The University of St. Thomas

Bachelor of Sciences in Geology

Major in Geology (B.S.)

  • Four credits from the following:
    • GEOL 110 Geology of the National Parks (4 credits)
    • GEOL 111 Introductory Physical Geology (4 credits)
    • GEOL 113 The Earth’s Record of Climate (4 credits)
    • GEOL 114 The Science of Natural Disasters (4 credits)
    • GEOL 115 Environmental Geology (4 credits)
  • Plus:
    • GEOL 211 Earth Materials (4 credits)
      or GEOL 310 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
    • GEOL 260 Regional Geology and Field Methods (4 credits)
    • GEOL 320 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 credits)
    • GEOL 340 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I (Petrology) (4 credits)
    • GEOL 360 Fundamentals of the Lithosphere II (Structural Geology) (4 credits)
    • GEOL 430 Advanced Earth History (4 credits)
  • Plus twelve credits from the following (four credits of which must be at the 400-level):
    • GEOL 130 Earth History (4 credits)
    • GEOL 211 Earth Materials (if not chosen above) (4 credits)
    • GEOL 220 Oceanography (4 credits)
    • GEOL 252 Earth Surface Processes and Geomorphology (4 credits)
    • GEOL 310 Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits) (if not chosen above)
    • GEOL 410 Hydrogeology (4 credits)
    • GEOL 460 Advanced Field Methods (4 credits)
    • GEOL 494 Research (4 credits)
      Note: GEOG 321 Geographic Information Systems and geology courses offered at Macalester College may fulfill one of these courses with permission of chair
  • Allied requirements
    • MATH 113 Calculus I (4 credits) or MATH 109 Calculus with Review II (4 credits)
    • MATH 114 Calculus II (4 credits)
    • CHEM 111 General Chemistry I (4 credits)
    • CHEM 112 General Chemistry II (4 credits)
    • PHYS 111 Introduction to Classical Physics I (4 credits)
    • PHYS 112 Introduction to Classical Physics II (4 credits)
    • MATH 303 Statistics for the Applied Sciences (4 credits)
      or QMCS 220 Statistics I (4 credits)
  • For students wishing to pursue careers in paleontology, geobiology, or geomicrobiology:
    • BIOL 201 Diversity and Adaptation (4 credits)
      and 202 Genetics and Population (4 credits)
      Biology may be substituted for one of the CHEM/PHYS sequences with permission of chair

Depending on a student’s interest and career goals, substitutions may be made for other advanced courses in Biology,Chemistry, or Physics for certain listed courses, in consultation with the geology department chair.