Academic Advising
in the College of Arts & Science
What Can I Do With a Major in Geology?
Geology is the science devoted to understanding the history of the earth and the physical and chemical processes that have shaped our planet since its birth and continue to shape it today. Geologists are earth scientists who study rocks, minerals, landforms, water, air, space, and ancient life (fossils). Simply put, geologists and other geoscientists ask questions about how the earth works. The goal of geologic inquiry can be to obtain pure knowledge about the earth; to understand and lessen the effects upon society by geologic hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and floods; to understand and even minimize the environmental impacts of human activities; and to search for new reserves of essential minerals, fossil fuels, or water.
Every day, we see news reports about subjects such as global climate change, natural disasters, energy and mineral resources, pollution, waste disposal, and water issues. With a total population of more than 6.7 billion that continues to grow ever faster, we constantly increase our demands on the earth for resources critical to human survival, deepen our impact upon the planet, and expand our potential exposure to natural and anthropogenic hazards. As a result, there is an ever-growing need for greater understanding of the earth on local to global levels, and thus for more people with geologic knowledge. Such knowledge is essential to maintain key aspects of our increasingly global society, including economic security and growth, environmental protection, international competitiveness, material infrastructure, and even national defense. Geologists and other geoscientists are needed at the forefront of efforts to address these issues.
Miami's Department of Geology offers the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees; the latter designed for those individuals who wish to become directly involved in applied and research-oriented earth science activities. Students also may elect to earn a B.S. in Earth Science Education offered through the School of Education and Allied Professions, or they may elect to be certified in Earth Science through the A.B. degree in Geology. The Geology program has two areas of emphasis: solid earth and environmental. The solid earth emphasis focuses on physical and chemical processes affecting the whole earth and on the evolution of the earth's mantle and crust. Advanced courses address topics such as mantle and isotope geochemistry, global and extensional tectonics, basin analysis, and geophysics and geodynamics. The environmental emphasis focuses on the interactions between various earth systems at or near the earth's surface and addresses issues of conservation and discovery of natural resources and the prevention and management of pollution and other environmental hazards. Advanced courses address topics such as hydrogeology and contaminant transport, global climate change, paleoclimatology, geomicrobiology, environmental geochemistry, and surficial processes and soil development. Common to both tracks are introductory geology courses and classes in mineralogy, geochemistry, structural geology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and field geology.
Interests
A productive career in geology requires an interest in the Earth. In addition, the discipline of geology is a cross-disciplinary meld that includes aspects of mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and computer science. Excellent communication skills are also very important.
Competencies
- Field Work:
- Fieldwork is an important part of a Geology major regardless of one's specific emphasis or interests. Making observations and collecting data in the field provide much of the evidence used in unraveling Earth's history and processes. Often field data collection involves the recovery of specimens that will form the basis for in-depth laboratory research. Diverse field investigations carried out by Department of Geology faculty and students include mapping and sampling in complex geologic and tectonic settings: recovery and monitoring of geologic and microbiologic materials and processes through shallow and deep drilling in continental areas; recovery of geologic and microbiologic materials from lakes, oceans, and deep ocean trenches; deciphering ancient volcanic and tectonic events and processes and their effects on global climate and faunal evolution; monitoring current and future earthquakes and tsunamis; monitoring and assessing water quality and quantity issues; and landscape reconstructions aimed at understanding the facts controlling Earth's dynamic surface and climate through time. Recent field work involving faculty, graduate students and undergraduates has been conducted throughout North America and in portions of South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and in various ocean basins.
- Laboratory Data Acquisition and Interpretation:
- The incorporation of techniques developed in other physical sciences in geology has led to the emergence of emphases such as geochemistry and geophysics. Geochemistry, for example, provides much of the theoretical basis for traditional geologic disciplines such as mineralogy (the study of minerals) and petrology (the study of rocks). Additionally, it also forms the basis for studies that examine the atomic structure and behavior of minerals in the natural environment, that constrain the geologic evolution of the earth using rock chemistry or chronology, that explore and develop mineral deposits, that evaluate the quality of groundwater, and that provide a framework for development and management of disposal sites for hazardous and toxic wastes. In addition, the emerging field of geomicrobiology blends aspects of geochemistry and biochemistry.
