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Did you search for fossils or collect rocks as a child? Did you enjoy earth sciences in school? Have these interests evolved into curiosity about the workings of earth’s natural systems and geological time? The geoscience major allows you to learn about earth and can prepare you for a career working with earth’s materials and the processes that shape them.
Teaching and research in the Department of Geoscience emphasize a unique combination of field and analytical approaches. Students study the earth’s origin, appearance, and internal and surface characteristics, its evolution through geologic time, location of mineral and energy resources, and how humans are changing the earth for future generations.
Why
Study Geoscience at Iowa?
Geoscience at Iowa is a nationally ranked program recognized for state-of-the-art equipment, an enthusiastic faculty, and abundant opportunities for undergraduate research projects. The specialization area of paleontology is ranked No. 8 in the nation among graduate programs of its kind by U.S. News & World Report.
Geoscience features more than a dozen specialization areas. They include paleontology, paleoecology, sedimentology, geophysics, geochemistry, earth surface processes, glacial geology, and engineering geology.
Other highlights of Iowa’s geoscience department are its world-class paleontology collection and outstanding computer facilities.
There are approximately 40 undergraduates in geoscience at the University, and they do not spend all their time inside. The curriculum includes many courses with field trips to the region around Iowa City and other areas of North America. Geoscience majors commonly visit local outcrops for hands-on study of the rich sedimentary and evolutionary history recorded here. They also gain a broader understanding of earth’s structure, processes, and evolution by conducting field work in locations such as the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, Florida Bay, California’s Death Valley, and the Grand Canyon.
BS in Geoscience
The BS degree program is designed to prepare students for immediate employment after graduation or a graduate program in geological sciences. It requires a minimum of 38 semester hours (s.h.) of departmental course work:
- Earth History and Resources or Introduction to Geology (preferred)
- Evolution and the History of Life
- Mineralogy
- Petrology
- Structural Geology
- Geologic Field Methods
- Summer Field Course
- At least two elective geology courses
One of these:
- Principles of Paleontology
- Elements of Geochemistry
- Hydrogeology
- Survey of Geophysical Methods
And the following outside the department:
- At least 10 s.h. of college-level mathematics (including a calculus course).
- 8 s.h. of college-level chemistry and a chemistry laboratory course.
- 8 s.h. of college-level physics.
- At least one biological science course that includes a laboratory.
BA in
Geoscience
The BA degree is designed to provide students with a varied background in geology and a broader choice of electives than is practical in the BS program. The BA is intended for students interested in the fundamentals of geology, interdisciplinary environmental programs, or earth science teaching (which requires enrolling in the Teacher Education Program). Completing the minimum requirements for this degree may not adequately prepare a student for an entry-level professional job in geology.
The BA requires a minimum of 35 s.h. of departmental work, including one of these:
- Earth History and Resources
- Introduction to Geology
All of these:
- Mineralogy
- Petrology
- Undergraduate Geoscience Colloquium
One or both of these:
- Evolution
and the History of Life
- Principles
of Paleontology
And one to four of these:
- Structural
Geology
- Sedimentology
- Soil Genesis
and Geomorphology
- Fluvial
Geomorphology
- Stratigraphy
- Hydrogeology
You'll also
take 10 s.h. in mathematics, which may include computer science or statistics;
and college-level chemistry, including a laboratory course.
Minor
You’ll qualify for a geoscience minor with 15 s.h. of credit and a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00. At least 12 of the 15 s.h. must be completed in upper-level courses.
Honors
In order to graduate with honors in geoscience, you must complete a senior thesis and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.33.
Field
Work
Students must take at least 4 s.h. in field work. Field trip courses include Geology Field Trip, Selected National Parks, Geologic Field Methods, Summer Field Course, and Natural Science Session at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory.
Careers
Career opportunities are readily available for geoscience graduates. Professional geologists work in resource companies, environmental corporations, educational institutions, conservation agencies, urban planning, state and federal geological surveys, and government resource and research organizations. Companies such as ExxonMobil routinely recruit Iowa graduates on campus.
About 30 percent of geoscience graduates find entry-level jobs in geoscience following graduation. Another 30 percent find other kinds of employment, and 40 percent continue on to graduate school.
An undergraduate degree in geoscience provides solid preparation for graduate school in law, business, environmental studies, engineering, archaeology, science education, or oceanography.
Scholarships
The geoscience department awards numerous scholarships to its students. Some are open to first-year students. Others, available to upper-level students, include the Pudil Trust Scholarship Fund. This $1,000 award is given to an academically promising, full-time student in a course of study aimed at maintaining or improving the natural environment, who plans to actively pursue a career in an environmental management field after graduation.
Refer to the Office of Student Financial Aid for
a complete list of available scholarships.
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