Geology, Bachelor of Science
To obtain a B.S. with a major in Geology, a student must fulfill university, college, and departmental requirements. Minimum hour requirements follow:
- 46 hours of University General Education courses - (Most commonly, Geology majors do not complete 46 hours of coursework solely for the purpose of meeting University General Education requirements. Instead, they often test out of at least three hours of fundamental academic skills, take courses that meet both the six hours of diversity requirements and six hours of distribution requirements, and meet the seven-hour natural sciences distribution requirement through completing major courses. In such cases, the number of credit hours taken solely to meet General Education requirements is reduced to 30 or fewer.)
- 12 hours of college breadth requirement
- 74 hours of major courses
- Elective hours as required to total 120 hours
TOTAL HOURS: 120
Requirements
Geology is offered as a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. Students may choose one of two tracks to follow: a general geology track and a geology career track. Requirements for each are below.
The required core courses for either the B.A. or B.S. degree in geology are:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
GEOL 1170 | INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY | 4 |
GEOL 1180 | INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL GEOLOGY | 4 |
GEOL 2300 | GEOSCIENCE DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELING | 3 |
GEOL 2750 | MINERALOGY | 3 |
GEOL 2754 | MINERALOGY LABORATORY | 1 |
GEOL 3300 | STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY | 3 |
GEOL 3310 | STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY FIELD METHODS | 1 |
GEOL 3400 | INTRODUCTION TO SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY | 3 |
GEOL 4620 | ADVANCED FIELD COURSE | 6 |
Students must choose one of the tracks below. |
General Geology Track
In addition to the core geology requirements, students wishing to follow the general geology track must also take one of the following:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
GEOL 4260 | PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY | 4 |
GEOL/GEOG 4640 | CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE | 4 |
GEOL/GEOG 4330 | SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION | 4 |
In addition, students in the General geology track must take one of the following: | ||
GEOL 4800 | INTERNSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL/REGIONAL PLANNING/EARTH SCIENCE | 3 |
GEOL 4950 | SENIOR THESIS | 3 |
In addition, the major must select at least twelve hours of geology or geography courses that should be chosen after consultation with an advisor | 12 | |
Required cognate courses are: | ||
An approved statistics course | 3 | |
CHEM 1140 | FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY | 4 |
CHEM 1144 | FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 1 |
PHYS 1110 | GENERAL PHYSICS I | 4 |
PHYS 1154 | GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I | 1 |
Select one of the following options: | ||
Option 1: | ||
PHYS 1120 | GENERAL PHYSICS II | 4 |
PHYS 1164 | GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY II | 1 |
Option 2: | ||
GEOL 4400 | GEOPHYSICS | 3 |
Geology Career Track
In addition to the core geology requirements, students wishing to follow the geology career track must also take one of the following:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
GEOL 4260 | PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY | 4 |
GEOL/GEOG 4640 | CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE | 4 |
GEOL/GEOG 4330 | SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION | 4 |
Additionally, students in the geology career track must take one of the following: | ||
GEOL 4800 | INTERNSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL/REGIONAL PLANNING/EARTH SCIENCE | 3 |
GEOL 4950 | SENIOR THESIS | 3 |
Students must also take additional geology/geography/related-field courses, which add up to at least twelve credits, and should be chosen after consultation with an advisor. | 12 | |
Required cognate courses: | ||
Chemistry | ||
CHEM 1180 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I | 3 |
CHEM 1184 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY | 1 |
Select one of the following options: | ||
Option 1: | ||
CHEM 1190 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II | 3 |
CHEM 1194 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY | 1 |
Option 2: | ||
GEOL 4540 | GEOCHEMISTRY | 3 |
Math | ||
Select one of the following options: | ||
Option 1: | ||
MATH 1950 | CALCULUS I | 5 |
MATH 1960 | CALCULUS II | 4 |
Option 2: | ||
MATH 1930 | CALCULUS FOR THE MANAGERIAL, LIFE, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES | 3 |
Physics | ||
PHYS 2110 | GENERAL PHYSICS I - CALCULUS LEVEL | 4 |
PHYS 1154 | GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I | 1 |
Select one of the following options: | ||
Option 1: | ||
