistics

4 units

Or

COMP 146Statistics

4 units

Honors in the Major

Students with a GPA of at least 3.25 are eligible to graduate with honors in geology. For these students, a larger senior thesis is planned, and students start their research earlier than the fall of their senior year. For this extra work, the honors student receives additional course credit (GEO 499) beyond credit for comprehensives.

Minor

GEO 105Earth: Our Environment

4 units

GEO 215Evolution of the Earth

4 units

GEO 245Earth's Climate: Past and Future

4 units

Two additional GEO electives

To be selected with department approval. These courses must be filed with the Registrar's Office by submitting the Transfer Credit & Course Substitution Form.