Major/Minor Requirements

Major Requirements

Core Courses
Students entering the geology major take the following courses to meet minimum department requirements for graduation with the Bachelor of Science degree in geology:

103. The Dynamic Earth or 110. Environmental Geology and 115. Oceanography
104. The Evolving Earth
203. Mineralogy
206. Invertebrate Paleontology
211. Geomorphology
216. Sedimentology or 316. Carbonate Sedimentology and 320. Regional Field Studies:
Geology of Caribbean
302. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
350. Structural Geology
Elective (1) at the 200 or 300 level      9-11 units

None of these required core courses will be accepted toward the major if taken pass/fail. Certain courses are designated as Major Credit Restricted (MCR). Only one such course can count toward the geology, geology-physics or environmental studies–geology combined major as an elective. Normally, 200-level courses are appropriate for sophomores, 300-level for juniors and 400-level for seniors.

Students should consult the course descriptions in this Catalog for information on prerequisites and sequencing of both required and advanced courses.

Combined Major in Environmental Studies-Geology

Students with an interest in combining the integrative approaches of environmental studies with the focused scientific study of geology may wish to pursue the combined major of environmental studies–geology. The combined major includes six geology courses, two cognates, and 7units in environmental studies (15.25 units total) as follows:

Environmental Studies Core - 7 units

For specifics on the Environmental Studies core, see the Environmental Studies section of this Catalog.

Geology

Required Cognates for Geology and environmental studies-geology majors

Majors are required to take at least one semester of the following courses:

Chemistry

103. General Chemistry. and

Mathematics

135. Calculus. and

Physics

151. University Physics. or Biology 101. General Biology.

It is highly recommended that the two-semester sequence of each be completed by both geology and environmental studies–geology majors. Career and graduate school options may be limited otherwise.