BS in Geology > UTSA > University of Texas at San Antonio

Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology

The Bachelor of Science degree in Geology provides opportunities to prepare for careers in petroleum, mining, water resources, environmental management, governmental agencies, engineering geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and natural resources.

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 124 to 127.

All candidates seeking this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed below.

Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Geology must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements in this catalog.

Core Curriculum Requirements	Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements
Rhetoric (6 semester credit hours)	All students must take the following six hours to meet this core requirement: WRC 1013 Freshman Composition I WRC 1023 Freshman Composition II
Domain I: Mathematics and Science	Mathematics(3 semester credit hours) The core curriculum mathematics requirement is automatically fulfilled in obtaining a B.S. degree in Geology. Science (6 semester credit hours) The core curriculum science requirement is automatically fulfilled in obtaining a B.S. degree in Geology.
Domain II: Society and Culture	United States History and Diversity (6 semester credit hours) Any six hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. *Political Studies* (6 semester credit hours) POL 1013 plus 3 additional hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. *Social and Behavioral Sciences* (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. *Economics* (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.
Domain III: Literature and the Arts	*Literature* (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. *The Arts* (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.
Domain IV: World Society and Issues	(3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.

(TOP)

Degree Requirements

A. 52 semester credit hours in geology completed with a grade of “C” or better:

1. 43 semester credit hours of required courses:

GEO 1103, 1111 Introduction to Earth Systems and Laboratory
GEO 1123, 1131 Earth History and Laboratory
GEO 2003, 2011 Mineralogy and Laboratory
GEO 2023, 2031 Optical Mineralogy and Laboratory
GEO 3043, 3052 Petrology and Laboratory
GEO 3063, 3071 Paleontology and Laboratory
GEO 3103, 3111 Structural Geology and Laboratory
GEO 3123, 3131 Sedimentary Geology and Laboratory
GEO 3374 Geochemistry
GEO 4946 Field Geology

2. 9 additional semester credit hours selected from the following (a maximum of 3 semester credit hours from either

GEO 4911-3 or 4951-3 may apply to this requirement):
GEO 3083, 3091 Stratigraphy and Laboratory
GEO 3113 Geologic Field Investigations
GEO 3143, 3151 Economic Geology and Laboratory
GEO 3163 Oceanography
GEO 3383 General Geophysics
GEO 4013 Volcanology
GEO 4023 Engineering Geology
GEO 4063 Principles of Environmental Geology
GEO 4113, 4121 Geomorphology and Laboratory
GEO 4623 Ground-Water Hydrology
GEO 4803 X-Ray Crystallography
GEO 4911-3 Independent Study
GEO 4951-3 Special Studies in Geology and Environmental Science
GEO 4993 Honors Research

B. 27 to 30 required semester credit hours in the College of Sciences:

CHE 1103 General Chemistry I
CHE 1303 General Chemistry II
CS 1063 Introduction to Computer Programming
or
CS 1073 Introductory Computer Programming for Scientific Applications
or
CS 1713, 1711 Introduction to Computer Science and Recitation
ES 4043 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
MAT 1214 Calculus I
MAT 1223 Calculus II
Either
PHY 1904, 1911 Technical Physics I and Laboratory
PHY 1924, 1931 Technical Physics II and Laboratory
or
PHY 1603, 1611 General Physics I and Laboratory
PHY 1623, 1631 General Physics II and Laboratory