PHYS 2120 | GENERAL PHYSICS-CALCULUS LEVEL | 4 |
PHYS 1164 | GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY II | 1 |
Option 2: | ||
GEOL 4400 | GEOPHYSICS | 3 |
Career Geology Track
Freshman | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
GEOL 1170 | INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY | 4 |
MATH 1930 | CALCULUS FOR THE MANAGERIAL, LIFE, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (*) | 3 |
ENGL 1150 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION I (**) | 3 |
CMST 1110 or CMST 2120 | PUBLIC SPEAKING FUNDS or ARGUMENTATION AND DEBATE | 3 |
Humanities and Fine Arts | 3 | |
**ENGL 1150: Requires appropriate placement via EPPE, AP, or ACT. | ||
Credits | 16 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 1180 | INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL GEOLOGY (*) | 4 |
CHEM 1180 & CHEM 1184 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (**) | 4 |
ENGL 1160 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION II (***) | 3 |
Social Science | 3 | |
Credits | 14 | |
Sophomore | ||
Fall | ||
GEOL 2750 & GEOL 2754 | MINERALOGY and MINERALOGY LABORATORY (*) | 4 |
GEOL 2300 | GEOSCIENCE DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELING (**) | 3 |
Humanities and Fine Arts/Global Diversity | 3 | |
HIST 1000 or Minor/2nd Major Course*** | 3 | |
***A&S College Requirement Option. | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Spring | ||
Approved GEOL Elective | 4 | |
PHYS 2110 & PHYS 1154 | GENERAL PHYSICS I - CALCULUS LEVEL and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I (*) | 5 |
Social Science/US Diversity | 3 | |
CHEM 1190 & CHEM 1194 or GEOL 4540 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (**) or GEOCHEMISTRY | 3-4 |
Credits | 15-16 | |
Junior | ||
Fall | ||
GEOL 3400 | INTRODUCTION TO SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY (*) | 3 |
Approved GEOL Elective | 3 | |
Approved GEOL Elective | 4 | |
PHYS 2120 & PHYS 1164 or GEOL 4400 | GENERAL PHYSICS-CALCULUS LEVEL (**) or GEOPHYSICS | 3-5 |
HIST 1010 or Minor/2nd Major Course*** | 3 | |
***A&S College Requirement Option. | ||
Credits | 16-18 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 3300 & GEOL 3310 | STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY and STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY FIELD METHODS (*) | 4 |
GEOL 4260 | PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY (**,***) or PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY or CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE or CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE or SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION or SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION | 4 |
Social Science# | 3 | |
Humanities and Fine Arts course^ | 3 | |
# Social Science must be in a 2nd discipline. | ||
^ HFA must be from 2nd discipline. | ||
Credits | 14 | |
Summer | ||
GEOL 4620 | ADVANCED FIELD COURSE (*,**) | 6 |
*GEOL 4620 is usually taken in the Summer between Junior and Senior Years. | ||
Credits | 6 | |
Senior | ||
Fall | ||
GEOL elective | 1 | |
Additional Humanity/Fine Arts course for A&S or Minor/2nd Major course* | 3 | |
Additional Social Science for A&S or Minor/2nd Major course** | 3 | |
Elective or Minor/2nd Major course*** | 3 | |
Elective or Minor/2nd Major course*** | 3 | |
*A&S College Requirement Option. Humanities/Fine Arts course for A&S must be in a 3rd discipline. | ||
**A&S College Requirement Option. Additional SS must be in a 3rd discipline. | ||
***120 total credits are required for a degree, with a minimum of 18 upper level (3000-4000) credits in the major and 27 upper level credits throughout the degree. Selecting 3000-4000 level electives can help you reach these minimums. | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 4800 or GEOL 4950 | INTERNSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL/REGIONAL PLANNING/EARTH SCIENCE (*,**) or SENIOR THESIS | 3 |
ENGL 3980 | TECHNICAL WRITING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES (OR Elective***) | 3 |
Elective*** | 3 | |
Elective*** | 4 | |
*GEOL 4800: Requires Senior status, major or area of concentration in geography or environmental science AND permission. | ||
**GEOL 4950: Requires Senior status | ||
***120 total credits are required for a degree, with a minimum of 18 upper level (3000-4000) credits in the major and 27 upper level credits throughout the degree. Selecting 3000-4000 level electives can help you reach these minimums. | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Total Credits | 120-123 |
General Geology Track
Freshman | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
GEOL 1170 | INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY | 4 |
MATH 1220 or MATH 1300 | COLLEGE ALGEBRA (*) or COLLEGE ALGEBRA WITH SUPPORT | 3-4 |
ENGL 1150 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION I (**) | 3 |
CMST 1110 or CMST 2120 | PUBLIC SPEAKING FUNDS or ARGUMENTATION AND DEBATE | 3 |
Humanities and Fine Arts | 3 | |
