Apr 20, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

How to Read Catalog Course Descriptions

Texas Tech offers nearly 5,000 courses as part of its curriculum. These courses are listed alphabetically by subject prefix within each college and departmental section of this catalog. The courses appear in numerical order, moving from beginning freshman or developmental level courses to graduate, research, and professional courses.

Not all courses listed in this catalog are offered every year. An online class schedule published before each registration period indicates courses that will be available during the upcoming term or semester and when each class will meet. The class schedule can be found at (www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/class_schedule/index.php). The university reserves the right to cancel any scheduled course or withdraw any program from the list of offerings when the best interests of the institution require such action.

Courses are designated by a subject prefix and number along with a descriptive title. Learn more  about interpreting the course descriptions found throughout the catalog.
 

GEOL - Geology (Undergraduate Courses)
  

  • GEOL 1101 - Physical Geology Laboratory

    1 Semester Credit Hours
    TCCNS: GEOL1103 Laboratory study of rocks, minerals, and geologic mapping. Partially fulfills core Life and Physical Sciences requirement.
  

  • GEOL 1102 - Historical Geology Laboratory

    1 Semester Credit Hours
    TCCNS: GEOL1104 Prerequisite: GEOL 1101 . Laboratory study of fossils, geologic maps, and geologic structure.
  

  • GEOL 1105 - History of Life Laboratory

    1 Semester Credit Hours
    Introduction to and applications of methods employed by paleontologists to interpret the fossil record. Not for credit for majors.
  

  • GEOL 1303 - Physical Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    TCCNS: GEOL1303 Introduction to earth structure and composition, minerals and rocks, surface processes, orogeny, and the principle of plate tectonics. Partially fulfills core Life and Physical Sciences requirement.
  

  • GEOL 1350 - History of Life

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    A survey of the evolution of life on earth as interpreted from the fossil record and the processes that produced extinct and modern ecosystems. Not for credit for majors.
  

  • GEOL 2101 - Undergraduate Seminar

    1 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: GEOS majors only, GEOL 3401  (may be concurrent). Skills, best practices, and techniques to successfully navigate the geosciences major. (CL)
  

  • GEOL 2401 - Historical Geology

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 1303  and GEOL 1101 . Survey of the earth’s geological history and the evolution of life and its interaction with geological processes. Interpretation of rocks, fossils, and geological maps.
  

  • GEOL 3301 - Geomorphology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 3401 . Introductory course regarding the landforms and surface processes of the earth and other solar system bodies.
  

  • GEOL 3321 - Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 1303 , GEOL 1101 , GEOL 2401 , GEOL 3401 ; CHEM 1308 , CHEM 1108 . Systematic mineralogical, geochemical and petrographical description of igneous and metamorphic rocks and application of internationally recognize nomenclature schemes. Field trip requires strenuous activity.
  

  • GEOL 3322 - Oceanography

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: GEOL 1303 , GEOL 3324 , GEOG 1401 , or ATMO 1300 . The physiography and origin of ocean basins and the processes and systems operative in them including physical, chemical, and biological factors as well as sedimentation patterns.
  

  • GEOL 3323 - Environmental Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: GEOL 1303  or GEOL 3324 . Study of geological processes that affect human activities, emphasizing natural hazards, water resources, waste disposal, energy, mineral resources, and land use and planning.
  

  • GEOL 3324 - Geology for Petroleum Engineers

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in MATH 1452 . Survey of geology with emphasis on concepts and processes important for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction. Petroleum engineering majors only.
  

  • GEOL 3325 - Sedimentary Petrology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 3321 , GEOL 3401 , and GCH 3303 . The characteristics of sediments and sedimentary rocks, the processes that control sediment accumulation, and the diagnostic processes which affect sedimentary rocks.
  

  • GEOL 3328 - Geology of Energy Resources

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: GEOL 1303  or GEOL 3324 . Origin, distribution, and exploitation of geological resources of energy, with emphasis on hydrocarbons, coal, and nuclear energy.
  

