BA in Geology
The BA degree program, providing flexible, broad training in the earth sciences, is for students who wish to combine the geology major with teacher preparation (K–12), environmental studies, land-use planning, science journalism, environmental law, natural resource management/business or similar majors. The BA degree also is suited to students discovering geology as an interest later in their college or life experience. This program represents a minimum proficiency. Students are strongly advised to elect additional courses in geology and supporting sciences if they are interested in pursuing graduate studies in the geosciences after earning the BA.
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BA in geology. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students must meet the following requirements.
A major with the BA requires a minimum of 30 credit hours in geology, including:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Select courses to meet General Education requirements 1 | 34-35 | |
| College Requirements | ||
| LAS Competencies and Electives - select enough courses to reach 120 credit hours and complete all LAS Competency Areas 1 | 34-40 | |
| Required Core Courses | ||
| GEOL 102 | Earth Science and the Environment | 4 |
| or GEOL 111 | General Geology | |
| GEOL 302 | Earth and Space Sciences | 3 |
| GEOL 312 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 320 | Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 522 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | 4 |
| GEOL 544 | Structural Geology | 3 |
| Capstone Course | ||
| Select one of the following capstone courses | 3-6 | |
| Geochemical Cycling | ||
| Field Geology | ||
| Geohydrology | ||
| Geologic Perspectives on Climatic Change | ||
| Additional Courses | ||
| Select an additional 6 credit hours of electives chosen from the catalog listings for geology to match the student’s career interest and in consultation with an advisor from the geology department | 6 | |
| Required Supporting Sciences 2 | ||
| STAT 370 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 112 | Precalculus Mathematics | 3-5 |
| or MATH 123 | College Trigonometry | |
| CHEM 103 | Introductory General, Organic and Biochemistry | 5 |
| or CHEM 211 | General Chemistry I | |
| PHYS 111 | Introductory Physics (if the student did not have high school physics) | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.
- 2
It is recommended that the required supporting sciences courses be taken prior to, or at least concurrently with, the required core courses in geology listed above.
Students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in environmental sciences should also consider taking PHYS 213 and PHYS 214, BIOL 210 and BIOL 418, CHEM 211 and CHEM 212, and MATH 242 or earning a BS degree in geology.
Applied Learning
Students in the BA in geology program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from this program. The requirement can be met by taking either GEOL 640 or GEOL 650. Successful completion of either course will serve as fulfillment of the university's applied learning/research experience requirement.