Geology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Information for this profile was provided by Michael A. Poage in 2009. Information is also available on the program website. Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public four-year institution, primarily undergraduate . Students in this program are pursuing a BS degree.

Program Design & Assessment

Overview

The B.S. Geology curriculum is designed for students who are interested in pursuing any of the various sub-disciplines in the geosciences, providing the foundation needed to pursue a wide variety of career goals. This is one of three programs offered by the IUP Geoscience Department.

Strengths of this program

This program will be implemented for the first time in Fall 2009. Thus its long-term effectiveness at this time is unestablished. The curriculum was designed to allow for flexible entry into the program such that students taking Foundations of Geology in their sophomore year may still graduate within the normal four-year timeframe. We have increased the number of research- and field-oriented credits in the program, emphasizing these important curricular components. We increased the number of elective credits to allow for more flexible scheduling and tailoring of course selection to individual student interests.

Types of students served

Program Goals

The goals of this program are as follows:

  • Provide students with a strong background in the sub-disciplines of Geology and help them to build connections between the sub-disciplines
  • Develop their scientific and quantitative skills to allow for complex problem-solving
  • Develop oral and written communication skills
  • Provide students the opportunity to design and execute their own research projects

The learning goals were informed by the following resources:

How program goals are assessed

These goals will be assessed over the course of the student's tenure in the program. Selected assessments will be inserted into courses to evaluate key components of student progress. Exit interviews, with graduating seniors, combined with periodic alumni surveys will provide us with a broader assessment of program effectiveness.

Design features that allow goals to be met


Alumni Careers

Graduation rate

Careers pursued by our alumni

Courses and Sequencing

Diagram of course sequencing and requirements

Entry into the program

  • The Dynamic Earth
  • Oceans and Atmospheres
  • Exploring the Universe
  • Foundations of Geology

Core courses

  • Foundations of Geology
  • Quantitative Methods in the Geosciences
  • Surficial Processes
  • Mineralogy and Petrology
  • Structural Geology
  • Research Methods in the Geosciences (Prerequisite: Junior standing)
  • Geoscience Seminar (Prerequisite: Research Methods in the Geosciences)

Electives

Students are required to take 19 credits (5-6 courses) of electives, selected from the following options:
  • Field Geology
  • Environmental Geology
  • Geochemistry
  • Hydrogeology
  • Soils and Soil Geochemistry
  • Planetary Geology
  • Stellar Astronomy
  • Historical Geology
  • Sedimentation and Stratigraphy
  • Paleontology
  • Geomorphology
  • Sedimentary Petrology
  • Plate Tectonics
  • Oceanography
  • Meteorology
  • Northern Rockies Field Workshop
  • Newfoundland Field Workshop
  • American Southwest Field Workshop
  • Carbonate Geology Field Workshop

Other required courses

  • Calculus I & II
  • Physics I & II
  • Chemistry I & II

Other key features of this program:

Students are required to take either the locally-based Field Geology course or one off-campus three-week field course in Newfoundland, the northern Rocky Mountains, the Southwestern U.S., or the Bahamas. Students must also complete a senior research project as part of the two semester Research Methods in the Geosciences and Geoscience Seminar sequence.

Supporting Materials