The Bachelor of Science in Geology

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

This major has approved GE modification(s). See below for information on how to apply these modification(s).

• GEOS 580 is an approved major course substitution for Upper Division Natural Sciences.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 65-66 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Lower-Division Requirements: 21-22 units

4 courses required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
CHEM 111	General Chemistry		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: Completion of ELM requirement; second-year high school algebra; one year high school chemistry. (One year of high school physics and one year of high school mathematics past Algebra II are recommended.) Principles of chemistry for students in science and engineering programs. Topics include atoms, molecules and ions, reactions, stoichiometry, the periodic table, bonding, chemical energy, gases, and solution chemistry. The laboratory sequence supports the above topics including both qualitative and quantitative experiments, analysis of data, and error propagation. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. This is an approved General Education course. (001816)
GEOS 102	Physical Geology		3.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: High school chemistry or physics is recommended; students with no previous science courses are advised to enroll in GEOS 101. No college credit for those who have passed GEOS 101. Physical and chemical processes in the earth, including origin and identification of rocks and minerals; earth's interior; movements and major features of the earth's crust; erosion and sedimentation; geological structures; topographic maps; mineral resources. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. This is an approved General Education course. (004069)
GEOS 203	Principles of Historical Geology		3.0	FA
Prerequisites: GEOS 101 or GEOS 102. Principles of historical geology as they relate to rock sequences and geologic maps. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (004070)
MATH 120	Analytic Geometry and Calculus		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: GE Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Ready; both MATH 118 and MATH 119 (or college equivalent); first-year freshmen who successfully completed trigonometry and precalculus in high school can meet this prerequisite by achieving a score that meets department guidelines on a department administered calculus readiness exam. Limits and continuity. The derivative and applications to related rates, maxma and minima, and curve sketching. Transcendental functions. An introduction to the definite integral and area. 4 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (005506)

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

Students who are considering attending graduate school should talk with an advisor about additional preparatory courses in chemistry, mathematics, and physics. The department very strongly recommends CHEM 111, CHEM 112, MATH 120, MATH 121; either PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B or PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, and PHYS 204C.

Upper-Division Requirements: 44 units

12 courses required:

4 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
GEOS 325	Geology of California		3.0	S2
Prerequisite: GEOS 101 or GEOS 102. Geologic setting of California and historical development of its geologic provinces. The impact of earthquakes, volcanic activity, coastal erosion, and earth resources on California. Field trip required. 3 hours discussion. (004085)
GEOS 390	Surficial Processes		3.0	F1
Prerequisites: MATH 120; either PHYS 202A or PHYS 204A. A survey of the processes governing uplift and denudation of landscapes, including isostasy, chemical and physical weathering, mass movements, surface water erosion, formation of channels, and flow and sediment transport. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (004152)
GEOS 415	Hydrogeology		3.0	SP
Prerequisites: CHEM 111, GEOS 306, GEOS 380, MATH 120; PHYS 202A or PHYS 204A. Recommended: GEOS 307. Theory and analysis of groundwater flow, including fluid physics, aquifer properties, soil water, groundwater recharge, hydrogeologic environments, aquifer mechanics, and water quality degradation. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. (004102)
GEOS 436	Volcanology		3.0	S1
Prerequisites: GEOS 101 or GEOS 102, GEOS 306, or faculty permission. An introduction to physical processes associated with terrestrial and extraterrestrial volcanoes and their products. Specific topics include volcano monitoring, rheologic properties of magma and volcanic flows, experimental volcanology, theoretical and analog flow modeling, as well as in-depth examination of local volcanoes and various eruptions (past, present, and future). This course includes an extended (4-5 days) field trip, required for all students. Students participate in the field by collecting data for future course projects, presenting prepared information at various field trip stops, or both. Students also complete research projects throughout the semester. 3 hours lecture. (020293)
GEOS 450	Tectonics		3.0	S1
Prerequisites: GEOS 306, GEOS 307. Evolution of the larger features of the earth; continents, oceans, mountain ranges, and lithospheric plates. Methods of tectonic analysis, including interpretation. Geologic development of the western United States. 3 hours discussion. (004110)
GEOS 565	Geochemistry		3.0	F2
Prerequisites: CHEM 111, GEOS 102. Recommended: GEOS 306. Investigation of the chemistry of minerals, rocks, and natural waters. Provides students with interests in geology, hydrology, environmental science, and other disciplines a background on the chemical compositions of rocks, minerals, and natural waters; chemical processes in the formation of rocks and waters; principles of reaction chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinetics applied to geochemical systems; and migration of chemical contaminants in the environment. 3 hours lecture. (004115)
GEOS 640	Hydrogeochemistry		3.0	SP
Prerequisites: CHEM 111, CHEM 112. Recommended: GEOS 516 or GEOS 565. Origins and sources of chemical constituents of natural waters, including water-rock interactions, equilibrium aqueous speciation, reaction-path modeling, oxidation-reduction reactions, mineral solubility relations, geochemical transport, reaction kinetics, and aqueous isotopic systems. 3 hours seminar. (004186)
GEOS 645	Applied Geophysics		3.0	S2
Prerequisites: One year of physics, GEOS 102, or faculty permission. Introduction to solid-earth geophysical exploration techniques and data analysis. Includes electrical, electromagnetic, gravimetric, and seismic surveying, and wireline well logging. Concentration on problems in environmental science, hydrology, mineral prospecting, and oil exploration. Students apply these techniques to solve real-world problems. 3 hours discussion. Formerly GEOS 545. (004112)
GEOS 649	Economic Geology		3.0	F2
Prerequisites: GEOS 306, GEOS 307, GEOS 402, GEOS 403; or faculty permission. The integrative course dealing with origins and occurrences of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits, including factors in their use. This course involves scholarly presentation of independent study research. 3 hours discussion. Formerly GEOS 549. (004111)
GEOS 655	Fossil Fuels		3.0	F2
Prerequisite: GEOS 307 or faculty permission. Geological principles and environmental impacts of exploring for and exploiting resources of petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, oil sands, coal, and coalbed-methane. Applications using geological data, potential sites for CO2 sequestration and environmental impact assessments are emphasized. This course involves the application of theory to new ideas, problems, and materials. 3 hours lecture. Formerly GEOS 550. (020574)
GEOS 670	Environmental and Engineering Geology		3.0	F1
Prerequisites: GEOS 102, GEOS 203, GEOS 306. For majors in related sciences and technical fields, GEOS 102 only. Practical application of techniques to solve geological engineering and environmental problems. Techniques of surface investigations and remote sensing; borehole and surface geophysics; soil descriptions and properties; landslide mapping, mechanics and remediation, subsurface investigation of rock masses; mapping of discontinuities, establishing rock quality, tunneling techniques. Seismic studies; surface and trench mapping of faults, seismic risk analysis. Ground water monitoring, site assessment, techniques of hazardous waste cleanup, state and federal regulations on hazardous waste, siting of landfills. Students in this course apply these theories to new ideas. 3 hours lecture. Formerly GEOS 570. (004116)

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

• You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
• You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
• Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
• Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.