The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences 45 courses 126 total credits
The Bachelor of Science in Geosciences (BSGS) serves as a professional degree for students planning careers as geologists, geophysicists, hydrologists, climate scientists, or teachers, as well as for those planning to pursue graduate work in geosciences or a profession such as law or business. Careers are available in the petroleum and related energy industries, resource evaluation, mineral exploration, geologic hazard monitoring, environmental control and reclamation, building foundation evaluation, groundwater contamination studies, soil testing, regional planning, watershed management, climate modeling, and college or secondary school teaching. Graduates may also work in state or federal agencies, in universities or museums, with consulting firms, or with service companies to the energy and mineral industries. Students seeking the Bachelor of Science in Geosciences degree must choose one of five majors: General Geology, Geophysics, Hydrology and Water Resources, Climate System Science, or Geosciences. In the General Geology Major, we focus on understanding what rocks can tell us about the processes that control our complex planetary system. We teach the tools, critical thinking, and spatial reasoning skills that are needed to decipher Earth's history, and we explore the range of approaches, from field to experiment to computation to remote sensing. To achieve these goals, we emphasize experiential learning; a hallmark of the major is participation in immersion courses, where students spend extended periods of time on project work, in a field or lab setting. Our graduates are ready to generalize, apply, and communicate their knowledge in the private, public, and academic sector, setting them up to solve societally relevant problems within the geosciences and beyond.
| Disciplinary Fundamentals Component | credits |
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division GEO courseowork | 9 credits |
| Hours chosen from: GEO coursework | 6 credits |
| Foreign Language other than English, Beginning Proficiency | credits |
| College Requirements - Geosciences | credits |
| General University Requirements | credits |
Major
Sequence 1:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| M 408C | Differential and Integral Calculus | 4 |
| M 408D | Sequences, Series, and Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
Major
Sequence 2:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| M 408K | Differential Calculus | 4 |
| M 408L | Integral Calculus | |
| M 408M | Multivariable Calculus |
Major
Sequence 1:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHY 301 | Mechanics | 3 |
| PHY 101L | Laboratory for Physics 301 | 1 |
| PHY 316 | Electricity and Magnetism | 3 |
| PHY 116L | Laboratory for Physics 316 | 1 |
Major
Sequence 2:
Major
Hours chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 401 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| GEO 302C | Climate: Past, Present, and Future | 3 |
| GEO 302D | Age of Dinosaurs | 3 |
| GEO 302E | Earth, Wind, and Fire | 3 |
| GEO 302G | Earth Science and Sustainability | 3 |
| GEO 302J | Crisis of Our Planet | 3 |
| GEO 302M | The Age of Mammals | 3 |
| GEO 302N | Geology of National Parks | 3 |
| GEO 302Q | Gems and Gem Minerals | 3 |
| GEO 303 | Introduction to Geology | 3 |
| GEO 303C | Introduction to the Solar System | 3 |
| GEO 303E | Earth in 2100 | 3 |
| Total Major | 3 credits | |
Major
Hours chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 405 | Life through Time | 4 |
| GEO 311D | Geodata | 3 |
| GEO 315L | Earth From Lab to Planet | 3 |
| GEO 420K | Introduction to Field and Stratigraphic Methods | 4 |
| Total Major | 6 credits | |
Major
Disciplinary Breadth Component
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 416E | Solid Earth Processes | 4 |
| GEO 416S | Earth and Planetary Processes Through Time | 4 |
| GEO 416W | Climate, Water, and the Environment | 4 |
Major
Hours chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 325G | Computational Applications in the Geosciences | 3 |
| GEO 352P | Python for Geoscience Research | 3 |
| GEO 325M | Numerical Modeling in the Geosciences | 3 |
| GEO 378D | Introduction to Machine Learning and Geosciences | 3 |
| GEO 366M | Mathematical Methods in Geophysics | 3 |
| GEO 322E | Scientific Research Design | 3 |
| Total Major | 6 credits | |
Major
Hours chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 327G | Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System Applications in Earth Sciences | 3 |
| GEO 455S | Introduction to Remote Sensing for Geoscientists | 4 |
| Total Major | 3 credits | |
Major
Hours chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEO 660 | Field Geology | 6 |
| GEO 348K | Marine Geology and Geophysics Field Course | 3 |
| GEO 376L | Field Methods in Groundwater Hydrology | 3 |
| Total Major | 6 credits | |
Click a course code or title to read the full course description.
Our subject experts help with essays, research papers, case studies, discussion posts, and capstone projects for these programs β written from scratch to your course requirements.
Program and course information is reproduced from each university's published academic catalog for informational purposes and may change. Always confirm current requirements with your university. We are an independent academic support service and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the universities listed.
Expert guides on essay writing, citation styles, study skills, and academic success.
View All Articles
Learn how to write a good research question for a paper. Narrow your topic, identify a research problem, and create a focused question with practical examples.
Learn how to choose a research topic you can actually research. Discover how to narrow broad ideas, find reliable sources, and develop a focused research question.
Learn how to cite sources in a research paper using APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, with in-text citation examples and reference-list tips.