  • GEOL 3401 - Mineralogy

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 1303 , GEOL 1101 , GEOL 2401 ; CHEM 1307  and CHEM 1107 ; CHEM 1308  and CHEM 1108  (may be taken concurrently); 2.5 cumulative GPA. Elementary crystallography; identification of minerals in hand specimen and using the petrographic microscope; general chemical and physical properties of minerals; occurrence of minerals. (CL)
  

  • GEOL 3402 - Structural Geology

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in PHYS 1403  or PHYS 1408  (concurrent enrollment allowed) and GEOL 3401 , GEOL 3321 , and GCH 3303 . Structural analysis of deformed rocks. Laboratory includes fieldwork, stereonets, map and cross-section construction. Required field trip that includes strenuous activity. (CL)
  

  • GEOL 3450 - Paleontology and Paleoecology

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 2401 . Classification, evolution, and paleobiology of invertebrate fossils. Applications of paleontological data in geological dating, correlation, and paleoenvironmental analyses.
  

  • GEOL 4001 - Problems in Geosciences

    V1-6 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Independent study under guidance of faculty member.
  

  • GEOL 4201 - Field Methods in Sedimentary Geology

    2 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 3402  and GEOL 3325 . Description of sediments and sedimentary rocks in the field, measurement of stratigraphic sections, mapping of surficial deposits and stratified rocks, interpretation of depositional environments. Field work requires strenuous physical activity. (CL)
  

  • GEOL 4300 - Independent Studies in Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Independent studies in geology. May be repeated for credit.
  

  • GEOL 4301 - Advanced Fields Methods

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 3402 , GEOL 4201 , and GEOL 3321 . Field mapping of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Field work requires strenuous physical activity.
  

  • GEOL 4306 - Introduction to Petroleum Systems

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: GEOL 3402  (may be taken concurrently). General and updated background knowledge of petroleum geosciences, including unconventional resources. Generation and migration of petroleum, reservoir properties, sedimentary basins and petroleum exploration.
  

  • GEOL 4310 - Planetary Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 1303  and GEOL 1101 . An introduction to the solid bodies of the solar system beyond Earth, with an emphasis on surface processes and landforms.
  

  • GEOL 4312 - Undergraduate Research

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: Senior standing, GEOS majors only, prior approval from specific professor. Independent research in an area of current interest in the geosciences. (CL)
  

  • GEOL 4318 - Geology of Texas

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: GEOL 1303  and GEOL 1101 , or GEOL 3324 . A comprehensive study of the structure, stratigraphy, and economic geology of Texas and parts of adjacent states.
  

  • GEOL 4321 - Igneous and Metamorphic Processes

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GCH 3303  and GEOL 3321 . Application of field, experimental, geochemical and petrographic data to modelling and interpreting high-temperature earth processes.
  

  • GEOL 4324 - Geology of Hydrocarbons

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 3324 ; for petroleum engineering majors making progress in the PE program only. A study of the world-wide distribution and geologic setting of petroleum in addition to methods of exploration.
  

  • GEOL 4327 - Depositional Systems and Stratigraphy

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 3325 . Sedimentation of strata in various depositional systems and basin-scale perspective of stratigraphic concepts.
  

  • GEOL 4331 - Digital Imagery in Geosciences

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: Senior standing, GEOL 1303  and GEOL 1101  or GEOG 1401 , MATH 1320  or higher. Introduction to digital image processing, visualization, and raster GIS modeling applied to geosciences. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 4332 - Spatial Data Analysis and Modeling in Geosciences

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: GIST 3300  and MATH 1451 . Introduction to vector GIS data manipulation, geostatistics, and spatial modeling applied to geosciences. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 4334 - Structural Analysis in Hydrocarbon Systems

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in PETR 3303 , PETR 3103 , PETR 3304 , and PETR 3306 ; petroleum engineering majors in good standing in the PE program as determined by the PE department and partner advisors. Structural and geological analysis of hydrocarbon systems.
  

  • GEOL 4340 - Advanced Historical Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: C or better in GEOL 3402 , GEOL 4327 . Capstone course focusing on the geologic evolution of North America, emphasizing the interactions of all spheres of the Earth system.
  

  • GEOL 4351 - Imaging Spectroscopy and Raster Classification

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 4331 , or instructor consent. A comprehensive study of the techniques of reflectance spectroscopy, and of per-pixel and sub-pixel classification methods. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 4361 - Advanced Structural Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: Senior standing in major, GEOL 3402 . Topics include deformation mechanisms and rheology, tectonic evolution of oceanic lithosphere and evolution of arcs.
  

  • GEOL 4362 - Tectonics

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites: Senior standing in the major and GEOL 3402 . Survey of the plate tectonic paradigm in terms of historical development and modern application.
  

  • GEOL 4370 - Hydrogeology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisites C or better in GEOL 3402  and GEOL 3325 . Physical, chemical and geologic mechanisms of surface and groundwater now and solute transport through aquifers, with emphasis on principles, practical applications, and case studies.

