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Bachelor of Science Degree
The geological sciences encompass a variety of types of studies of the Earth, including considerations of composition, structure, prehistoric life, internal and surfical processes, and geological history. These studies have applications in the discovery and use of mineral resources, fuels, and water; in protection of the environment; and in planning for natural limitations (earthquakes, landslides, resources, etc.) on societal development. Students undertake the study of geological sciences in the classroom, laboratory, and field.
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UK has recently revised its undergraduate curriculum. The focus of the revised major program is improved fundamental training in modern field, laboratory, and quantitative approaches to geological problem solving.
Premajor training begins with a field- and laboratory-based course sequence that provides a firm grounding in geological materials and an introduction to field methods and mapping (GLY 230 and 235). This is followed up at the beginning of the major program with a summer field course designed to give students broad experience in geological data collection and interpretation (GLY 323).
Upper level geology courses provide modern insights for and methodologies of geological inquiry. Opportunities for in-depth exploration and specialization during the upper level course work are expanded. Students are encouraged to pursue a senior project, working closely with a faculty member.
Degree Requirements
In
addition to satisfying University Studies requirements and the College requirements,
each student completes the following:
| Premajor Requirements | Hours |
| GLY 220 Principles of Physical Geology | 4 |
| or | |
| GLY 223 Introduction to Geology in the Rocky Mountains | 6 |
| GLY 230 Fundamentals of Geology I | 3 |
| GLY 235 Fundamentals of Geology II | 3 |
| CHE 105 General College Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHE 107 General College Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHE 115 General Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
MA 113/114 Calculus I/II |
8 |
| Core Courses | Hours |
| GLY 323 Field Work in Regional Geology | 6 |
| GLY 360 Mineralogy | 4 |
| GLY 420G Structural Geology | 4 |
| GLY 450G Sedimentary Geology | 4 |
| GLY 461 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | 4 |
| GLY 490 Earth Dynamics | 3 |
| Elective I | |
| Six credit hours of GLY courses at the 400 level or above, not including GLY 495 or GLY 496. | |
| Elective II | |
| Six additional credit hours at the 300 level or higher of either GLY courses or courses in a related field. | |
| Related Fields | |
| A 200 level, two-course sequence in physics. Six additional hours in related fields, including at least one course in statistics or computer methods. | |
Potential Electives in Earth and Environmental Sciences:
GLY 341 Landforms [3]
GLY 350 Regional and Historical Geology [3]
GLY 395 Independent Studies in Geology [1-6]
GLY 399 Experiential Education [1-6]
GLY 401G Invertebrate Paleontology [3]
GLY 480 Advanced Topics in Geological Sciences [3]
GLY 495 Senior Thesis Seminar [3]
GLY 496 Senior Thesis Research [3]
GLY 530 Low Temperature Geochemistry [3]
GLY 552 Sedimentary Petrology [3]
GLY 555 Stratigraphy [3]
GLY 575 Geodynamics [3]
GLY 579 Groundwater Geophysics [3]
GLY 585 Hydrogeology [3]
Suggested Related Field Courses:
BIO 325 Introductory Ecology [3]
CE 341 Fluid Mechanics [3]
CE 461G Hydrology [3]
CE 471G Soil Mechanics [3]
CHE 230 Organic Chemistry [3]
CHE 440 Physical Chemistry [3]
ENS 200 Introduction to Environmental Studies [3]
ENS 400 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies [3]
GEO 409G Introduction to Geographic Information Systems [3]
MA 213, 214 Calculus III, IV
MA 321 Introduction to Numerical Methods [3]
MA 322 Matrix Algebra [3]
PHY 404G Mechanics [3]
PLS 366 Fundamentals of Soil Science [3]
PLS 450G Biogeochemistry [3]
CS 221 Computer Science [2]
STA 291 Statistical Methods [3]