| Most geology majors are interested in obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree. With this degree, students have successfully entered careers in industry and consulting and have continued their education to obtain a Master's degree, which requires two to three years of graduate study, or a PhD, which generally takes four to six years. The emphasis in our BS program on the conceptual framework of geology and on practical field skills prepares students for entry-level positions in industry and also provides students with the background necessary to compete successfully for admission to any graduate program in the country.
The curriculum for majors in geology is divided into three 'Tiers'. Tier I courses include lower division courses that present introductory and preparatory subject matter. Tier II courses include the core of the upper division major courses. Tier III courses are offered as advanced upper division elective courses, of which 12 units are required for completion of the major.
- Tier I courses are designed to give the students a broad basis for the more advanced study of specific areas in geology. These courses include basic math (calculus and statistics), chemistry, and physics as well as introductory courses in physical geology, paleontology, and mineralogy that provide the groundwork of knowledge on which the upper division courses are based.
- Tier II courses are the core of the upper division major in geology. They include two quarters in Earth Materials which focus on the high temperature and pressure chemical evolution of molten and solid rock, a year in Earth Dynamics with related field techniques and field work, which focuses on plate tectonics and its consequences for both the large scale deformation of the earth's crust and on the small scale rock deformation and how to decipher and interpret this deformation from field studies, and a year in Earth History which focuses on the development of life, climates, and sedimentary environments through time.
- The twelve-unit Tier III upper division elective requirement provides students an opportunity to direct their undergraduate major towards a particular field of interest and to acquire greater depth and expertise in an area that serves to advance the student's specific goals, whether that be for employment or continuing graduate education. The Department itself offers a wide range of upper division courses that complement and extend the basic core curriculum, including courses in paleontology, environmental geology, geophysics, tectonics, oceanography, and geochemistry. The requirement also can be satisfied, with prior approval of an undergraduate advisor, by a wide variety of courses from any of the physical or biological sciences, including, for example, hydrology, engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, zoology, or genetics. Because of the recent demand for hydrogeologists, for example, many of our undergraduates, with our encouragement, have taken courses in the Hydrologic Sciences program as part of their elective requirements for the major.
The Ideal Geology Major Study Plan:
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree Requirements
Please note: The on-line version of the course catalog linked here is provided as a convenience to the campus. All courses, courses descriptions, instructor designations, curricular and degree requirements, deadlines, and fees described are subject to change or deletion without notice. The official version of the General Catalog is the printed edition prepared by the Office of the University Registrar and Editorial/Design and sold by the UC Davis Bookstore.
B.S. Major Advisers: David Osleger, Dawn Sumner, Robert Zierenberg
 
The Bachelor of Arts degree program is a subset of the courses required for the Bachelor of Science Degree program. The fewer units required allow these students to pursue other objectives.
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) Degree Requirements
Please note: The on-line version of the course catalog linked here is provided as a convenience to the campus. All courses, courses descriptions, instructor designations, curricular and degree requirements, deadlines, and fees described are subject to change or deletion without notice. The official version of the General Catalog is the printed edition prepared by the Office of the University Registrar and Editorial/Design and sold by the UC Davis Bookstore.
A.B. Major Adviser: Robert Zierenberg
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