Geology

Dr. David Grandstaff, Chair

Dr. Dennis Terry, Faculty Advisor
Beury Hall, Room 221
215-204-8226
dennis.terry@temple.edu

The Department of Earth and Environmental Science offers both a B.S. and a B.A. in Geology.

The B.S. program prepares students for immediate entry into a career in geology or for graduate studies. Career opportunities for geologists in industry and government include planning for the environment, evaluation of waste disposal sites, monitoring of groundwater, and exploration for natural resources. The B.S. program is excellent preparation for graduate study and ultimately for a career in research, teaching, industry, or government.

The B.A. program is not intended for prospective geologists. The B.A. program is suitable for pre-medicine or pre-law students or for students planning to teach earth science in secondary school.

A departmental field trip for undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty will be conducted during the fall semester.

Bachelor of Arts

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)

• Math 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement: Earth & Environmental Science 4096, Earth & Environmental Science 4197 or Earth & Environmental Science 4997.

• Students must complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core.

• New freshmen students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the General Education Curriculum (25-26 s.h.). See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

• New transfer students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the University Core Curriculum requirements (34-35 s.h.) including completion of the library orientation, Temple Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT). See the Core Curriculum section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the course requirements.

2. College Requirements

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• Two (2) Upper-Level (2000+) Liberal Art courses.

• Second (2nd) Level of a Foreign Language (1002).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (55-56 s.h.)

• One (1) Chemistry course is required (4 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033 or 1041/1043 or 1951/1953.

• One (1) Mathematics course is required (4 s.h.): Mathematics 1041 or 1941. 

• One (1) Physics course is required (4 s.h.): Physics 1061 or 2021.

• Eight (8) Earth & Environmental Science (EES) courses are required (32 s.h.): EES 2001, 2011, 3021 and five (5) EES electives 2000+ level or above (Two [2] of the five [5] electives must be writing-intensive).  One (1) of the five (5) EES elective courses can be outside of the department with faculty advisor approval.

• Three (3) Science Foundation courses are required. One must be a math course and two courses must be science courses. Select foundation courses from the following list (11-12 s.h.): Biology 1111 or 1911, Biology 2112 or 2912, Chemistry 1032/1034 or 1042/1044 or 1952/1954, Chemistry 2201/2203, Math 1042, Math 2031 and Physics 1062 or 2022.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

(F) - Fall only course.

*Earth & Environmental Science Electives

Earth & Environmental Science electives must be above 2000, and at least two of the Earth & Environmental Science electives must be writing-intensive courses.  One of the five EES elective courses can be outside of the department with faculty advisor approval.

^Science Foundation electives

NOTE: One course from the approved list of Science Foundation Electives must be a math course and two courses must be science courses.

Bachelor of Science

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)

• Math 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing intensive requirement: Earth & Environmental Science 4096, Earth & Environmental Science 4197 or Earth & Environmental Science 4997.

• Students must complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core.

• New freshmen students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the General Education Curriculum (25-26 s.h.). See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

• New transfer students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the University Core Curriculum requirements (34-35 s.h.) including completion of the library orientation, Temple Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT). See the Core Curriculum section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the course requirements.

2. College Requirements

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (69-73 s.h.)

• One (1) Chemistry course is required (4 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033 or 1041/1043 or 1951/1953.

• One (1) Mathematics course is required (4 s.h.): Mathematics 1041 or 1941. 

• One (1) Physics course is required (4 s.h.): Physics 1061 or 2021.

• Twelve (12) Earth & Environmental Science (EES) courses are required (46-49 s.h.): EES 2001, 2011, Two (2) courses between 2020-2029, One (1) course between 3001-3009, One (1) course between 3020-3025, One (1) course between 4096-4099, 4589, and Four (4) Upper-Level (2000+) EES electives.  Two of the four EES electives may be replaced with upper-level science electives from the following list: Biology 2112 or higher; Chemistry 2201/2203 or higher; Mathematics 2043 or higher; and Physics 1062 or higher.  EES 4197 is recommended as one of the electives.

• Three (3) Science Foundation courses are required. One must be a math course and two courses must be science courses.  Select foundation courses from the following list (11-12 s.h.): Biology 1111 or 1911, Biology 2112 or 2912, Chemistry 1032/1034 or 1042/1044 or 1952/1954, Chemistry 2201/2203, Math 1042, Math 2031, and Physics 1062 or 2022.  Science Foundation Electives (SFE) and Science Upper-Level Electives (SUE) courses cannot be double-counted.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

(F) - Fall only courses.

(S) - Spring only courses.

(SS) - Summer only course.

^Science Foundation electives

NOTE: One course from the approved list of Science Foundation Electives must be a math course and two courses must be science courses.

*Science Upper Level Electives (SUE)

The following is the list of courses that you can select from to fulfill the Science Upper-Level Electives (SUEs): Biology 2112 or higher; Chemistry 2201/2203 or higher; Earth & Environmental Science (EES) courses at the 2000+ level or higher; Mathematics 2043 or higher; and Physics 1062 or higher.  Science Foundation Electives (SFE) and Science Upper-Level Electives (SUE) courses cannot be double-counted.

Earth & Environmental Science electives must be above 2001, and at least two must be writing-intensive.  At most, one of the EES electives or SUEs may be a graduate-level course with permission of the faculty advisor.

Minor

Students interested in acquiring a basic knowledge of Geology but not wishing to major in Geology may pursue a minor in Geology by successfully completing the following courses:

• Earth & Environmental Science 2001
• Chemistry 1021/1023 or Chemistry 1031/1033
• Mathematics 1011 or Mathematics 1041
• Earth & Environmental Science electives numbered above 2001, with a total of 16 or more credits, chosen with the approval of the undergraduate Earth & Environmental Science advisor.

Five-Year Master's Program

Five-Year Combined B.A. or B.S. and Ed.M. Program

This is a combined program between the College of Science and Technology and the College of Education.  For more information, see the following web site:

www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/schools_colleges/ed/intro/generalinfo/ed_generalinfo.shtm#teacher

Senior Research Project

Students whose cumulative GPA is at least 3.25 at the end of the first semester of their junior year are eligible to undertake a senior research project. In the second semester of their junior year, students must select a faculty research advisor and, with the advisor, prepare a written research proposal. After the research advisor and the undergraduate Earth & Environmental Science advisor approve the proposal, the student may register for 3 hours of Earth & Environmental Science 4082 (Individual Study Program), in the summer and each semester of the senior year (up to a total of 9 hours), to carry out the research project. Normally, the project will involve field or laboratory work in the summer between the junior and senior years and lead to presentation of the results at a departmental seminar at the end of the senior year.

Distinction in Major

To graduate with Distinction in Major, students are required to achieve a 3.5 GPA for the aggregate of courses required for the B.S. in Geology or the B.A. in Geology.