Department of Geology

You can find the courses offered in the current semester on this page. The list below are courses that are either required graduate courses or are electives commonly taken by graduate students. 

GEOL 5010. Economic Geology (3). Fall (alternate years). Classification and genesis of metallic ore deposits illustrated by study of classic areas. Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: GEOL 3090 and GEOL 3020.

GEOL 5030. Geographic Information Systems (3). Fall. Collection, manipulation, integration, and automated display of spatial data from various disciplines with particular emphases on environmental geology, resource management, and geographic analysis.

GEOL 5050. Volcanology (3). On demand. Study of volcanic phenomena; understanding eruptions and their products; impact on humans. Prerequisite: GEOL 3020 or consent of instructor.

GEOL 5100. Geomorphology (3). Systematic study of surface processes and landforms; applications to environmental and historical geology. Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory. Prerequisite: GEOL 1040 or consent of instructor.

GEOL 5150. Paleontology (3). Fall, Spring. Principles of paleontology; major groups of fossil animals. Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory. Field trips outside of class time required. Prerequisite: GEOL 1050 or consent of instructor.

GEOL 5310. Aqueous Geochemistry (3). Fall (alternate years). Geochemistry of natural waters including fluid/rock reactions, solution chemistry, solubility, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: GEOL 3030, MATH 1310 or MATH 1340, or consent of instructor.

GEOL 5400. Geologic Remote Sensing (3). Fall (alternate years). Use of remotely sensed multispectral data for geological applications. Data acquisition, image processing, and interpretation. Recent advances in geologic remote sensing research. Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory. Prerequisite: GEOL 3090.

GEOL 5450. Surface Water Hydrogeology (3). Spring (alternate years). Geological aspects of flowing water at the earth's surface, emphasizing open channel hydraulics, flood analysis, sediment transport, and water quality. Three lectures and one recitation section. Prerequisite: GEOL 3160.

GEOL 5460. Groundwater Hydrogeology (3). Spring (alternate years). Hydraulics of groundwater flow, hydrologic properties of geologic materials, evaluation of groundwater resources, and contamination. Three lectures and one recitation section. Prerequisite: GEOL 3160.

GEOL 5800. Seminar in Geology (1-3). Systematic exploration of a particular aspect of the discipline. May be repeated with approval of the graduate coordinator.

GEOL 6010. Teaching in the Geological Sciences (1). Fall. Pedagogical methods for teaching introductory geology labs. Classroom experience, observation and preparation of teaching materials, including preparation of lectures and classroom demonstrations, preparation of quizzes and exams, and use of technology in the classroom. Required of all graduate teaching assistants. Graded S/U.

GEOL 6050. Isotope Geochemistry (3). On demand. Principles and applications of radiogenic and stable isotope systems to geologic and environmental problems. Topics include isotope formation and stability, radioactive decay, geochronology, and common isotope tracer systems. Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

GEOL 6090. Structural Geology (3). Spring. Study of the deformation of the earth's crust. Analysis of stress and strain. Origin and significance of geologic structures. Two lectures and one two-hour lab. Prerequisites: GEOL 3090.

GEOL 6150. Engineering Geology (3). Characterization of geologic materials for engineering purposes; engineering properties of soils; slope stability; evaluation of natural hazards; foundation design. Two lectures and one two-hour laboratory.

GEOL 6160. Applied Surface and Groundwater Modeling (3). Applied modeling of the hydrogeologic cycle. The course focuses on three areas of the hydrogeologic modeling: surface water modeling, aquifer property testing, and ground water modeling. The course integrates lectures, discussions, and project-based lab exercises. Software used includes: Arcview, Hec-RAS, Mod-Flow, and Starpoint softwares Aquifer Pump Test Programs.

GEOL 6200. Environmental Geophysics (3). Application of geophysical techniques to the exploration of the shallow subsurface with an emphasis on environmental problems. Seismic reflection and refraction, resistivity, magnetics, and gravity. Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: GEOL 3090, PHYS 2010 or PHYS 2110, or consent of instructor.

GEOL 6230. Sedimentary Environments (3). Fall. Study of principles and concepts involved in reconstructing ancient sedimentary depositional environments by way of lithologic, structural, and biologic aspects of sedimentary rocks and use of facies models. Two lectures and one two-hour laboratory/demonstration/lecture. Prerequisite: GEOL 3160.

GEOL 6310. Quantitative Paleontology (3). Spring (alternate years). Quantitative approaches to paleontological problems, including phylogenetic reconstruction, morphometrics, paleoecology, biostratigraphy, and random models. Discussion of theory and mathematical concepts, hands-on practice, and analysis of case studies. Prerequisites: GEOL 4150/GEOL 5150 or consent of instructor.

GEOL 6330. Advanced Paleobiology (3). Spring (alternate years). Paleobiological aspects of paleontology: paleoecology, paleobiogeography, evolution, phylogeny, and biochronology. Selected case histories. Prerequisites: GEOL 4150 or consent of instructor.

GEOL 6390. Glacial Geology (3). Fall (alternate years). Glacial processes and influence on landscape. Three one-hour lectures. Three one-day field trips required. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

GEOL 6400. Environmental Remote Sensing (3). Fall (alternate years). Use of multispectral remote sensing data for environmental applications. Examples of localized environmental studies and engineering geology. Results of global monitoring of Earth's atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, geological hazards, and manmade hazards by remote sensing satellites, as well as future needs. Two lectures and one two-hour lab, including Internet applications. Prerequisite: GEOL 4400 or GEOL 5400, or consent of instructor.

GEOL 6450. Sedimentary Basin Analysis (3). Fall (alternate years). Study of sedimentary basins in their tectonic and paleogeographic setting, with emphasis on collection and analysis of field data, geophysical logs, basin mapping techniques, seismic stratigraphy, and thermal maturity studies. Prerequisite: GEOL 3160.

GEOL 6700. Geology Colloquium (1). Fall, Spring. Current topics in geology. Presentation and discussion of topics of interest to the geological community as a whole. May be repeated. Graded S/U.

GEOL 6800. Seminar in Geology (1-3). Fall, Spring. Advanced seminars in specialized fields of geology covering particular subjects in detail by survey of literature and discussion. May be repeated. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

GEOL 6840. Directed Readings in Geology (1-3). Supervised readings to meet students' special needs. May be repeated. Prerequisite: consent of the graduate coordinator and instructor. Graded A/F.

GEOL 6850. Directed Readings in Geology (1-3). Supervised readings to meet students' special needs. May be repeated. Prerequisite: consent of the graduate coordinator and instructor. Graded S/U.

GEOL 6900. Directed Research in Geology (1-3). Individual work on a topic in which a student has special interest. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Graded A/F.

GEOL 6910. Directed Research in Geology (1-3). Individual work on a topic in which a student has special interest. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Graded S/U.

GEOL 6930. Advanced Field Geology (1-6). Summer only. Utilization of field techniques to construct geologic maps, structure sections, and stratigraphic sections of specific regions. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Extra fee.

GEOL 6940. Workshop in Current Topics of Geology (1-3). Study of a particular topic in an intensive format. Graded A/F.

GEOL 6950. Workshop in Current Topics of Geology (1-3). Study of a particular topic in an intensive format. Graded S/U.

GEOL 6990. Thesis Research (1-12). Enrollment in excess of six hours is acceptable for Plan I master's degree, but no more than six hours creditable toward degree. Minimum acceptable total for degree is four hours. Graded S/U.