GEOL - Geology (Graduate Courses)
  

  • GEOL 5001 - Problems in Geosciences

    V1-6 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Independent study under guidance of a faculty member.
  

  • GEOL 5101 - Seminar

    1 Semester Credit Hours
  

  • GEOL 5300 - Individual Studies in Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. A structured independent graduate studies course under the guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit.
  

  • GEOL 5303 - Advanced Igneous Petrology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Phase relations, geochemistry, and tectonic setting of igneous rocks. Emphasis on modern concepts of magma origin and differentiation. May be repeated for credit.
  

  • GEOL 5304 - Techniques in Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: Graduate student in good standing. Application of electron microscopy and microanalysis to the study and characterization of organic and inorganic substances.
  

  • GEOL 5305 - Geology of Clays

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Introduction to clay mineral compositional and structural properties, laboratory identification and occurrences (soils, sediments, rocks). Uses of clays, emphasis on hydrocarbon exploration and production.
  

  • GEOL 5311 - Micropaleontology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Lectures and labs are designed to acquaint the student with basic lab techniques, morphology, and classification within the major microfossil groups, and to demonstrate the usefulness and importance of microfossils as biostratigraphic and paleoecologic tools.
  

  • GEOL 5322 - Sedimentary Processes

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Principles of fluid dynamics important in sedimentation, interpretation of primary sedimentary structures, and description of depositional environments.
  

  • GEOL 5325 - Petrophysics

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Physical properties of reservoir rocks, including porosity, permeability, composition, and texture. Interrelationships between rock characteristics and electric log responses in geologic exploration and exploitation.
  

  • GEOL 5327 - Problems in Paleontology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Subjects include origin of life, Precambrian life, origin and relationships of fish, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, and primates; mass extinction and impact cratering processes.
  

  • GEOL 5340 - Advances in Historical Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Survey of currently important topics in earth processes and history for science educators, with an emphasis on how geologists interpret modern and past geologic events.
  

  • GEOL 5341 - Digital Imagery in Geosciences

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Introduction to digital image processing, visualization, and raster GIS modeling applied to geosciences. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 5342 - Spatial Data Analysis and Modeling in Geosciences

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Introduction to vector GIS data manipulation, geostatistics, and spatial modeling applied to geosciences. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 5351 - Imaging Spectroscopy and Raster Classification

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Prerequisite: C or better in GEOL 5341  or instructor consent. A comprehensive study of the techniques of reflectance spectroscopy, and of per-pixel and sub-pixel classification methods. Involves computer lab exercises.
  

  • GEOL 5361 - Advanced Structural Geology

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Topics include deformation mechanisms and rheology, tectonic evolution of oceanic lithosphere, and evolution of arcs. May be repeated once for credit.
  

  • GEOL 5362 - Advanced Tectonics

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Survey of the plate tectonics paradigm in terms of its historical development and modern application.
  

  • GEOL 5399 - Advanced Petrophysics

    3 Semester Credit Hours
    Analysis of complex reservoirs, such as shaly sands, carbonates with complex pore geometries, fractured reservoirs, and gas-bearing dolomites. The development and use of new logging tools is also covered.
  

  • GEOL 5410 - Vertebrate Paleontology

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    An introduction to the principles of paleontology governing evolution, morphology, and phylogeny of major groups of vertebrates.
  

  • GEOL 5420 - Geological Correlation

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Principles and methods of correlation of stratigraphic units with the geological time scale including chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, ecostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, event stratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, and related techniques.
  

  • GEOL 5422 - Sedimentary Geology of Carbonates

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Classification and interpretation of carbonate rocks, processes that control their deposition and diagenesis, evolution of carbonate systems through times.
  

  • GEOL 5424 - Clastic Sedimentology

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Origins, classification, petrology, diagenesis, and facies analysis of clastic sedimentary rocks. Survey of modern and ancient clastic depositional systems.
  

  • GEOL 5426 - Sequence Stratigraphy

    4 Semester Credit Hours
    Fundamental concepts of sequence stratigraphy and application to interpretation of sedimentary basins across a range of depositional systems. Application to petroleum exploration and production.
  

  • GEOL 6000 - Master’s Thesis

    V1-6 Semester Credit Hours
  

  • GEOL 7000 - Research

    V1-12 Semester Credit Hours
  

  • GEOL 8000 - Doctor’s Dissertation

    V1-12 Semester Credit Hours