The BS degree program, providing comprehensive training in geology and allied natural sciences, prepares graduates for professional work in industry or government, as well as for graduate study in any field of geoscience or environmental sciences. This program prepares students for the examination for the professional geologist license. Students who expect to earn the BS in geology within a minimum amount of time (four years as a full-time student) should have completed geometry, trigonometry, two years of algebra, and chemistry in high school.
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BS 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 BS requires a minimum of 43 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 | 9-10 | |
| Required Core Courses | ||
| GEOL 111 | General Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 312 | Historical Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 320 | Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 324 | Petrology and Petrography | 3 |
| GEOL 522 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | 4 |
| GEOL 540 | Field Map Methods | 3 |
| GEOL 544 | Structural Geology | 3 |
| GEOL 570 | Biogeology | 3 |
| Required Capstone Course | ||
| GEOL 640 | Field Geology | 6 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Select an additional 9 credit hours of upper-division geology electives chosen to match the student’s career interest and in consultation with an advisor from the geology department. An additional elective capstone course is: | 9 | |
| Geohydrology | ||
| Required Supporting Sciences 2 | ||
| MATH 242 & MATH 243 | Calculus I and Calculus II | 10 |
| STAT 370 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| CHEM 211 & CHEM 212 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 10 |
| Select one of the following combinations | 10 | |
| General College Physics I and General College Physics II | ||
| Physics for Scientists I and University Physics Lab I and Physics for Scientists II and University Physics Lab II 3 | ||
| 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.
- 3
PHYS 313 requires PHYS 315 as corequisite. PHYS 314 requires PHYS 316 as corequisite.
Students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in environmental sciences should also consider taking BIOL 210 and BIOL 418.
Applied Learning
Students in the BS 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 GEOL 640. Successful completion of this course will serve as fulfillment of the university's applied learning/research experience requirement.