Students planning careers as professional geologists normally complete the emphasis in geology. The emphasis in environmental geosciences is designed for students seeking a broad scientific base for pursuit of careers in professions that may utilize environmental knowledge, such as land-use planning, law, political science or economics and therefore includes several courses in or related to a cross-disciplinary department of the student’s choice. These courses may provide the basis for the completion of a minor in that department. Students planning to pursue initial educator licensure to teach in grades 9-12 will usually select the emphasis in earth science education, but completion of the emphasis does not fulfill all the requirements for initial educator licensure.
Seniors having a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and having completed at least 26 semester hours in geology and environmental geosciences are eligible to undertake a senior thesis. It is the student’s responsibility to find a faculty member willing to serve as project adviser. The Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences cannot guarantee any student an adviser. A course permit number will not be issued until a project adviser approval form has been filed with the undergraduate adviser. A second committee member will be appointed by the departmental undergraduate committee. The thesis shall be a written report prepared in accordance with accepted guidelines for published scientific literature and reflecting a research effort commensurate with the hours of credit to be earned.
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
With prior approval from departmental undergraduate adviser, students may substitute field courses taken at other universities as long as those courses carry a combined total of at least 4 credit hours.
Upper-division GEOL course work, which may include senior thesis, selected in consultation with undergraduate adviser (15)
Requirements outside Department (24)
Additional courses may be substituted with written approval of the departmental undergraduate adviser.
Please note corequisite information in course descriptions.
(With prior approval from departmental undergraduate adviser, students may substitute field courses taken at other universities as long as those courses carry a combined total of at least 4 credit hours.)
Upper-division GEOL course work (9-12) of which a minimum of 9 semester hours shall be in courses other than GEOL 489, GEOL 498,or GEOL 499 (except by approval of the undergraduate adviser).
Additional Requirement: The 9-12 hours of upper-division GEOL course work and 9-12 hours of upper-division approved course work from the co-disciplinary departments must together total to a minimum of 20 hours.
One of the following groups of courses–Physics or Biological Sciences
Total Hours for Emphasis 2, Environmental Geosciences: 69-75
Emphasis 3. Earth and Space Science Education
Requirements listed in these sections are minimum requirements. Meeting these requirements will not guarantee students admission to the geology and environmental geosciences educator licensure program or courses.
Completion of this emphasis does not fulfill all requirements for initial educator licensure.
Additional Requirements for Earth Science Education (6)
Upper-division course work in geology and environmental geosciences or, with approval of the licensure coordinator, from other areas of earth science, usually physical geography, meteorology, or astronomy (6)
Total Requirements in Department (43)
Requirements outside Department (47-53)
Please note corequisite information in course descriptions.
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