Bulletin--Geosciences Pgm. Info.

Geosciences


College of Science and Engineering
Dean: James C. Kelley

Department of Geosciences
TH 509
415-338-2061
Fax: 415-338-7705
Chair: John Monteverdi

Faculty
Professors—Bickel, Galehouse, Kelley, Mandra, Monteverdi, Mustart, Pestrong, Seibel, Sullivan

Associate Professor—Garcia

Assistant Professors—Dempsey, Grove, White

Adjunct Faculty—Felton, Hill, Null, Rodda, Rousch, Segar

Programs
B.A. in Geology

B.S. in Geology

B.A. in Science: Concentration in Meteorology

Minor in Geology

Minor in Meteorology


Affiliations
The Department of Geosciences is a UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) Affiliate.

Program Scope
The Bachelor of Arts in Geology provides students with a basic foundation in the physical sciences and in several areas of geology that are essential for comprehension of this broad field. Upper division electives allow students to pursue their own special interests in geology. Courses in the major presuppose a background equivalent to two years of high school algebra, one year of plane geometry, one-half year of trigonometry, and one year of physics and/or chemistry. Prospective majors should consult with the Department of Geosciences as early as possible in their university careers.

Students who are considering teaching geology at the high school level should consult a credential adviser in the College of Science and Engineering to plan their major, as specific courses outside the geology program are required. Students who plan to work in industry or continue to graduate school are urged to complete the Bachelor of Science in Geology.

The Bachelor of Science in Geology is designed for students wishing to continue to graduate school or planning to pursue a professional career in industry, government, or university teaching. The major provides students with a fundamental background in the physical sciences and many areas of geology necessary for an in-depth comprehension of the subject. Entry to the major presupposes prior course work equivalent to two years of high school algebra, one year of plane geometry, one-half year of trigonometry, and one year of physics and/or chemistry.

The Bachelor of Arts in Science: Concentration in Meteorology is designed for students with a general interest in the atmospheric sciences and for those pursuing careers such as science teaching, science writing, and broadcast meteorology. In consultation with the faculty, students may also complete additional course work beyond the minimum degree requirements to prepare for graduate study or professional employment in meteorology.

The undergraduate program in meteorology trains students in physical, dynamical and synoptic meteorology, with a special focus on air-sea interactions. Students are also exposed to other topics including:

  1. synoptic and mesoscale forecasting problems specific to the West Coast;
  2. the effects of oceans on climatic change; and
  3. numerical models of mesoscale flow.
The Minor in Geology is designed for students with a general interest in geology and for those wishing to pursue a career in teaching or environmental interpretation. Courses prescribed in the minor presuppose a background in mathematics and chemistry/physics at the high school level.

The Minor in Meteorology is designed to provide a basic introduction to atmospheric science. Science majors who plan to teach at the high school or community college level will find that this program will allow them to investigate not only fundamental topics but also current developments in the field of air-sea interactions, forecasting, and climatic change. The minor also serves those students who plan to apply the principles of basic science to environmental problems. Electives include physical oceanography and applied climatology; this course work, in combination with meteorology, allows students to adequately understand the basic physical constraints on the air-sea-land system.

Career Outlook
Students graduating with the B.S. or B.A. in Geology are currently working in a wide range of fields in the earth sciences, and the opportunities are further increased for those continuing to graduate school. For the next decade the largest number of positions will be in the broad areas of environmental/engineering geology including such specializations as: geohydrology, hazardous materials monitoring and disposal, earthquake and landslide hazard assessment, and soils testing. With improvement in the economy there will also be an increase in positions in petroleum geology and minerals exploration. Geologists are employed in a large number of government agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey, California Division of Mines and Geology, Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Forest Service. The increasing emphasis on science in high schools is resulting in increasing possibilities to teach earth science at the high school level, and with a master's or doctorate there is an opportunity for university teaching and research.