- Computer Modeling and Numerical Calculations:
- Use of computers and knowledge of mathematics play increasingly important roles in geology. In some instances they are essential in the transformation of instrumental measurements in the laboratory and the field into usable information about the Earth. In others, they are used to create numerical models that seek to simulate geological processes, such as those active in rivers and groundwaters, sediment dispersal and accumulation patterns, and igneous and convective processes in the deep Earth.
- Resource and Environmental Assessments:
- Assessments of critical mineral resources and fossil fuel abundances are based on many of the other competences described here, and lead geologists into considerations of economics and politics at both national and international levels. The same is true of environmental assessments, which in all cases must be constructively and practically related to social, economic and political factors at local, national, and international levels.
Opportunities - Careers
Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of the geosciences is that they offer so many different possible career paths. Geologists and other Earth Scientists are typically employed in environmental consulting and planning firms, energy and mineral resources companies, and materials analysis firms, as well as government agencies such as the National Park Service, environmental protection agencies, and health departments. They are also employed in schools and universities, a wide array of both small and large corporations, legal practices, non-profit organizations, and even the news media. Because geoscientists are continually urged to recognize and assess the world around them, and to see both the large and small aspects of a problem or solution, they acquire and hone skills that are highly valued in many disciplines. In recent years, about 50 percent of Geology graduates have furthered their education in graduate and professional programs. About 30 percent have obtained immediate employment in geoscience or related disciplines. A bachelor's degree, in most instances, provides the background to obtain support or assistant positions as a geologist in government agencies or environmental consulting companies as well as the laboratory or field programs of mining and petroleum corporations, and state or national geological surveys. As the nation's attention continues to focus on environmental concerns, environmental consulting and geotechnical companies employ a steady number of geology graduates. Additionally, heightened national and international interest in oil and gas exploration and recovery recently has expanded opportunities in this traditional geologic employment sector.
Opportunities - Graduate/Professional School
Of the approximately 50 percent of recent Department of Geology graduates who choose to continue their education, most move on to master's or doctoral programs in the earth and environmental sciences. The master's degree is the terminal degree of most practicing geologists and provides a wide opportunity for professional achievement and advancement. The doctoral degree is the entry into academic careers and into the research divisions of certain industries. In recent years, an increasing number of students who have earned bachelor's or master's degrees in Geology have entered law school or business school and many also have sought additional training in schools of education in order to prepare for a career in earth science education.
Opportunities - Experiential
All Geology majors enroll in a five-week summer field course, usually taken between the junior and senior year, at the department's field station in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. A number of other two- to five-week domestic and international field courses also run annually during the summer. Shorter field courses (7 to 10 days) often are taught over the winter and spring break periods, affording undergraduate students ample opportunity to participate. In addition to these stand-alone courses, many of the upper-level geology courses contain field components that typically take advantage of key aspects of the local and regional geology through multi-hour to multi-day field projects.
There also are many opportunities to interact with active scholars in virtually all of the Geology courses, scholars that bring their contemporary geological research findings and experiences directly into the classroom. Many courses are designed to provide hands-on laboratory experiences utilizing equipment and techniques of varying sophistication. All Geology faculty members and graduate students are working on research projects, many of which regularly involve undergraduate students. These independent study research opportunities often are the most rewarding aspects of one's undergraduate career because it is here that students can gain hands-on experience applying principles and concepts learned in coursework to outstanding questions in the geological sciences. Working closely in the field and/or laboratory with faculty and graduate students, the undergraduate research experience typically culminates in either a formal presentation at a professional meeting or a formal literature publication, or both.
Sources of Additional Information
- Department of Geology (114 Shideler Hall, 529-3216)
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* Curriculum Requirements
* Career Opportunities - Student Counseling Service (195 Health Services Center, 529-4634)
- * Career Counseling
* Career Assistance Center
* Computerized Career Development Program
* Dictionary of Occupational Titles
* Occupational Outlook Handbook - Arts and Science Academic Advising (146 Upham Hall, 529-3031)
- * Miami Plan & College of Arts and Science Requirements
- * Course Selection
* Career Decision Making - Office of Career Services (241 Hoyt Hall, 529-3831)
- * Career Resource Center
* Dictionary of Occupational Titles
* Occupational Outlook Handbook
Developed by the College of Arts and Science Advising Office and the academic departmental offices with adaptations from Liberal Arts and Sciences - Skills - Career Opportunities, Career Planning and Placement Office, University of Michigan.