2018-2019 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Science in Geology

• Requirements for a Major in Geology
• 3. Emphases
• Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Geology
• Geology B.S. - Environmental Emphasis Option

Requirements for a Major in Geology

Completion of a B.S. in geology requires the following:

1. General Education Requirements

As identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog.

2. Geology Core Courses

Requires 46 to 47 semester hours of geology courses with a minimum overall GPA of C (2.0):

Core geology courses (33 semester hours):

• GEO 111 - Exploring the Earth (4 credits)
• GEO 112 - Earth History (4 credits)
• GEO 175 - Research Tools for Geosciences (1 credit)
• GEO 214 - Solid Earth Materials and Systems (4 credits)
• GEO 220 - Earth Surface Materials and Systems (4 credits)
• GEO 311 - Structural Geology (4 credits)
• GEO 312 - Sedimentation-Stratigraphy (4 credits)
• GEO 485 - Geology Research and Writing Seminar (1 credit)
• GEO 486 - Geology Reading Seminar (1 credit)
• Geology Field Requirement (Credits: 6)

Students must complete one of the following options that includes a summer field camp in geology (taught by another college or university) that is approved as GEO 493. Credits: 3 to 6

• GEO 315 - Geological Field Methods (3 credits) (Credits: 3) AND an approved Field camp: GEO 493 - Applied Field Geology (1 to 8 credits) (Credits: 3)
• Approved Field camp: GEO 493 - Applied Field Geology (1 to 8 credits) (Credits: 6)

3. Emphases

Requires 13 to 14 semester hours from either the geology B.S. or the geology B.S. environmental emphasis.

Geology B.S.

• GEO 314 - Petrography: Mineral and Rock Analysis (2 credits)
• One of the following: (Credits 2 or 3)
  • GEO 414 - Advanced Petrology (2 credits)
  • GEO 411 - Global Tectonics (3 credits)
• GEO electives - Three Geology courses at the 300- or 400-level
  (Geology Issues courses cannot count toward the geology major.)
  At least 9 semester credits

Geology B.S. Environmental Emphasis

• GEO 320 - Geomorphology (4 credits)
• GEO 440 - Geohydrology (3 credits)

Choose one from:

• GEO 420 - Glacial and Quaternary Geology (4 credits)
• GEO 425 - GIS Applications in Geology (3 credits)
• GEO 430 - Oceanography (3 credits)
• GEO 445 - Introduction to Geochemistry (3 credits)
• GEO 470 - Geophysics (4 credits)
  
• GEO elective: One geology course at the 300- or 400-level
  (Geology Issues courses cannot count toward the geology major.)
  At least three semester credits.

4. Required Cognate Science Courses

Requires 31 to 33 semester hours of cognate science courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and/or geographic information systems as follows.

a. Two chemistry courses

• CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)
• CHM 116 - Principles of Chemistry II (5 credits)

b. Two physics courses

One of the following pairs:

EITHER

• PHY 220 - General Physics I (5 credits)
• PHY 221 - General Physics II (5 credits)

OR

• PHY 230 - Principles of Physics I (5 credits)
• PHY 231 - Principles of Physics II (5 credits)

c. Basic mathematics courses

• MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
• MTH 123 - Trigonometry (3 credits)

d. Two additional mathematics, statistics, computer science or geographic information systems courses

Choose two courses from ONE of the following options:

EITHER Calculus

• MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
• MTH 202 - Calculus II (4 credits)

OR Statistics

• STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
• STA 216 - Intermediate Applied Statistics (3 credits)

OR Computer Science

Choose one course from each group of CIS courses:

Group 1

• CIS 160 - Programming with Visual Basic (3 credits)
• CIS 161 - Computational Science (3 credits)
• CIS 162 - Computer Science I (4 credits)

Group 2

• CIS 163 - Computer Science II (4 credits)
• CIS 231 - Problem Solving Using Spreadsheets (3 credits)
• CIS 260 - Application Development in Visual Basic (4 credits)

OR Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• GPY 307 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)

AND ONE of the following:

• GPY 407 - Advanced GIS (4 credits)
• GEO 425 - GIS Applications in Geology (3 credits)
• NRM 395 - GIS Applications in Resource Management (3 credits)

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Geology

First Year

Fall Semester Credits: 15

• CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)
• GEO 111 - Exploring the Earth (4 credits)
• MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
• WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)

Winter Semester Credits: 15

• General education courses Credits: 6
• CHM 116 - Principles of Chemistry II (5 credits)
• GEO 112 - Earth History (4 credits)

Second Year

Fall Semester Credits: 14 to 16

• General education courses Credits: 6
• Geology elective Credits: 3
• GEO 214 - Solid Earth Materials and Systems (4 credits) OR GEO 220 - Earth Surface Materials and Systems (4 credits)
• GEO 175 - Research Tools for Geosciences (1 credit)
• MTH/CIS/STA Elective Credits: 3 to 5

Winter Semester Credits: 13 to 17

• General education courses Credits: 6 to 9
• GEO 214 - Solid Earth Materials and Systems (4 credits) OR GEO 220 - Earth Surface Materials and Systems (4 credits)
• MTH/CIS/STA Elective Credits: 3 to 5

Geology B.S. Option

Third Year

Fall Semester Credits: 15

• General education course Credits: 3
• GEO 311 - Structural Geology (4 credits)
• GEO 315 - Geological Field Methods (3 credits)
• Physics sequence Credits: 5

Winter Semester Credits: 14

• General education course Credits: 3
• GEO 312 - Sedimentation-Stratigraphy (4 credits)
• GEO 314 - Petrography: Mineral and Rock Analysis (2 credits)
• Physics sequence Credits: 5

Summer Field Course Credits: 3 to 6

Fourth Year

Fall Semester Credits: 13

• Geology elective Credits: 3-4
• General education course Credits: 3-6
• GEO 486 - Geology Reading Seminar (1 credit)
• Elective Credits: 3

Winter Semester Credits: 13

• General education course Credits: 3
• Geology elective Credits: 3
• Electives Credits: 6
• GEO 485 - Geology Research and Writing Seminar (1 credit)
• GEO 411 - Global Tectonics (3 credits)

Geology B.S. - Environmental Emphasis Option

Third Year

Fall Semester Credits: 16

• General education course Credits: 3
• GEO 311 - Structural Geology (4 credits)
• GEO 320 - Geomorphology (4 credits) OR GEO 440 - Geohydrology (3 credits)
• Physics sequence Credits: 5

Winter Semester Credits: 14 to 16

• General education course Credits: 3
• Geology elective Credits: 2 to 4
• GEO 312 - Sedimentation-Stratigraphy (4 credits)
• Physics sequence Credits: 5

Summer Field Course Credits: 3 to 6

Fourth Year

Fall Semester Credits: 12 to 15

• GEO 320 - Geomorphology (4 credits) OR GEO 440 - Geohydrology (3 credits)
• GEO 486 - Geology Reading Seminar (1 credit)
• General education course Credits: 3 to 6
• Geology elective Credits: 3 to 4

Winter Semester Credits: 13

• General education course Credits: 3
• Geology elective Credits: 3
• Electives Credits: 6
• GEO 485 - Geology Research and Writing Seminar (1 credit)

Geology Program Description

Click here for the program description.