Macalester College Geology Department

Geology Major Requirements

The requirements for a major in geology are: 37 credits in geology, and three supporting science courses. The 37 credits in geology must include 150, 155, 250, 255, 260, 265 and 450 (for a total of 25 credits), and 12 credits of electives. Of the required electives, 8 credits must be derived from courses in the geology curriculum numbered between 300 and 305. The three supporting science courses must include Chemistry 111 and one of the following; Math 135, 137, or 153. One additional science course can be selected from Chemistry 112, Math 253, Physics 113 or 226, or Biology 265, 270, or 285 (consult your advisor for additional options). Additional information about sub-disciplines (environmental geology, glaciology, mineralogy, petrology, structure, geophysics, paleobiology, sedimentology, stratigraphy) and suggested electives is available from the faculty in geology.

Students planning a career in the earth sciences should complete the departmental major. Students who wish to incorporate an interdisciplinary specialization into their major should consult department faculty for advice on appropriate courses. Subfields of specialization could include geophysics, environmental geology, sedimentology, glaciology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, remote sensing, and paleobiology, among others.

A description of the Geology Major and Minor requirements can also be found in the College Catalog.

Required Geology Courses (25 credits)

Course No.	Course Title	Credits	Prerequisites
150	Dynamic Earth and Global Change	4	---
155	History and Evolution of the Earth	4	---
250	Mineralogy	4	150
255	Structural Geology	4	150+155
260	Geomorphology	4	150
265	Sedimentology and Stratigraphy	4	155
450	Senior Seminar	1	senior standing

Elective Geology Courses (12 credits total; 8 credits from 300-305 level)

Course No.	Course Title	Credits	Prerequisites
100	Oceanography	4	---
101	Dinosaurs	4	---
105	Exploring the Solar System	4	---
120	Environmental Geology	4	---
194	Topics (various titles)	1 to 4	---
200	Field Excursion Seminar	2	---
201	Geological Excursion	2	---
294	Topics (various titles)	1 to 4	---
300	Paleobiology	4	155
301	Geophysics	4	---
302	Petrology	4	250
303	Surface and Groundwater Geology	4	150 or 155
394	Topics (various titles)	1 to 4	---
604	Tutorial (various titles)	1 to 4	---
614	Independent Project	1 to 4	---
624	Internship	1 to 4	---
634	Preceptorship	1 to 4	---
644	Honors Independent	1 to 4	---
Also many Geology Field Courses from other institutions (consult with department Chair)

Required Supporting Courses (8 credits)

Dept	Course No.	Course Title	Credits	Prerequisites
CHEM	111	General Chemistry I: Structure & Equilibrium	4	---
MATH	135/137	Applied Calculus or Single Variable Calculus	4/4	---
	or
	153	Data Analysis and Statistics	4	---

Elective Supporting Courses (4 credits)

Dept	Course No.	Course Title	Credits	Prerequisites
CHEM	112	General Chemistry II: Energetics & Reactivity	4	111
MATH	137	Single Variable Calculus	4	135
	155	Intro to Statistical Modeling	4	135
	237	Multivariable Calculus	4	137
	253	Applied Multivariate Statistics	4	153 or 155
PHYS	113	Modern Astronomy	4	---
	226	Principles of Physics I	4	---
BIOL	265	Cell Biology	4	---
	270	Biodiversity & Phylogeny	4	---
	285	Ecology	4	---
Also other upper level courses in Biology, Chemistry, Math/CS and Physics (consult with dept. Chair), check with dept. course descriptions to confirm prerequisites.

Blue courses are strongly recommended for students intending to pursue graduate degrees in geology.