Geology (B.S.)

Required course work includes the university requirements (see regulation J-3) and:

 A. Physical Geology

B. Energy Resiliency Option

Courses to total 120 credits for this degree

C. Environmental Hydrogeology Option

 Courses to total 120 credits for this degree

D. Sustainable Mining and Earth Resource Management Option

E. Geological Education Option

F. Mining Geologist

Courses to total 120 credits for this degree 

Physical Geology Option

Energy Resiliency Option

Environmental Hydrogeology Option

Sustainable Mining and Earth Resource Management Option

Geological Education Option

Mining Geologist Option

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.

1. Graduates will demonstrate fundamental content knowledge about geologic time, Earth materials and structure, and Earth systems and processes  through written assessments, practical applications, and/or projects.

2. Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in discipline-specific skills—including field methods, laboratory techniques, geospatial analysis, experimentation, and data analysis—through practical assessments and projects that address geological problems and career-specific technical skills.

3. Graduates will apply spatial reasoning, temporal reasoning, systematic thinking, and data analysis to solve complex geologic problems in real-world and simulated contexts.

4. Graduates will design and execute geological projects, collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, and effectively communicate their methodologies and results to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.

Assessment Approaches:

Indirect Assessment:

Assessment of (1) will occur through summary grades in introductory coursework associated with the core courses GEOL 101/101L, GEOL 111/111L, and GEOL 102/102L. This will focus on courses that provide a foundation in the fundamental concepts in geological and physical systems, as evidenced by assignments, exams and final grades in these 100 level courses.

Assessment of (2 and 3) will occur through projects and proficiency in laboratory and field skills in the upper division core courses GEOG 385 and GEOL 302, respectively. 

Assessment of (4) will occur 4 through summary grades in required coursework in written and oral communication: This will focus on ENGL 318, other Gen Ed Comm requirements, and the degree capstone.

Further indirect assessment that will provide data on (1-4) include:

Summary grades in required courses in mathematics and statistics: This will focus on grades in MATH 143 (or higher) and MATH 170 (or higher).

Career Placement Rates: We will collect data on graduate school and career placement rates.

Survey of Graduating Seniors: An online exit survey of all graduating seniors will be implemented to provide information on general student satisfaction with the degree program, courses, faculty and facilities. This information will be collected anonymously.

Direct Assessment:

In addition, each of 1-4 will be evaluated through a series of direct assessment approaches:

Student Self Reflections: Explicit self-reflections on what students have learned related to institutional programs such as service learning (e.g., we will ask students to name the three most important things they have learned in a program).

Capstone and Integrative Projects: We will use our courses with integrative projects (e.g., GEOL 324, 326, 454, among others) and our capstone experience course (GEOL 490) to enable direct assessment of the quality of our degree program and the degree to which students have mastered the four degree Learning Outcomes. We will create a rubric (1-2 pages) to assess the effectiveness of the students skills during their capstone experience. The rubric will be used to help the faculty evaluate and improve courses and course offerings within the degree.

Case Study Analysis: In the core and option areas we have several courses that require students to participate in case studies. For example, in the elective course GEOL 454 students must complete two case studies looking at monitoring smoke transport from wildfires and in another elective course GEOL 467 students evaluate different evacuation and management plans (or after) volcanic eruptions.

Observations from laboratory work: Students will be evaluated on their ability to use the material learned throughout their degree program in courses that require laboratory work, field work. For example, students in GEOL 212 participate in reconstructing a mammoth fossil and in the core course GEOL 249 students have to show proficiency in identifying different rocks and minerals.

Alumni Career Survey: We will work with the UI Alumni Office to conduct rolling surveys of at 3-, 5-, and 10-years post-graduate to assess whether graduates are working in careers relevant to the degree. Through this direct measure process, we will also invite past graduates to comment on their perceptions of strengths and weaknesses in the curricula to enable continual improvement.