Geology

Geology is the science of the earth's composition, structure, origin, and evolution. It includes subjects as diverse as the origin of rocks and minerals, the migration of pollutants in ground water, and the evolution of life as recorded in fossils.

Geologists and geoscientists work in a variety of areas. In today's society, with concerns about conservation of natural resources and environmental pollution, many geologists are involved in helping to solve problems with pollution, waste disposal, urban development, and hazards such as flooding and erosion. They use geological evidence to lessen the effects of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.

Others study the interaction of human influence upon the earth and provide basic information to society for solving problems and establishing policy for resource management, environmental protection, and public health, safety, and welfare. Geologists also study the history of the earth and previous life forms in fossils and rocks.

Distinctive Features at Miami

Integration of teaching and research: The geology faculty is an extremely active group of scientists and educators. Our faculty teach courses at all levels of the curriculum, which means that students interact with active scholars in virtually all geology courses. All faculty members and graduate students are working on research projects, many of which regularly involve undergraduate students. These independent study research opportunities are often the most rewarding aspects of an undergraduate's career because it provides hands-on experience applying principles and concepts learned in coursework to outstanding questions in the geological sciences.

Available funding for research: The National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, the Miami University Summer Scholars Program, the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship, and the Department of Geology all provide funding that allows undergraduates to undertake independent research during the summer and school year. Many students often publish their work in leading journals and participate in conference presentations.

Field-based learning opportunities: All geology majors enroll in a summer field course, usually taken between the junior and senior year, at the department's field station in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, next to one of the nation's most unspoiled and rugged wilderness areas. A number of other three- to five-week domestic and international field courses also run annually during the summer. Shorter field courses (7 to 10 days) often are taught over the winter and spring break periods, affording undergraduate and graduate students ample opportunity to participate. Many of the upper-level geology courses contain field components that take advantage of key aspects of the local and regional geology via multi-hour to multi-day field projects.

Your Program of Study

Miami's geology program leads to the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree. A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is offered through the School of Education and Allied Professions in earth science education.

The geology program has two areas of emphasis: solid earth and environmental. The solid earth emphasis focuses on physical and chemical processes affecting the whole earth and on the evolution of the earth's mantle and crust. Upper-level courses address topics such as mantle and isotope geochemistry, global and extensional tectonics, basin analysis, and geophysics and geodynamics. more traditional one that offers classes in petrology, structure, tectonics, and geochemistry.

The environmental emphasis focuses on the interactions between various earth systems at or near the earth's surface and addresses issues of conservation and discovery of natural resources and the prevention and management of pollution and other environmental hazards. Upper-level courses address such topics as hydrogeology and containment transport, global change, paleoclimatology, geomicrobiology, environmental geochemistry and isotope geochemistry, and surficial processes and soil development.

Common to both tracks are introductory geology courses and classes in mineralogy, geochemistry, structural geology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and field geology, stratigraphy, and petrology.

Laboratories and Computing Facilities

The Department of Geology houses modern research and teaching laboratories for the investigation of a variety of earth materials and processes. These laboratories support material preparation and state-of-the-art instrumental analysis focusing in the areas of isotope and elemental geochemistry, mineral surface geochemistry, crystallography, geomicrobiology, hydrogeology, and geophysics. This instrumentation is fully computer-integrated and is further supported by a modern departmental computer laboratory and numerous specialized high-end computer facilities.

An additional resource of the geology department is its Limper Geology Museum, containing a nationally noted collection of Upper Ordovician (450 million-year-old) fossils. With more than 3,000 fossil, mineral, and rock specimens on display and nearly 190,000 additional specimens in its collections, the museum and its collections attract interest from scholars all over the world.

Student Organizations

Open to anyone interested in geology, the Miami University Geological Society (MUGS) is an active student organization that promotes geological activities outside the classroom. The group takes field trips, attends lectures, and provides social gatherings to help students get to know other geology majors as well as faculty.

After You Graduate

Geologists and other earth scientists are typically employed in environmental consulting and planning firms, energy and mineral resources companies, materials analysis firms, or government agencies, such as the National Park Service, environmental protection agencies, and health departments. They are also employed in schools and universities, a wide array of both small and large corporations, legal practices, non-profit organizations, and even the news media. Because geoscientists are continually urged to recognize and address the world around them, they acquire and hone skills that are highly valued in many disciplines.

In recent years, about 50 percent of our graduates further their education in graduate programs. A master's degree, which is the terminal degree of most practicing geologists, provides a wide opportunity for professional achievement and advancement. While many students study geology or another related science after obtaining their undergraduate degree, many have gone into law, business, and education. Environmental law and earth science education have become an increasingly active area in recent years.

About 30 percent of our graduates obtain immediate employment in geology or related disciplines. A bachelor's degree, in most instances, provides the background to obtain support or assistant positions as a geologist in environmental protection agencies or smaller consulting companies as well as the laboratory or field programs of mining and petroleum corporations and state or national geological surveys. As the nation's attention continues to focus on environmental concerns, environmental consulting and geotechnical companies employ a steady number of geology graduates.

For More Information

For general information about Miami University, please contact:

Office of Admission
301 S. Campus Ave.
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056-3434
513-529-2531 (v/t)
www.muohio.edu/requestinfo

For specific information on the Geology major, please contact:

Dr. William Hart
Department of Geology
Shideler Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
513-529-3216
hartwk@muohio.edu
http://casnov1.cas.muohio.edu/glg