Geology (First Year and Transfer)

• Information for Transfer Students

Geology
Academic Bulletin

Who might want to be a Geo Major/Minor? Students who tell you they are interested in: watersheds, water quality, energy resources, minerals, climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, fossils/dinosaurs, oceanography, marine biology, mountains, hiking.

Often times, students will say they are interested broadly in “the environment” or “the outdoors”. If that’s the case, we usually suggest that the student take Geo 110 (Physical Geology) and ES110 (Intro to Environmental Science). For both Geo 110 and ES110, there are always spaces reserved for first year students, so please encourage students to enroll in this courses their first year! It is much harder to get into the courses during the sophomore and junior years.

What is the best starting course for a Geo to take? Geo 110 in their first semester

For a student who is potentially going to major and minor outside of the natural sciences, we offer Geo 109 (Geologic Hazards) as a non-lab course that satisfies the SP and QR distribution requirements. Geo 109 is also an approved course for the GHS major/minor and for ESS majors. It’s a great course for first year students. Students who want to potentially major or minor in Geo should be advised to take GEO 110 and not GEO 109.

The Geology Department has three tracks for the Major:
Geology (B.A. or B.S.)
Environmental Geology (B.S.)

Each major track prepares students for geoscience career paths. The two B.S. tracks prepare students for graduate programs in geology and also fulfill the academic requirements needed for certification as a licensed professional geologist.

The B.A. track also prepares students to work in geoscience jobs; it’s also designed to to prepare students for law school and/or entry into career fields such as K-12 teaching, public policy, and working with non-profit organizations. With fewer courses, the B.A. track also more readily accommodates double majors.

Students can double major in both Geology and Environmental Science & Sustainability or major in ESS and minor in Geo. There is no minor in ESS.

All three major tracks require the following geology courses:

Upper level courses are offered on an alternate-year basis. Students should schedule a meeting with Professor O’Brien to determine their schedule for sophomore year.

For students with interest in a Geology Major, please note the following:

• It is most important to take Geology 110 during the first year (ideally fall semester). If the student has Geo 110 transfer credit, they should take Geo 120 in the spring.
• It is to the student’s advantage to start their physics, math, or chemistry sequence in their first year if possible. A Geo student should choose which allied science sequence to take based on his/her/their academic strengths and interests. In the absence of a student preference, we advise taking Physics 101 in the Spring of freshman year
• It is strongly recommended to take Geology 120 during the first year (Spring semester following Geology 110 in the Fall semester). Geology 120 is offered every spring semester.
• FSGEO 201 is required for the Geology major and minor and is designed for students in their second year. This course is offered every Fall semester.

Suggested Schedule for the Geology Major:

 The Geology Minor requirment 20 credit hours

• Both GEO 110 and GEO 120 are required for the minor
• Students must take 12 credit hours of electives to complete the minor. We suggest that students meet with the Department Chair to create a plan for what those electives should be.

Information for Transfer Students

The Geology Department welcomes transfer students and will work with them to find the best path to accomplish their wish to pursue a Geo major or minor.

Three Geology courses that students can potentially transfer in as Allegheny equivalent courses are:

• Geo 110 (Physical Geology) –Transfer course needs to have 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours
• Geo 120 (Earth History & Evolution) – Transfer course needs to have 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab
• Geo 109 (Geologic Hazards)-Transfer course needs to have 3 hours of lecture

Many of the cognate science classes in Math, Chemistry, Biology and/or Physics that transfer in to Allegheny can be used towards a Geology major.

Other courses (e.g..Introduction to Oceanography, Physical Geography) will transfer in as Geology elective credits. These electives may be able to be used for a Geology major, minor, and/or Environmental Science & Sustainability major.