Geology (BS)

• Program Prerequisite: None.
• Minor: Not required.
• Grade Requirements: A grade of “C-” or better in courses required for this major in addition to an overall GPA for all courses of 2.00 or higher.
• Credit Hour Requirements: A total of 120 credit hours is required for graduation; 79-82 of these are required within the major. A total of 40 upper division credit hours is required; 40 of these are required within the major (courses numbered 3000 and above).
• Program Code: 6010BS
• CIPC: 400601

Students may benefit from having a minor in such fields as chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, geospatial analysis, or a life science, and should consult with an advisor prior to choosing an option.

Advisement

Advisor: Dr. Adolph Yonkee, 801-626-7419

All Geology students are required to meet with a faculty advisor at least annually for course and program advisement. Call 801-626-7139 for more information or to schedule an appointment. (Also refer to the Department Advisor Referral List.)

Use Grad MAPs to plan your degree

Admission Requirements

Declare your program of study (see Enrollment Services and Information ). No special admission or application requirements are needed for this program. However, students should meet with an advisor to plan and declare their program of study.

General Education

Refer to Degree Requirements  for either Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts requirements. MATH 1050  or MATH 1080  or MATH 1210  is recommended for the Quantitative Literacy requirement. The following courses required for the Geology major will also satisfy general education requirements: CHEM 1210 , GEO 1110 , PHYS 2010 , and PHYS 2210 .

Course Prefix GEO

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences  uses the course prefix GEO because geo means “earth.” The prefix GEO also aids in course articulation with other colleges and universities. 

Program Learning Outcomes

• Be able to identify common minerals and rocks, describe rock characteristics, and interpret the environments/conditions (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) in which rocks formed. {Earth Materials}
• Be able to identify major physical and biological events in Earth history and describe the methods used to interpret this history, including radiometric dating, fossil succession, and stratigraphic correlation. {Earth History}
• Be able to identify landforms from maps and imagery, construct topographic profiles, and interpret the development of landforms in terms of common surface processes. {Surface Processes}
• Be able to identify the different types of lithospheric plate boundaries based on types of activity, estimate rates of plate motion, describe the driving mechanisms for plate tectonics, and interpret geologic structures and construct cross sections from geologic map data. {Tectonic Processes}
• Be able to describe key geological cycles - including the hydrologic cycle, rock cycle, and carbon cycle. {Earth Systems}
• Have demonstrated an understanding of scientific methodology and the interdisciplinary nature of the geosciences, culminating in a capstone experience involving collection and analysis of multiple data sets to interpret Earth processes. {Capstone Experience}