Geology Major (BSG)

Department of Geological Sciences, 202 Bevill Building
www.geo.ua.edu
geology@as.ua.edu

Degree requirements. Students earning the bachelor of science in geology degree (BSG) must complete all University, college (see p. 50-52), and departmental degree requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major requirements, and sufficient other credits to total 128 applicable semester hours.

Admission into the major. Students are expected to formally declare a major no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). With the assistance of an advisor in the major department, students should complete the “Declaration of Major” form.

Grade point average. A 2.0 grade point average in the major is required for completion of the degree. The major GPA is calculated based on all courses applicable to the major that the student has attempted at UA and all work attempted applicable to the major throughout the entire higher education career.

Major courses. The major in geology culminating in the bachelor of science in geology degree requires successful completion of the following 45 semester hours:

Courses	Hours
GEO 101	4
GEO 102	4
GEO 210	4
GEO 314	4
GEO 365	3
GEO 367	4
GEO 495	6
GEO 355, GEO 369, or GEO 470	6
GEO electives	10
Total	45

Upper-level residency. A minimum of 12 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the major must be earned on this campus.

Ancillary courses. Grades in ancillary courses are not computed into the major GPA. This major requires successful completion of the following courses outside the major:

Courses	Hours
CH 101 or CH 117	4
CH 102 or CH 118	4
PH 101, PH 105, or PH 125	4
PH 102, PH 106, or PH 126	4
MATH 125 or MATH 145	4
MATH 126 or MATH 146	4

Required minor. The major in geology for the BSG degree does not require a minor.

Additional major requirements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, college, major, and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be cleared for registration each semester.

Honors in Geological Sciences. Interested students pursuing a major in geology (BS or BSG) can apply for admission to the geological sciences honors program after earning 13 hours of geological science courses. In addition to meeting the major requirements for BS or BSG, participants must maintain a 3.3 GPA for all geological science courses and 3.0 overall GPA. Honors students earn a grade of “Pass” or “Fail” in the honors seminars (GEO 435 and GEO 436). They must also complete 6 hours of honors research (GEO 499) and present the results in the honors seminar. Students should also submit an acceptable honors thesis based on research conducted under the supervision of a faculty member of the Department of Geological Sciences.