Bachelor of Science in Geophysics
Students who major in Geophysics must complete the following requirements.
| Required Courses (does not include prerequisites) | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Geology | GEOL 1103, 1303, 3145, 3150, 3325 or 3370 and 3372, 3340, 3345, 3350 | 27 |
| GeoPhysics | GEOL 4330, 4355, 4381, 4370 | 27 |
| Advanced approved geophysics electives | 12 | |
| Advanced approved geoscience electives | 3 | |
| Chemistry | CHEM 1111, 1112, 1311, 1312 | 8 |
| Mathematics | MATH 2413, 2414, 2415, 3321, 3363, 3364 | 21 |
| Physics | Physics PHYS 2125, 2126, 2325, 2326 | 8 |
| Other Core requirements (excluding capstone - see below) | 30 | |
| Electives* | 11 | |
| Total (minimum number of hours) | 120 | |
The Bachelor of Science degree requires completion of a minimum of 120 hours, at least 36 of which are to be advanced. Students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average in all courses attempted at the university. In addition, students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average in all courses in the major and in core courses attempted at the university. Students must have no more than 6 semester hours with grades below C- in all courses attempted in the major. Any student exceeding that limit must retake sufficient courses and obtain acceptable grades so that they do not exceed the six-hour limit.
*Recommended electives include: Historical Geology lecture and lab (GEOL 1304 and GEOL 1104), Computer Science, Biology, Foreign Language.
Capstone Requirement
All students in NSM must complete the Capstone Requirement. Geophysics majors satisfy the Capstone Requirement by completion of GEOL 4355-Geophysical Field Camp and GEOL 4381-Geophysical Signals and Analysis
Departmental Requirements
No geoscience course with a grade below C- can be used as a prerequisite for a more advanced geoscience course. Students with more than 6 hours in geoscience courses with grades below C- are not allowed to enroll in subsequent geoscience courses without written permission from the undergraduate advisor.
Note that all undergraduate majors should meet with the undergraduate advisor prior to registration each semester.
Advanced Approved Geophysics Electives
- GEOL 3383 - Remote Sensing
- GEOL 4332 - Geoscience Applications of GPS and LIDAR
- GEOL 4379 - Groundwater and Engineering Geophysics
- GEOL 4380 - Petroleum Seismic Exploration
- GEOL 4385 - Introduction to Marine Geophysics
Advanced Approved Geoscience Electives
- GEOL 3331 - Environmental Geology
- GEOL 3334 - Earthquakes
- GEOL 3338 - Environmental Hydrogeology
- GEOL 3377 - Oceanography
- GEOL 3383 - Remote Sensing
- GEOL 4331 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- GEOL 4358 - Introduction to Depositional Models
- GEOL 4365 - Environmental Geochemistry
- GEOL 4382 - Introduction to Petroleum Geology
- GEOL 4397 - Selected Topics-Geology
Bachelor of Science in Geophysics - Suggested Program
First Year
| Fall Semester | Hours |
|---|---|
| ENGL 1301 First Year Writing I | 3 |
| CHEM 1311 and 1111 Fundamentals of Chemistry and Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| GEOL 1303 and 1103. Physical Geology (lecture) and Physical Geology (lab) | 4 |
| MATH 2413 Calculus I | 4 |
| Total | 15 |
| Spring Semester | Hours |
| ENGL 1302 First Year Writing II | 3 |
| CHEM 1312 and 1112. Fundamentals of Chemistry and Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| MATH 2414 Calculus II | 4 |
| Elective (recommended – GEOL 1304 and GEOL 1104. Historical Geology Lecture and Lab) | 4 |
| Total | 15 |
Second Year
| Fall Semester | Hours |
|---|---|
| GEOL 3325 Rocks and Minerals or GEOL 3370 - Mineralogy (if GEOL 3372 - Petrography is taken as Advanced Geoscience Elective) | 3 |
| MATH 2415 Calculus III | 4 |
| PHYS 2325 and 2125 | 4 |
| HIST 1377 - The U S To 1877 | 3 |
| Core Curriculum Elective | 3 |
| Total | 17 |
| Spring Semester | Hours |
| GEOL 3340. Geologic Field Methods | 3 |
| MATH 3321. Engineering Math | 3 |
| PHYS 2326 and 2126. University Physics II and Laboratory | 4 |
| HIST 1378. The U S Since 1877 | 3 |
| Core Curriculum Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
Third Year
| Fall Semester | Hours |
|---|---|
| GEOL 4330. Introduction to Geophysics | 3 |
| GEOL 3350 and 3150. Principles of Stratigraphy and Principles of Stratigraphy Laboratory | 4 |
| MATH 3363. Introduction to Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| GOVT 2306. U.S. and Texas Constitution and Politics | 3 |
| Total | 13 |
| Spring Semester | Hours |
| GEOL 3345 and 3145. Structural Geology and Structural Geology Laboratory | 4 |
| GEOL 4370. Global Seismology | 3 |
| MATH 3364. Introduction to Complex Analysis | 3 |
| GOVT 2305. U.S. Government: Congress, President, and Courts | 3 |
| Advanced Geophysics Elective | 3 |
| Advanced Geophysics Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Summer Session | Hours |
| GEOL 4335. Geophysical Field Camp | 3 |
| Total | 3 |
Fourth Year
| Fall Semester | Hours |
|---|---|
| GEOL 4381 Geophysical Signals and Analysis | 3 |
| Advanced Geophysics Electives | 6 |
| Core Curriculum Elective | 3 |
| Total | 12 |
| Spring Semester | Hours |
| Advanced Geophysics Elective | 3 |
| Advanced Geoscience Elective | 3 |
| Core Curriculum Elective | 3 |
| Approved Elective | 4 |
| Total | 13 |