*MATH: Please see the catalog for the most up-to-date prerequisites. | ||
**ENGL 1150: Requires EPPE, ACT, or AP placement. | ||
Credits | 16-17 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 1180 | INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL GEOLOGY (*) | 4 |
CHEM 1140 & CHEM 1144 | FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY and FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (**) | 5 |
ENGL 1160 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION II (***) | 3 |
Social Science | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Sophomore | ||
Fall | ||
GEOL 2750 & GEOL 2754 | MINERALOGY and MINERALOGY LABORATORY (*) | 4 |
Statistics course** | 3 | |
HIST 1010 or Minor/2nd Major Course*** | 3 | |
Humanities and Fine Arts/Global Diversity | 3 | |
**Most statistics courses require some sort of prerequisite. Statistics is a part of the BS Cognate. | ||
***A&S College Requirement Option. | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Spring | ||
PHYS 1110 & PHYS 1154 | GENERAL PHYSICS I and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I (*) | 5 |
Approved GEOL Elective | 4 | |
Social Science/US Diversity | 3 | |
HIST 1000 or Minor/2nd Major Course** | 3 | |
**A&S College Requirement Option. | ||
Credits | 15 | |
Junior | ||
Fall | ||
GEOL 3400 | INTRODUCTION TO SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY (*) | 3 |
GEOL 2300 | GEOSCIENCE DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELING (**) | 3 |
PHYS 1120 & PHYS 1164 or GEOL 4400 | GENERAL PHYSICS II (***) or GEOPHYSICS | 3-5 |
Approved GEOL elective^ | 4 | |
Elective course (if doing GEOL 4400 above) | 2 | |
Credits | 15-17 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 3300 & GEOL 3310 | STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY and STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY FIELD METHODS (*) | 4 |
GEOL/GEOG 4260 | PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY (**,***) or CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE or CRITICAL ZONE SCIENCE or SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION or SOIL GENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION | 4 |
Social Science# | 3 | |
Social Science for A&S or Minor/2nd Major course^ | 3 | |
Elective course | 1 | |
#Social Science must be in a 2nd discipline. | ||
^Additional SS must be in a 3rd discipline. | ||
Note: 120 total credits are required for a degree, with a minimum of 18 upper level (3000-4000) credits in the major and 27 upper level credits throughout the degree. Selecting 3000-4000 level electives can help you reach these minimums. | ||
Credits | 15 | |
Summer | ||
GEOL 4620 | ADVANCED FIELD COURSE (*,**) | 6 |
*GEOL 4620 is usually taken in the Summer between Junior and Senior Years. | ||
Credits | 6 | |
Senior | ||
Fall | ||
Approved GEOL elective | 3 | |
Humanities and Fine Arts* | 3 | |
Additional Humanity & Fine Arts course for A&S or Minor/2nd Major course** | 3 | |
Elective*** | 3 | |
*Humanities/Fine Arts must be in a 2nd discipline. | ||
**A&S College Requirement Option. HFA for A&S must be in a 3rd discipline. | ||
***120 total credits are required for a degree, with a minimum of 18 upper level (3000-4000) credits in the major and 27 upper level credits throughout the degree. Selecting 3000-4000 level electives can help you reach these minimums. | ||
Credits | 12 | |
Spring | ||
GEOL 4800 or GEOL 4950 | INTERNSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL/REGIONAL PLANNING/EARTH SCIENCE (*,**) or SENIOR THESIS | 3 |
GEOL 4260 | PROCESS GEOMORPHOLOGY (if not taken previous spring) or elective/minor/2nd major course) | 4 |
ENGL 3980 | TECHNICAL WRITING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES (OR Upper Level Elective***) | 3 |
Minor or Elective course^ | 3 | |
*GEOL 4800: Requires Senior status, major or area of concentration in geography or environmental science AND permission. | ||
**GEOL 4950: Requires Senior status | ||
^120 total credits are required for a degree, with a minimum of 18 upper level (3000-4000) credits in the major and 27 upper level credits throughout the degree. Selecting 3000-4000 level electives can help you reach these minimums. | ||
Credits | 13 | |
Total Credits | 120-123 |
This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.
This plan is not a contract and curriculum is subject to change
Additional Information About this Plan:
University Degree Requirements: The minimum number of hours for a UNO undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours. Please review the requirements for your specific program to determine all requirements for the program. In order to graduate on-time (four years for an undergraduate degree), you need to take 30 hours each year.
Placement Exams: For Math, English, Foreign Language, a placement exam may be required. More information on these exams can be found at https://www.unomaha.edu/enrollment-management/testing-center/placement-exams/information.php
**Transfer credit or placement exam scores may change suggested plan of study