Students graduating with the B.A. in Science: Concentration in Meteorology have found employment in all aspects of the profession. Several of our graduates have found employment with the National Weather Service, the largest single employer of meteorologists in the United States. Graduates are also employed at other government agencies, public utilities, and private consulting firms. In addition, some students have combined their meteorology training with broadcast skills in pursuit of career in media meteorology at several television stations across the country. Finally, students have gone on to teaching careers at the elementary, junior high, high school, and community college levels. Many of our meteorology students go on to graduate work at other universities, since with an advanced degree there are increased opportunities for atmosphere and ocean research.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN GEOSCIENCES

Students should be aware of the following Academic Standards Policy which applies to all geology and meteorology majors:

Students who have completed twelve units of required upper division Geoscience courses and have failed to maintain an overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) in the major will be disenrolled from the major. Any student who does not meet these standards will not be permitted to enroll in courses designed for the major.

Prospective majors should consult with the Department of Geosciences as early as possible in their university careers. It is particularly recommended that students meet with their adviser before selecting courses in the general education program in order to avoid unnecessary duplication. Students will be advised to complete the basic science requirements before taking upper division courses in geology and will also be advised on the correct sequence of courses in the geology program. All major courses must be taken for a letter grade since CR/NC is not applicable toward the degree.

Courses for these programs are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Geology discipline in the Announcement of Courses section).

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN GEOLOGY

See "Undergraduate Programs in Geosciences" for general information.

Students who are planning admission to graduate school through this program are expected to complete at least one year each of college chemistry, physics, and mathematics. It is also strongly recommended that students take a summer field course in geology.

Basic Science
						Units
CHEM 111	General Chemistry I		 5
PHYS 111/112	General Physics I and 
		Laboratory (3-1) or
	PHYS 220/222	General Physics with 
			Calculus I & Lab (3-1)	 4
MATH 220	Calculus & Analytic Geometry I	 3
Electives in chemistry, physics, and mathematics 
on advisement to be chosen from CHEM 113/114, 
PHYS 121, 230, or 240, or MATH 221		 3
Basic Geology
GEOL 110	Physical Geology		 4
GEOL 115	Historical Geology		 4
GEOL 420	Mineralogy			 4
GEOL 425	Optical Mineralogy		 2
GEOL 426	Petrography and Petrology	 4
GEOL 430	Structural Geology		 4
GEOL 440	Paleontology			 4
GEOL 460	Stratigraphy			 4
GEOL 695	Field Methods in Geology	 2
Geology Electives
Upper division electives in geology on 
advisement chosen from courses numbered 400 or 
higher						 5
		Total				52

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN GEOLOGY

See "Undergraduate Programs in Geosciences" for general information.

As part of their advanced course work, students will take a summer field mapping course and complete a senior thesis that includes written and oral presentation of a final research report.

Lower Division Basic Science Requirements
						Units
GEOL 110	Physical Geology		 4
GEOL 115	Historical Geology		 4
MATH 220	Calculus & Analytic Geometry I	 3
MATH 221	Calculus & Analytic Geometry II	 3
MATH 222	Calculus & Analytic 
		Geometry III			 3
PHYS 220/222	General Physics w/Calculus I & 
		Laboratory (3-1) and
	PHYS 240/242	General Physics with 
			Calculus III & Labora-
			tory (3-1) or
PHYS 220/222	General Physics w/Calculus I & 
		Laboratory (3-1) and
	PHYS 230/232	General Physics with 
			Calculus II & Labora-
			tory (3-1)		 8
CHEM 111	General Chemistry		 5
CHEM 113/114	General Chemistry II & Labora-
		tory (3-2)			 5
	Total basic science requirements	35
Upper Division Geology Requirements
GEOL 420	Mineralogy			 4
GEOL 425	Optical Mineralogy		 2
GEOL 426	Petrography and Petrology	 4
GEOL 430	Structural Geology		 4
GEOL 440	Paleontology			 4
GEOL 460	Stratigraphy			 4
GEOL 695	Field Methods in Geology	 2
GEOL 696	Field Geology			 5
GEOL 698	Senior Research and Thesis	 2
	Total geology requirements		31
Geology Electives
GEOL 480	Geochemistry or
GEOL 485	Geophysics or
	GEOL 535	Plate Tectonics		 3
Additional upper division electives in geology 
on advisement chosen from courses numbered 400 
or higher					 9
	Total geology electives requirement	12
	Total for the major			78

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SCIENCE: CONCENTRATION IN METEOROLOGY

See "Undergraduate Programs in Geosciences" for general information.

Students should consult with an adviser before enrolling in the major and before planning a course of study. The adviser will help the student select courses beyond those required for the major and which are appropriate for the career goals of the individual.

Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Meteorology discipline in the Announcement of Courses section).

Basic Courses
						Units
Mathematics					15
MATH 220	Calculus & Analytic Geometry I*
MATH 221	Calculus & Analytic Geometry II
MATH 222	Calculus & Analytic Geometry III
MATH 223	Calculus & Analytic Geometry IV
One of the following on advisement:
	MATH 245	Elementary Differential 
			Equations and Linear 
			Algebra
	MATH 340	Introduction to 
			Statistics
	MATH 374	Advanced Calculus
	METR 406	Fortran Programming for 
			Meteorologists
Physics						 8
PHYS 220/222	General Physics w/Calculus I & 
		Laboratory (3-1)*
PHYS 230/232	General Physics w/Calculus II & 
		Laboratory (3-1)
Chemistry					 8
CHEM 111	General Chemistry I with 
		Laboratory (5)*
CHEM 113	General Chemistry II
Biology						 5
BIOL 230	Introductory Biology I*
Earth Science					 4
METR 401	Introductory Atmospheric 
		Physics
History						 3
CIS 500		Development of the Earth 
		Sciences*
Thematic Concentration
Meteorology					14
METR 401	Introductory Atmospheric 
		Physics (4)**
METR 402	Introductory Atmospheric and 
		Oceanic Dynamics (4)
METR 403	Weather Forecasting and 
		Analysis (4)
Six additional units from the following, on 
advisement:
	METR 203	Basic Weather Chart 
			Analysis (1)
	METR 404	Air-Ocean Instruments (2)
	METR 406	Fortran Programming for 
			Meteorologists
	METR 415	California Weather 
			Analysis
	METR 420	Meteorology of the 
			Oceans (4)
	METR 480	Weather Satellite Photo 
			Interpretation (2)
	METR 502	Advanced Atmospheric and 
			Oceanic Dynamics (4)
	METR 510	Introductory Cloud 
			Physics (4)
	METR 603	Weather Chart 
			Discussion (1)
	METR 695	Internship (1)
	METR 697	Senior Project (1-3)
	METR 698	Public Weather 
			Forecasting (1-3)
	METR 699	Special Study (1)
	METR 703	Weather Chart (1)
	METR 710	Advanced Topics in 
			Atmospheric and Oceanic 
			Dynamics
	METR 715	Advanced Seminar in 
			Severe Weathers
	METR 780	Advanced Weather 
			Satellite Analysis 
			Techniques
	METR 798	Advanced Public Weather 
			Forecasting (1-3)
	METR 896	Directed Reading in 
			Meteorology
	PHYS 240/242	General Physics w/Calcu-
			lus III & Labora-
			tory (3-1)
		Total for major			57
*Up to twelve units may be double counted for General Education requirements.

**Course completed as part of core.

MINOR IN GEOLOGY

Students should consult with the Department of Geosciences as early as possible in the program in order to be advised on the correct sequences of courses and the selection of elective courses. All courses in the minor must be taken for a letter grade since CR/NC will not be accepted in the program.

Basic Science					Units
One course in chemistry or physics on 
advisement					  4-5
Basic Geology
GEOL 110	Physical Geology		    4
GEOL 115	Historical Geology		    4
Electives
Upper division electives in geology on 
advisement chosen from courses numbered 400 
or higher					   12
		Total				24-25

MINOR IN METEOROLOGY

NOTE: The minor program in meteorology is designed for students in the College of Science and Engineering. MATH 220 and 221, Calculus and Analytic Geometry I-II, are minimum prerequisites for advanced course work in the pure and applied sciences.

Core						Units
PHYS 220/222	General Physics w/Calculus I 
		and Laboratory (3-1)		    4
METR 401	Introductory Atmospheric 
		Physics				    4
METR 402	Introductory Atmospheric and 
		Oceanic Dynamics		    4
METR 403	Weather Forecasting & Analysis	    4
		Total				   16
Electives
Units upon advisement from the following course 
list and from meteorology courses numbered 404 
and higher					  7-8
	METR 203	Basic Weather Chart 
			Analysis (2)
	PHYS 240/242	General Physics w/Calcu-
			lus III & Labora-
			tory (3-1)
		Total for minor			23-24

Bulletin 1994-96 Table of Contents, SFSU Home Page

last modified June 13, 1995