Program: B.S., Geology
Geology Option
Program Description
This option provides the most flexibility, preparing students for a full range of technical careers in geoscience and for advanced studies in graduate school. It can be specialized toward different branches of geosciences by the appropriate choices of elective courses. The B.S. Honors Program is available for this option.
Program Requirements
A. Tier 1 (4 units)
Any 100-level GEOL course and any 100-level GEOL lab (3/1)
B. Tier Math and Science (18-20 units)
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I (3)
CHEM 101D Problem Solving in General Chemistry I (1)
CHEM 101L General Chemistry I Lab (1)
MATH 150B Calculus II (5)
or MATH 140 Introductory Statistics (4)
C. Tier 2 (16 units)
GEOL 303 Communicating Geoscience (2)
GEOL 306/L Earth Materials and Lab (3/1)
GEOL 309/L Earth Tectonics and Structure and Lab (3/1)
GEOL 313 Field Methods (2)
GEOL 314/L Earth Systems and Lab (3/1)
D. Tier 3 (24-28 units)
GEOL 307/L Petrology and Lab (3/1)
GEOL 310/L Advanced Structural Geology and Lab (3/1)
GEOL 341/L Sedimentology and Stratigraphy and Lab (3/1)
Four additional upper division GEOL courses (exclusive of GEOL 300, GEOL 301, GEOL 324, GEOL 327 and GEOL 344) including required lab if applicable (12-16 units). GEOG 365/GEOG 365L may be used as one of these four upper division elective courses.
Students in the Honors Program must take GEOL 497 (1) and GEOL 498 (3) and three additional upper division GEOL courses (exclusive of GEOL 300, GEOL 301, GEOL 324, GEOL 327 and GEOL 344) including required lab if applicable (9-12 units). GEOG 365/GEOG 365L may be used as one of these three upper division elective courses.
E. Tier 4 (7 units)
GEOL 430A/B Summer Field Geology (2-2)
GEOL 490 Senior Capstone (3)
F. General Education (48 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.
9 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: CHEM 101 satisfies B1 Physical Science; CHEM 101L satisfies B3 Science Laboratory Activity; MATH 150A satisfies Basic Skills B4 Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning; and GEOL 314 satisfies B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning.
Total Units in the Major/Option: 69-75
General Education Units: 39
Additional Units: 6-12
Total Units Required for the B.S. Degree: 120
More information
For more information about this program, please contact geology@csun.edu.
Contact
Department of Geological Sciences
Chair: Richard V. Heermance
Live Oak Hall (LO) 1202
(818) 677-3541
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a Bachelor of Science in Geology will be able to:
- Demonstrate conceptual understanding of different earth materials and systems and the processes that shape them throughout their history.
- Identify geologic problems, use scientific problem solving to aid in their solution and reflect on the findings, both independently and in collaboration with others.
- Demonstrate skills in standard data-collection and data-analysis methods in both lab and field settings.
- Communicate geoscience discoveries to scientific and public audiences with precision, clarity and conviction.