Geology Major (BS)
Degree requirements. Students earning the bachelor of science (BS) degree must complete all University, college (see pp. 52-53), and departmental degree requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major requirements, all requirements for an approved minor, and sufficient other credits to total 128 applicable semester hours.
Admission into the major. Students are expected to declare a major formally no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). With the assistance of an advisor in the major department, students should complete the “Declaration of Major” form.
Grade point average. A 2.0 grade point average in the major is required for completion of the degree. The major GPA is calculated based on all courses applicable to the major that the student has attempted at UA.
Major courses. The major in geology culminating in the BS degree requires successful completion of the following 36 semester hours:
Upper-level residency. A minimum of 12 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the major must be earned on this campus.
Ancillary courses. Grades in ancillary courses are not computed into the major GPA. This major requires successful completion of the following courses outside the major:
|CH 101 or CH 117||4|
|CH 102 or CH 118||4|
|PH 105 or PH 125||4|
|PH 106 or PH 126||4|
|MATH 125 or MATH 145||4|
|MATH 126 or MATH 146||4|
|MATH 227 or MATH 247||4|
Required minor. The geology major (BS) requires completion of a minor.
Additional major requirements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, college, major, and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be cleared for registration each semester. College advisors are also available for additional assistance with minor, college, and University requirements.
Special opportunities. Interested students pursuing a major in geology (BS or BSG) can apply for admission to the geological sciences honors program after earning 13 hours of geological science courses. In addition to meeting the major requirements for BS or BSG, participants must maintain a 3.3 GPA for all geological science courses and 3.0 overall GPA. Honors students earn a grade of “Pass” or “Fail” in the honors seminars (GEO 435 and GEO 436). They must also complete 6 hours of honors research (GEO 499) and present the results in the honors seminar. Students should also submit an acceptable honors thesis based on research conducted under the supervision of a faculty member of the Department of Geological Sciences.