Geological Engineering (B.S.)
To graduate in this program, a grade of C or better is required in all math, science, and engineering courses used to fulfill degree requirements. Students may accumulate no more than 14 credit hours of D or F in math, science, or engineering courses. Included in this number are multiple repeats of a single class or single repeats of multiple classes, as well as courses transferred from other institutions. Students who exceed 14 credits of D or F will be permanently disqualified from pursuing the B.S. degree in Geological Engineering at the University of Idaho. To complete this degree, all students must show proof of registering for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam.
Required course work includes the university requirements (see regulation J-3) and:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AMST 3010 | Studies in American Culture | 3 |
| CE 1110 | Civil Engineering Drafting | 3 |
| CE 2110 | Engineering Surveying | 3 |
| CE 2150 | Civil Engineering Analysis and Design | 3 |
| CE 3250 | Fundamentals of Hydrologic Engineering | 3 |
| CE 3600 | Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering | 4 |
| CE 4930 | Senior Design I | 2 |
| CE 4940 | Senior Design II | 3 |
| CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1111L | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| COMM 1101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ECON 2201 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 2202 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| or ECON 2720 | Foundations of Economic Analysis | |
| ENGL 1102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| ENGR 1230 | First Year Engineering | 2 |
| ENGR 2100 | Engineering Statics | 3 |
| ENGR 2200 | Engineering Dynamics | 3 |
| ENGR 2400 | Introduction to Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| ENGR 3350 | Engineering Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ENGR 3500 | Engineering Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| ENGR 3600 | Engineering Economy | 2 |
| GEOG 1650 | Human Geography | 3 |
| or GEOG 2000 | World Cultures and Globalization | |
| GEOL 1110 | Physical Geology for Science Majors | 3 |
| GEOL 1110L | Physical Geology for Science Majors Lab | 1 |
| GEOL 2490 | Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 3450 | Structural Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 3610 | Geology and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOL 4220 | Principles of Geophysics | 4 |
| GEOL/GEOE 4280 | Geostatistics | 3 |
| HYDR 4090 | Quantitative Hydrogeology | 3 |
| MATH 1170 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 1750 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 1830 | Introduction to Data Science in Python | 3 |
| MATH 2750 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MATH 3100 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| PHIL 1103 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PHYS 2110 | Engineering Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 2110L | Laboratory Physics I | 1 |
| STAT 3010 | Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| CE Electives | ||
| CE 4600 | Geotechnical Engineering Design | 3 |
| CE 4840 | Engineering Law and Contracts | 3 |
| GEOE Electives | ||
| GEOE 4070 | Rock Mechanics | 3 |
| GEOE 4650 | Excavation and Materials Handling | 3 |
| Total Hours | 123 | |
Courses to total at least 123 credits for this degree, not counting Math below 1170 or English below 1102.
Four-Year Plan
| Fall Term 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 1101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ENGR 1230 | First Year Engineering | 2 |
| GEOL 1110 | Physical Geology for Science Majors | 3 |
| GEOL 1110L | Physical Geology for Science Majors Lab | 1 |
| GEOG 1650 or GEOL 2000 | Human Geography or Seminar | 3 |
| MATH 1170 | Calculus I | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Term 1 | ||
| CE 1110 | Civil Engineering Drafting | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| ENGR 2100 | Engineering Statics | 3 |
| PHYS 2110 | Engineering Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 2110L | Laboratory Physics I | 1 |
| MATH 1750 | Calculus II | 4 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Fall Term 2 | ||
| CE 2110 | Engineering Surveying | 3 |
| CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1111L | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGR 2200 | Engineering Dynamics | 3 |
| MATH 2750 | Calculus III | 3 |
| STAT 3010 | Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Term 2 | ||
| CE 2150 | Civil Engineering Analysis and Design | 3 |
| CE 3600 | Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering | 4 |
| ENGR 3350 | Engineering Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ENGR 3500 | Engineering Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| MATH 3100 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 3 | ||
| CE 3250 | Fundamentals of Hydrologic Engineering | 3 |
| ENGR 2400 | Introduction to Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| GEOL 3610 | Geology and the Environment | 3 |
| MATH 1830 | Introduction to Data Science in Python | 3 |
| PHIL 1103 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 3 | ||
| GEOE 4070 or GEOE 4650 | Rock Mechanics or Excavation and Materials Handling | 3 |
