Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences

Requirements for All Geological Sciences Degree Plans

Each student must complete the University's core curriculum.  In the process of completing core curriculum and geological sciences degree requirements, students must also earn credit for seven flags including: two writing flags, one quantitative reasoning flag, one global cultures flag, one cultural diversity in the United States flag, one ethics flag, and one independent inquiry flag. In some cases, a course required for the degree/major may also be counted toward the core curriculum.  Flags may be added to courses periodically; courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. Students are encouraged to discuss options for completing flag requirements with his or her academic adviser.  

A course in one prescribed work area may not also be used to fulfill the requirements of another prescribed work or major requirement; the only exception to this rule is that a course that fulfills any other requirement may also be used to fulfill a core curriculum requirement, or a flag requirement if the course carries that flag, unless otherwise specified.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 is required on all work undertaken at the University for which a grade or symbol other than Q, W, X, or CR is recorded. In addition, a grade point average of at least 2.00 is required in geological sciences courses counted toward the major requirement.

A grade of at least C- is required in each science, mathematics, and engineering course used to fulfill any of the requirements for the degree, and in each course used to fulfill a Technical Elective requirement. The official grade in a course is the last one made; however, if a student repeats a course and has two or more grades, all grades and all semester hours are used to calculate the University grade point average and to determine the student’s scholastic eligibility to remain in the University and his or her academic standing in the Jackson School of Geosciences.

All University students must complete at least 60 semester hours of the coursework counted towards the degree in residence. Individual degree(s) or degree options may contain additional course residency requirements.

In addition, the student must fulfill the University’s general requirements and the requirements of the Jackson School of Geosciences. 

Length of Degree Program

An eight-semester arrangement of courses leading to the bachelor’s degree is given for each of the geological sciences degree plans. The order in which the courses are taken is critical due to the prerequisites for required courses and schedule when courses are offered. A student who registers for fewer than the indicated number of hours for each semester or skips prerequisite courses may need more than eight semesters to complete the degree. The student is responsible for including in each semester’s work any courses that are prerequisite to those he or she will take the following semester.

Foreign Language Requirement

In accordance with the University’s basic education requirements, all students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that shown by completion of two semesters of college coursework. Credit earned at the college level to achieve that proficiency may not be counted toward a degree. For a student admitted to the University as a freshman, this requirement is fulfilled by completion of the two high school units in a single foreign language that are required for admission; students admitted with a deficiency in foreign language must remove that deficiency as specified in General Information.