The Major
All students majoring in Geology are required to maintain a 2.000 average for all upper-division courses taken to fulfill degree requirements. The Junior Year Writing requirement is fulfilled by NatSi 387 CNS Junior Writing. The Integrative Experience is fulfilled by a GEOLOGY 494LI.
The Geology undergraduate program offers a B.S. degree and a B.A. degree.
B.S. Degree in Geology
The Bachelor of Science degree in Geology is intended to provide a strong education in physical, historical and surficial geology, designed for students who wish to pursue professional careers or further education in geology. The curriculum is designed to guide understanding of the processes that constantly change and shape the Earth we live on, the socio-economic challenges that these changes present to sustainability of life and human society, and the history of the Earth through geologic time from the origin of the Solar System to the present and even into the future.
Two separate Bachelor of Science subplans are available: The Geology Subplan and Earth Science Subplan. The Earth Science Subplan is designed for students planning on careers in secondary education, while the Geology Subplan is intended more broadly for scientific or technical careers.
B.S. Degree, Geology Subplan
Geology core courses (29 credits):
Choose two of:
GEOL 101 – The Earth
GEOL 103 – Intro Oceanography
GEOL 105 – Dynamic Earth
GEOG 110 – Global Environmental Change
GEOL 231 – Methods in Geosciences
GEOL 285 – Environmental Geology
GEOL 311 – Mineralogy
GEOL 351 - Skills and Methods in Earth History Studies
GEOL 394LI – Earth History: Life, Climate, Environment*
GEOG 354 – Climate Dynamics
GEOL 431 – Structural Geology
* fulfills Integrative Experience requirement
Supporting science courses (27 credits):
CHEM 111 – General Chemistry I
CHEM 112 – General Chemistry II
MATH 131 – Calculus I**
MATH 132 – Calculus II**
PHYSICS 151 – Intro Physics I**
PHYSICS 152 – Intro Physics II**
NATSCI 387 – CNS Junior Year Writing
** MATH 127/128 and PHYSICS 131/132 also accepted; consult with your advisor
Electives (16 credits):
Choose from 300- and 400-level GEOLOGY courses, 500- and 600-level GEOSCI courses, and 300- to 600-level GEOGRAPHY courses in physical geography and GIST. Examples of elective courses include:
GEOL 321 - Petrology
GEOL 331 – Geologic Mapping
GEOL 415 – Intro to Geochemistry
GEOL 445 – Sedimentology
GEOL 494LI – Living on Earth
GEOG 352 – Computer Mapping
GEOG 426 – Remote Sensing
GEOG 468 – GIS & Spatial Analysis
GEOG 560 - Geomorphology
GEOSCI 510 – Natural Hazards
GEOSCI 519 – Environmental Geochemistry
GEOSCI 531 – Tectonics
GEOSCI 557 – Coastal Processes
GEOSCI 558 – Paleoclimatology
GEOSCI 563 – Glacial Geology
GEOSCI 571 – General Geophysics
GEOSCI 572 – Environmental Geophysics
GEOSCI 587 – Hydrogeology
Many Special Topics Courses and Seminars are taught each semester and count towards electives credits. Additionally, GEOL 396 and GEOL 496 independent studies and GEOL 499P/T/T Honors Thesis Research credits count towards electives credits.
B.S. Degree, Earth Science Subplan
The Earth Science Subplan is recommended to students interested in teaching at the secondary school level, or in pursuing graduate studies leading to the M.A.T. or M.Ed. degrees. The program requires completion of courses (some specified) comprising four blocks. The Basic Earth Science Block (13 cr) requires GEOL 101 and 103 and ASTRON 100 and ASTRON 105. The Supporting Sciences Block requires at least one course in biology (BIOLOGY 103, 110, or 151), at least one course in calculus (MATH 127, 131), two semesters of chemistry (CHEM 111-112, or equivalent), and two semesters of physics (PHYSICS 131-132 or 151-152). The required courses in the Geology Block (15 cr) are GEOL 201, 231, 311, and 321. An Electives Block (9 cr) consists of upper-division courses in Geology, Geosciences or Physical Geography (courses numbered 300 and above).
Teacher Certification: Undergraduate students must achieve a passing score on the Communication and Literacy Skills Test of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Tests (MECT) prior to admission into professional preparation programs for educators. In addition to meeting other preparation program requirements, each student in a program for which there is an MECT Subject Test must pass the appropriate Subject Test as a prerequisite for enrolling in his or her practicum.
For further information about the procedures leading to teacher certification in Massachusetts, students should follow the guidelines in the Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) available at the School of Education.
Geology core courses (25 credits):
Choose two of:
GEOL 101 – The Earth
GEOL 103 – Intro Oceanography
GEOL 105 – Dynamic Earth
GEOL 231 – Methods in Geosciences
GEOL 285 – Environmental Geology
GEOL 311 – Mineralogy
GEOL 351 - Skills and Methods in Earth History Studies
GEOL 394LI – Earth History: Life, Climate, Environment*
GEOG 354 – Climate Dynamics
* fulfills Integrative Experience requirement
Supporting science courses (35 credits):
ASTRON 100 - Exploring the Universe
BIOL 110 - Intro Bio for Science Majors^
CHEM 111 – General Chemistry I
CHEM 112 – General Chemistry II
MATH 131 – Calculus I**
MATH 132 – Calculus II**
PHYSICS 151 – Intro Physics I**
PHYSICS 152 – Intro Physics II**
NATSCI 387 – CNS Junior Year Writing
^BIOL 151 also accepted
** MATH 127/128 and PHYSICS 131/132 also accepted; consult with your advisor
Electives (9 credits):
As listed above. Choose from 300- and 400-level GEOLOGY courses, 500- and 600-level GEOSCI courses, and 300- to 600-level GEOGRAPHY courses in physical geography and GIST.
B.A. Degree in Geology
The Bachelor of Arts in Geology degree is intended to provide a strong background in geology while allowing sufficient flexibility to pursue other areas as well. This degree is suitable as a second major or for students who intended to pursue careers in geology-related communications, law, public policy, or business. Note that the B.A. in Geology requires completion of a UMass foreign language requirement; see https://www.cns.umass.edu/academics/cns-degree-requirements for more details. Note also that university regulations preclude students from applying more than two classes to two credentials, so students pursuing two degrees (e.g. B.S. Geology and a B.S. in another program) can only apply two courses to both degrees.
Geology core courses (11 credits):
Choose one of:
GEOL 101 – The Earth
GEOL 103 – Intro Oceanography
GEOL 105 – Dynamic Earth
GEOL 231 – Methods in Geosciences
GEOL 351 - Skills and Methods in Earth History Studies
GEOL 394LI – Earth History: Life, Climate, Environment*
* fulfills Integrative Experience requirement
Supporting science courses (18 credits):
NATSCI 387 – CNS Junior Year Writing
Select 15 credits of additional supporting science courses from programs in the College of Natural Science chosen in consultation with an academic advisor.
Electives (18 credits):
As listed above. Choose from 300- and 400-level GEOLOGY courses, 500- and 600-level GEOSCI courses, and 300- to 600-level GEOGRAPHY courses in physical geography and GIST.