| GEOL 2490 | Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 3450 | Structural Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 4280 or GEOE 4280 | Geostatistics or Geostatistics | 3 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Fall Term 4 | ||
| AMST 3010 | Studies in American Culture | 3 |
| CE 4930 | Senior Design I | 2 |
| ENGR 3600 | Engineering Economy | 2 |
| GEOE 4070 or GEOE 4650 | Rock Mechanics or Excavation and Materials Handling | 3 |
| HYDR 4090 | Quantitative Hydrogeology | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Term 4 | ||
| CE 4600 | Geotechnical Engineering Design | 3 |
| CE 4840 | Engineering Law and Contracts | 3 |
| CE 4940 | Senior Design II | 3 |
| ECON 2201 | Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics or Foundations of Economic Analysis | 3 |
| GEOL 4220 | Principles of Geophysics | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 123 | |
5-Year Plan
| Fall Term 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 1101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 1101 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| ENGR 1230 | First Year Engineering | 2 |
| MATH 1143 | Precalculus I: Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 1144 | Precalculus II: Trigonometry | 1 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Term 1 | ||
| CE 1110 | Civil Engineering Drafting | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| MATH 1170 | Calculus I | 4 |
| PHIL 1103 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Fall Term 2 | ||
| CE 2110 | Engineering Surveying | 3 |
| CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1111L | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| GEOG 1650 or GEOG 2000 | Human Geography or World Cultures and Globalization | 3 |
| GEOL 1110 | Physical Geology for Science Majors | 3 |
| GEOL 1110L | Physical Geology for Science Majors Lab | 1 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Term 2 | ||
| CE 2150 | Civil Engineering Analysis and Design | 3 |
| ECON 2201 | Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics or Foundations of Economic Analysis | 3 |
| ENGR 2100 | Engineering Statics | 3 |
| MATH 1750 | Calculus II | 4 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Fall Term 3 | ||
| ENGR 2200 | Engineering Dynamics | 3 |
| MATH 2750 | Calculus III | 3 |
| PHYS 2110 | Engineering Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 2110L | Laboratory Physics I | 1 |
| STAT 3010 | Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Term 3 | ||
| CE 3600 | Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering | 4 |
| ENGR 3350 | Engineering Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ENGR 3500 | Engineering Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| MATH 3100 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Fall Term 4 | ||
| CE 3250 | Fundamentals of Hydrologic Engineering | 3 |
| ENGR 2400 | Introduction to Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| GEOL 3610 | Geology and the Environment | 3 |
| MATH 1830 | Introduction to Data Science in Python | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Term 4 | ||
| GEOG 4070 or GEOE 4650 | Spatial Analysis and Modeling or Excavation and Materials Handling | 3 |
| GEOL 2490 | Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 3450 | Structural Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 4280 or GEOE 4280 | Geostatistics or Geostatistics | 3 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Fall Term 5 | ||
| AMST 3010 | Studies in American Culture | 3 |
| CE 4930 | Senior Design I | 2 |
| ENGR 3600 | Engineering Economy | 2 |
| GEOG 4070 or GEOE 4650 | Spatial Analysis and Modeling or Excavation and Materials Handling | 3 |
| HYDR 4090 | Quantitative Hydrogeology | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Term 5 | ||
| CE 4600 | Geotechnical Engineering Design | 3 |
| CE 4840 | Engineering Law and Contracts | 3 |
| CE 4940 | Senior Design II | 3 |
| GEOL 4220 | Principles of Geophysics | 4 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 130 | |
The degree map is a guide for the timely completion of your curricular requirements. Your academic advisor or department may be contacted for assistance in interpreting this map. This map is not reflective of your academic history or transcript and it is not official notification of completion of degree or certificate requirements. Please contact the Registrar's Office regarding your official degree/certificate completion status.
By graduation, students will be able to demonstrate the following skills proficiently:
1. Ability to apply mathematics including differential equations, calculus-based physics, and chemistry, to geological engineering problems.
2. Ability to identify rocks and minerals and proficiency in geological science topics including the application of geologic field proficiency to engineering practice.
3. Ability to visualize and solve geological problems in three and four dimensions.
4. Ability to apply principles of geology and elements of geophysics.
5. Ability to apply engineering knowledge to design solutions for geological engineering problems in one of the following areas: the distribution of physical and chemical properties of earth materials, including hydrogeology, and fluid hydrocarbons; the effects of surface and near-surface natural processes; the impacts of construction projects; the impacts of exploration, development, and extraction of natural resources, and consequent remediation; disposal of wastes; and other activities of society on these materials and processes, as appropriate.