Applied Geology Major, B.S.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

• Degree and Certificate Requirements  
• General Studies Requirements  
• Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Graduation Requirement  
• Senior Experience Graduation Requirements  

Program Requirements

• A total of 120 semester hours are required for graduation. 
• A grade of C- or better is required for each course in this program to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.

General Studies Requirements: 33 credits

Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements  for degree completion.  

• Written Communication (6 credits)
• Oral Communication (3 credits) 
• Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
  • Students may fulfill this requirement with MTH 1210 - Introduction to Statistics  which is required for the Applied Geology Major, B.S.
• Arts and Humanities (6 credits) 
• Historical (3 credits) 
• Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits) 
  • Students may fulfill this requirement by taking courses required for the Applied Geology Major, B.S. such as: PHY 2010 - College Physics I , PHY 2030 - College Physics I Laboratory ,   CHE 1800 - General Chemistry I ,  CHE 1801 - General Chemistry I Laboratory ,  GEL 1010 - Physical Geology , and/or  GEL 1030 - Historical Geology .
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
• Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)

** Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.

Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement: 0 or 3 credits

• Students should consult the Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Graduation Requirement  for a list of courses that fulfill the ESSJ Requirement for degree completion. 

Additional Required Courses: 20-22 credits

• MTH 1210 - Introduction to Statistics Credits: 4
• MTH 1120 - College Trigonometry Credits: 3 Note: Students that do not place into MTH 1120 are required to take additional coursework to satisfy the math prerequisites.

• or

• MTH 1410 - Calculus I Credits: 4

• Math through Calculus I is recommended.  

• PHY 2010 - College Physics I Credits: 4
• PHY 2030 - College Physics I Laboratory Credits: 1
• CHE 1800 - General Chemistry I Credits: 4
• CHE 1801 - General Chemistry I Laboratory Credits: 1

•  

  Technology Course (Choose one of the following courses)

• CET 1215 - Engineering Graphics Credits: 3

• or

• EVE 1215 - Engineering Graphics: Solid Modeling Credits: 3

• or

• GIS 2250 - Geographic Information Systems Credits: 4

• or

• MTH 2540 - Scientific Computing with Python Credits: 4

Required Courses: 29 credits

• GEL 1010 - Physical Geology Credits: 4
• GEL 1030 - Historical Geology Credits: 4
• GEL 2530 - Introduction to Geologic Fieldwork Credits: 2
• GEL 3050 - Introduction to Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy Credits: 4
• GEL 4450 - Sedimentary Geology and Stratigraphy Credits: 4
• GEL 4460 - Structural Geology and Mapping Credits: 4
• GEL 3120 - Geomorphology Credits: 4
• GEL 3530 - Field Geology: Variable Topics Credits: 3

Geology Field Course Electives: 4 credits

Choose from the following upper division field courses for a total of at least 4 Geology field course credits.  

• GEL 3510 - Advanced Geology of Red Rocks Park and Vicinity Credits: 1
• GEL 3520 - Advanced Garden of the Gods-Front Range Geology Credits: 2
• GEL 3540 - Geologic Hazards: Denver and Vicinity Credits: 2
• GEL 3550 - Advanced Geology of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument Credits: 2

• Note:  GEL 3530 is a required course, but the course may be repeated up to 3 times under different topics.  The repeated credits may count towards this field course requirement.

• GEL 3530 - Field Geology: Variable Topics Credits: 3

Geology Electives: 11 credits

Choose a minimum of 11 upper division GEL credits from this list, paying special attention to the course rotation and offerings. 

• GEL 3440 - Energy and Mineral Resources Credits: 4
• GEL 4000 - Geologic Hazards Credits: 3
• GEL 4050 - Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology Credits: 4
• GEL 4250 - Hydrogeology (Groundwater) Credits: 4
• GEL 4950 - Internship in Geology Credits: 2-15

• Up to 3 credits of internship credit can apply to the major.

Senior Experience Course: 3 credits

• GEL 4970 - Undergraduate Research in Geology Credits: 3

Summary of Requirements

Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and ESSJ requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.