Geology: Environmental Geology, B.S.

Introductory Courses (8 credit hours)

• GEOL 1025 - Geology of the National Parks (LC or NL) or
• GEOL 1030 - Natural Hazards (LC or NL) or
• GEOL 1110 - Physical Geology (LC) and
• GEOL 1110L - Physical Geology Laboratory (LB)

•  

  or

   

• GEOL 1040 - Earth’s Resources and the Environment (LC or NL) or
• GEOL 2200 - Global Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future (LC or NL) or
• GEOL 2250 - Oceanography (LC or NL) and
• GEOL 1105L - Earth and Environment Lab (LB) and

•  

• GEOL 1120 - Historical Geology (LC) and
• GEOL 1120L - Historical Geology Laboratory (LB)

Basic Sciences (16 credit hours)

*Must take first course in sequence (CHEM 1110/L, PHYS 1030/L or PHYS 2300/L, and BIOL 111 or ESC 1500) and take one course as second sequence from (CHEM 1120/L, PHYS 1040/L or PHYS 2310/L and BIOL 1120 or ESC 1510).

• Required:

• CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry I (LC) and
• CHEM 1110L - General Chemistry I Laboratory (LB)

•  

  And

  Choose one from the following:

• BIOL 1110 - Principles of Biology I (LL) or
• ESC 1500 - Introduction to Environmental Science I (LL)

•  

  And

  Choose one of the following:

• PHYS 1030 - General Physics - Mechanics and Heat (LC) and
• PHYS 1030L - General Physics Laboratory - Mechanics and Heat (LB)

• or

• PHYS 2300 - Principles of Physics - Mechanics and Heat (LC) and
• PHYS 2300L - Principles of Physics Laboratory-Mechanics and Heat (LB)

•  

• And

  Choose from one of the following:

• BIOL 1120 - Principles of Biology II (LL) or
• ESC 1510 - Introduction to Environmental Science II (LL)

• or

• CHEM 1120 - General Chemistry II and
• CHEM 1120L - General Chemistry II Laboratory

• or

• PHYS 1040 - General Physics - Electromagnetism and Optics (LC) and
• PHYS 1040L - General Physics Laboratory - Electromagnetism and Optics (LB)

• or

• PHYS 2310 - Principles of Physics - Electricity and Magnetism (LC) and
• PHYS 2310L - Principles of Physics Laboratory - Electricity and Magnetism (LB)

Mathematics (4 credit hours)

* Students should speak to their Geology advisors about taking the math course that best suits their post-graduation plans.

• MATH 1730 - Combined Precalculus (QR) or
• MATH 1950 - Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (QR) (preferred)

Writing in the Discipline (3 credit hours)

• ENGL 2810 - Technical Writing or
• ENGL 2820 - Scientific Writing

Core Geology Course (20 credit hours)

• GEOL 2100 - Introductory Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
• GEOL 3410 - Mineralogy
• GEOL 3540 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
• GEOL 4080 - Earth Surface Processes
• GEOL 4510 - Structural Geology

Capstone Research (4 credit hours)

4 credits of research experience. Must take GEOL 4800 and 4900 of the Departmental Thesis option.

• GEOL 4800 - Research Design and
• GEOL 4900 - Senior Research Project or
• GEOL 4995R - Departmental Thesis

Environmental Geology Concentration Requirements (18-19 credit hours)

• GEOL 3230 - Environmental Geology
• GEOL 4450 - Hydrology

•  

• ESC 4070 - Principles of Conservation Biology

• and

• GEOL 3220 - Soil Properties, Genesis, and Development Across the Landscape or
• BIOL 4680 - Introduction to Soil Resources or
• ESC 4680 - Introduction to Soil Resources

•  

  One additional course (minimum 3 credit hours) in ESC or GEOL at the 3000-4000 level.

Licensure to Teach

Students seeking licensure to teach Geology should pursue their major through Geology: STEM Education, B.S. 

Requirements to take State Board Exam (ASBOG) towards licensure

An application for approval to take the Fundamentals of Geology (FG) examination is designed for applicants who want to take the FG examination before acquiring the professional geologic work experience required for licensure. It is recommended that you take the FG examination during your final semester in college (assessment examination) or shortly after graduating from college. You must have completed a minimum of 30 hours of Geology coursework to take the exam. Students should consult with their Geology faculty advisor/mentor to plan coursework that will contribute to success on the FG exam.

Field Work

Geology majors are encouraged to enroll in a field geology course (field camp) during the summer following the junior or senior year. In the latter case, graduation will be postponed until August and the requirement that the last 30 hours be completed at UTC will be waived. It is still required, however, that at least 30 hours be completed at UTC.

Graduate Study Preparation

Most graduate schools in geology require a minimum of 1 year of calculus, 1 year of calculus-based physics, and a good background in courses from biology, chemistry, and computer science, and a geology field camp. Therefore, students intending to pursue a graduate degree in geology should take those courses that will best prepare them for the graduate program of their choice. It is strongly recommended that the prospective graduate student also take GEOL 4997R .

MATH 1710  and MATH 1720  may be recommended to precede MATH 1950 , depending on the preparation of the individual student.