About the Geosciences Program
The undergraduate program offers a 120-hour major in geosciences with a concentration in geology, geophysics and environmental geology. Students are required to earn at least a C in all major, minor, and adjunct courses. Successful completion of adjunct courses with a C or better is required before upper-division geoscience courses may be taken. Field work is a requirement for the B.S. degree. If this is a concern, the B.A. should be considered. However, the B.A. degree also requires field work that may be strenuous. Capacity in upper-division GEOL, GPH and GCH courses may be capped due to limited departmental resources. The residency requirement for the major is 12 hours.
Communication Literacy Plan. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy (CL) requirement in their program(s) of study.
Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the CL requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program.
Geoscience graduates are expected to be able to communicate with their peers and with the general public in a variety of ways. In particular, they should be capable of written communication in a scientific format, oral communication, both to peers and to informed laypersons, and illustration of data and concepts through various graphical formats. Courses in the CL Plan for the B.S. in Geosciences and B.A. in Geosciences in all concentrations are GEOL 3401 , GEOL 3402 , GEOL 4101 , and GEOL 4312 .
About the B.A. in Geosciences
The geology program leading to the B.A. degree provides a broad liberal arts background and basic training in the principles of geosciences. The program is designed for students with strong interests in earth processes and the history of nature’s initiation of and response to continuous change. Students interested in professional employment or graduate degrees in geology should complete the B.S. degree program, not the B.A. The B.A. program with a concentration in geology requires GEOL 1303, GEOL 1101, GEOL 2401, GEOL 3401, GEOL 3402, GEOL 4101, GEOL 4312, and at least 15 hours of junior-senior level geosciences electives, 9 hours of which must include a laboratory. Adjunct requirements include MATH 1321 or MATH 1550, CHEM 1307, CHEM 1107, PHYS 1403. The minor may be in any area approved by the college.
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