Geology, BS

Bachelor of Science in Geology

More on the Geology major

Geology is the study of Earth's materials, structures and processes and how they’ve changed through time. This knowledge may be applied to addressing problems associated with environmental contamination; investigating Earth’s history to understand the evolution of life and global climate change; understanding natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides; and exploration for natural resources, including metals, petroleum and water. Geologists are employed by environmental consulting firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, natural resource companies and universities.

Core courses provide the fundamentals in:

• physical and historical geology
• mineralogy and petrography
• structural geology and plate tectonics
• sedimentology, paleontology and stratigraphy

Degree program can be tailored to a major field of interest by taking additional courses in the supporting sciences, mathematics and engineering fields. 

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the College of Arts and Sciences.  The student must maintain a minimum 2.00 grade point average.

Earn a Bachelor’s degree AND a Master’s degree in 5 years

A combined version of this degree is available to students who intend to continue on to the Master's of Science in Geology degree at the University of Akron. Please contact your advisor or the Department of Geosciences for guidance. 

The following information has official approval of The Department of Geosciences and The Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences, but is intended only as a supplemental guide. Official degree requirements are established at the time of transfer and admission to the degree-granting college. Students should refer to the Degree Progress Report (Stellic) which is definitive for graduation requirements. Completion of this degree within the identified time frame below is contingent upon many factors, including but not limited to: class availability, total number of required credits, work schedule, finances, family, course drops/withdrawals, successfully passing courses, prerequisites, among others. The transfer process is completed through an appointment with your academic advisor. 

Students are encouraged to visit The Department of Geosciences their freshman year to obtain preliminary information regarding the program requirements and to learn more about on-campus opportunities available to students.

Three year accelerated option: for first time students who have earned credits for at least the first year of courses. Credits can be earned through qualifying scores on appropriate Advanced Placement (AP) exams or through College Credit Plus Program (CCP) courses. Credits for qualifying AP scores or CCP courses are determined by the appropriate academic department. Departments may assign varied course credit, depending on the student’s score on an AP exam or grade in a CCP course. Students may also receive credit by examination or via placement tests, where appropriate.

Requirements

Summary

*

Bachelor's degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation.

General Education Requirements

College of Arts & Sciences Requirements

Geology Core Requirements

Geology Elective Requirements

Geology Math Requirement

Geology Chemistry Requirement

Geology Physics Requirement

¹

Upper Level Geology elective courses GEOL 421 Coastal Geology and GEOL 443 Rivers satisfy this requirement in addition to counting towards the Geology Upper Level Electives requirement.

Recommended Sequence

¹

All Geology majors should take the Math Placement Test. The BS requirement is MATH 221 Analytic Geometry-Calculus I and MATH 222 Analytic Geometry-Calculus II OR STAT 260 Basic Statistics

²

Demonstration of ability to use another language by completion of the first year of a foreign language or sign language is required. See your advisor for placement. Please note that both semesters must be completed in the SAME language and it’s recommended you begin your first language class as soon as possible.

³

Credit hours shown for General Education or Honors Distribution are general guidelines only. These courses should be chosen in accordance with the appropriate General Education curriculum guide (for non-honors students) or Honors Distribution (for honors students).

⁴

We strongly recommend selecting General Education courses that fulfill both a Breadth of Knowledge and Breadth of Perspectives requirement.  Please consult the General Education requirements to see which courses fulfill both requirements.

⁵

For students following General Education requirements we strongly recommend taking  GEOL 421 Coastal Geology or GEOL 443 Rivers to fulfill the Integrated and Applied Learning - Complex Issues Facing Society requirement.  These courses count towards this requirement and the Geology Upper Level Electives requirement.

⁶

General electives can be any course not already required by your major and Upper Level (3xx/4xx) electives can be any course in or outside your major excluding General Education courses and workshops.

Alert

1. By the end of your first 48 credit hours attempted, you must have completed your General Education English, Math, and Communications (Speech) requirements
2. By the end of your first 48 credit hours attempted, you must have declared a major and transferred to (been accepted by) a degree granting college at The University of Akron.