Undergraduate Program

Welcome to the Department of Geosciences! We think you will find it an interesting and welcoming department. You should be aware that there is an official Geology Club and a student lounge on the second floor (Lapham 274) that is specifically set aside for undergraduate and graduate student use. Please make use of it!

A checklist to help you successfully navigate through your undergraduate degree follows:

1. You need to contact and meet with our Undergraduate Faculty Advisor, Dr. Lindsay McHenry (lmchenry@uwm.edu; 414-229-3951). She will advise you on your Geosciences courses only. Your L & S advisor will advise you on college requirements for graduation.
   
2. Specific departmental course requirements for both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences degrees are listed in the UWM bulletin.
   
3. Majors courses are offered on a regular rotation. To help you in your planning, the rotation is given below. Retirements, sabbatical leaves, and other circumstances sometimes conspire to alter this rotation. Be sure to talk to your advisor as you plan out your course sequence.
4. There is a requirement to take a summer field course (typically 5- 6 weeks long). There are many throughout the country that are acceptable. We are also in a consortial agreement with the South Dakota School of Mines to provide our students a discounted tuition at their field camp. In addition, there are scholarships available from our department and from the South Dakota school of Mines to help defray field camp costs. (Again, talk to your advisor….)

Course Rotation

Geology-Geophysics Option (BS degree)
General Geology Option (BA degree)

Both degree options need the same required Geosciences courses. The BS degree requires 15 elective credits whereas the BA degree requires only 9 elective credits. The BS degree also requires more mathematics and cognated science courses. See the UWM bulletin.

Course	Description	Credits	Offered
Geo Sci 100	Introduction to the Earth	3	Every Semester
Geo Sci 102	Historical Geology	3	Every Semester
Geo Sci 301	Principles of Mineralogy	3	Fall
Geo Sci 302	Elementary Petrology	3	Spring
Geo Sci 316	Introduction to Geophysics	3	Fall
Geo Sci 414	Structural Geology	3	Spring
Geo Sci 455	Field Geology	5-8	Summer
Geo Sci 511	Stratigraphy and Sedimentation	3	Spring

 

Students must take at least 18 additional credits from Geosciences departmental courses at the 300 level or above. BS students must take two courses from the following list.

Course	Description	Credits	Offered
Geo Sci 400	Water Quality	3	Fall
Geo Sci 409	Process Geomorphology	3	Fall
Geo Sci 443	Glacial and Pleistocene Geology	3	Every Other Spring (odd years)
Geo Sci 463	Physical Hydrogeology	3	Fall
Geo Sci 464	Chemical Hydrogeology	3	Spring
Geo Sci 562	Environmental Surface Hydrology	3	Spring
Geo Sci 563	Field Methods in Hydrogeology	3	Every other Fall (even years)

For an up-to-date list of Undergraduate Geoscience Requirements see the College of Letters and Science Major and Minor Requirement