Geological Sciences, BA

Location(s): Main Campus

The Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences is a liberal arts degree emphasizing the natural sciences and, with appropriate planning, as a preparatory degree for graduate study and professional employment. The BA degree requires courses in both geology and the other natural sciences while allowing students flexibility to use four courses to specialize in an area of interest. Students should plan to meet early with their advisors to outline a plan of specialization no later than their sixth semester.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Students must fulfill the following requirements for the Geology major:

One four-credit 100-level geology course* GEOL 206 OR GEOL 234 OR ENVI 206 OR ENVI 234
GEOL 301 - Rock Record And Earth History *
GEOL 302 - Introduction to Geophysics
GEOL 303 - Earth Materials
GEOL 304 - Intro to Envi Geochemistry
GEOL 311 - Earth’s Surface Processes
GEOL 344 - Structural Geology
CHEM 104 (plus 106) OR CHEM 107 OR CHEM 111
Two courses* must be taken from the following list. Students may choose from any combination of disciplines (notes that the combinations of MATH 224/225 and MATH 226/227 each count as one course for the fulfillment of this requirement): BIOL 113, 114, 350, 370 and 371; CHEM 105, 108, 221, 231, 332, 341 and 351; MATH 147, the combination of MATH 224 AND 225, the combination of MATH 226 AND 227, MATH 304, and MATH 323; and PHYS 121, 122, 131, 132 and 227
Four courses in an area of specialization**, which must be approved by the department advisor no later than the student’s sixth semester

Notes:

*Students pursuing the SUNY Transfer Path in Geology should fulfill these requirements by taking: GEOL 111; GEOL 213 (instead of GEOL 301); MATH 224/225 and CHEM 108, OR, if CHEM 111 was taken, either MATH 147 or PHYS 121.

**If GEOL 213 is chosen instead of 301, the four-course specialization must include at least one upper-level (300 or higher) course.

Additional Information About the Program

The department requires a C- or better grade in all courses counted toward the major. No courses for the major may be taken Pass/Fail.

For more information on the Geological Sciences BA program, please refer to the Earth Sciences website. To apply to the Geological Sciences BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.