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General Degree Information
Undergraduates at the Jackson School have six degree options, anchored by seven fundamental courses taken by all majors during their first two to three years. Students enter as undeclared majors and, after completion of freshman requirements, can be admitted to one of the degree options. Faculty and academic advisors work with students to select the best option for them. Consult the short descriptions below for more information, or see the UT Austin Undergraduate Course Catalog.
Degree Options
Geological science is a synthetic subject, drawing from geological subjects and concepts of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics. This synthesis is reflected in the list of courses required for the B.S. General Geology degree, which emphasizes competency in the field. Like all of the B.S. options, the B.S. General is intended for professional geologists, teachers, and those planning graduate work. Firms in the energy sector dominate employment opportunities, but students find jobs in a range of areas and may end up working in government agencies, consulting firms, and with service companies aiding the energy and mineral industries.
This option omits certain traditional subjects (such as paleobiology) and adds courses in math and physics. One branch of geophysics is seismic study of the deep Earth—a commercial application is seismic imaging of the Earth’s uppermost few kilometers for hydrocarbon explorations. Many geophysics option students seek employment in searching for hydrocarbons.
This option is oriented toward solving problems of societal need, especially groundwater retention. It is an increasingly popular option, with students heading to environmental engineering companies, government agencies, consulting and related firms engaged in protecting the environment and remediating environmental problems.
This option is part of the innovative UTeach program at UT Austin, which prepares a graduate for science certification as a middle school or secondary school teacher in Texas. Option IV students are traditional majors in geological sciences but also take courses in biological science, pedagogy, and student teaching.
Offered jointly by the College of Engineering and the Jackson School, this quantitatively rigorous degree is concerned with the behavior of fluids, both within the Earth and upon its surface. The first two years are spent in the Department of Geological Sciences and the final two years in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. Graduates seek employment with environmental, water resource management, and energy companies in addition to many government agencies. See UT Course Catalog entry on Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology Web site for more information on this option.
This option allows students to complete two majors. It can be tailored to meet interests ranging from musical study or the liberal arts to upper-division math, physics, or biology. While this degree forms an excellent starting point for other endeavors such as business management, environmental law, or medicine, students can also use the major to specialize more deeply in particular areas of the geosciences. All undergraduates in the Jackson School take a set of fundamental courses, establishing a common foundation shared by students in all of the degree options. These courses include at least one of the three major introductory courses, with variations depending on a student’s degree track. Other fundamental courses cover earth materials, sedimentary rocks, the introduction to field & stratigraphic methods, and structural geology. Most undergraduates also take part in either the six-week summer field trip, Geology 660, or a comparable field course. In addition to their geological science courses, Jackson School undergraduates must fulfill course requirements outside the Department. These include courses essential to the mathematical and scientific skills needed to become a geoscientist, such as advanced calculus and chemistry, as well as general course requirements for the university in English, history, foreign language, and other areas. |
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