You are in the official 2013-2014 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
You are in the official 2013-2014 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Geology Major. The bachelor's degree with a major in geology consists
of 120 units, including 49 units of geology. For general degree requirements
see Degree Requirements. Students planning
graduate study are advised to meet the foreign language requirements of
the institu tions they plan to attend.
High School Preparation. Adequate high school preparation for a major
in geology will facilitate the progress of students through our program.
This preparation should include: algebra (2 years), plane and solid geometry,
trigonometry, chemistry, physics or biology, and English (4 years).
Geology Major
Major requirements (49 units)
Lower-division requirements EES 1,
2, 12,
and 30 (12 units)
Upper-division requirements
EES 100, 101,
102, 104,
106, 107,
178, 199;
two of the following: EES 105, 110, 122;
one of the following: EES 114, 117, 118,
124 (34 units)
Upper-division geology elective (see Note 2) (6
units)
Additional requirements (22 units)
CHEM 1A, 1B;
MATH 75; PHYS
2A, 2B
Remaining General Education requirements (45 units)*
Electives and remaining degree requirements (4 units)
Upper-division writing skills; (see Degree Requirements);
may be used toward a minor
Total (120 units)
* Of the 51 required General Education units, 6
units will be satisfied by the following two courses in additional requirements:
3 units of CHEM 1A in G.E. Breadth B1 and 3 units of MATH 75 in G.E. Foundation
B4. Consult the department chair or faculty adviser for details.
Lower-division core requirements (50-51 units)
Biology: BIOL 1A, 1B
(9 units)
Chemistry: CHEM 1A, 1B
(10 units)
Environmental Sciences: EES 4 (see
note 1), 12
(7 units)
Earth Science: EES 1, 30
(6 units)
Mathematics: MATH 75 and select
one: MATH 76, 101;
PSYCH 42 (see note
2;) EES 177 (7-8 units)
Physics: PHYS 2A and 2B; or 4A
(see note 3), 4AL,
4B, 4BL
(8 units)
Social Science: PLSI 71 (3 units)
Upper-division requirements (24 units)
Biology: BIOL 101 (3 units)
Environmental Sciences: EES 108,
109, 199
(9 units)
Geology: EES 105, 186,
and select one: EES 113, 117, 124
(9 units)
Social Science: ECON 117 (see note 4) (3 units)
Controlled electives (9 units)
Biology/Chemistry: CHEM 8 (3 units)
Earth Science: EES 102, 110, 113,
114, 117,
124 (6 units)
Remaining General Education requirements (36-39 units)
Electives (0-1 unit)
Total (120 units)
___________
(1) Requires G.E. Foundation B4 as prerequisite.
(2) PSYCH 42 is prerequisite for BIOL 101.
(3) Requires MATH 77 as prerequisite or may be taken concurrently.
(4) Prerequisite for ECON 117 waived for environmental sciences majors.
The minor consists of 20 units of coursework approved by a departmental
faculty member and must include 6 upper-division units in residence. Minimum
GPA is 2.0.
Earth Science Option
The B.A. in Natural Sciences serves as a waiver program for the Single Subject
Teaching Credential in Science. Please contact Mr. Jaime Arvizu, College
of Science and Mathematics counselor, for advising and more information
at 278-5173.
The degree is also a suitable choice for students with a general interest
in earth science and interest in pursuing a career in environmental science,
law, medicine, dentistry, optometry, and other areas for which the breadth
of scientific coverage of this degree is advantageous.
The B.A. in Natural Sciences with the Earth Science Emphasis is as follows:
Core requirements (36 units)
Biology (12 units)
BIOL 1A, 1B,
101
Chemistry (10 units)
CHEM 1A, 1B
Geology (7 units)
EES 1 and 168
Natural Science (3 units)
NSCI 106
Physical Science (4 units)
PSCI 21
Earth Science Option (43 units)
PHYS 2A, 2B
(see note 1) (8 units)
MATH 75 (4 units)
EES 12, 30,
100, 101,
102, 105,
112, 155
(24 units)
Select two courses: EES 110, 114, 117,
124; GEOG
111 (6 units); EES 3 (1 unit)
General Education requirements (51 units)
Electives and remaining degree requirements (2 units)
Total (see notes 2,3) (120 units)
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers graduate courses
and research leading to the Master of Science. The graduate courses and
research areas are such that several different career goals can be met,
including the following: (1) preparation for enrollment in a Ph.D. program
in geology or a related field, (2) preparation for employment as a professional
geoscientist with industry or government, and (3) advancement of knowledge
of the earth sciences and teaching skills of secondary school and junior
college teachers.
Graduate research opportunities are available in several fields, including
but not restricted to hydrology/hydrogeology/hydrogeochemistry, stream restoration,
geophysics, tectonics, engineering geology, geomorphology, structural geology,
volcanology/igneous and metamorphic petrology, sedimentology/paleontology/stratigraphy,
paleoclimatology and high temperature, and stable isotope geochemistry.
The graduate program also offers research opportunities in applied geology.
This curriculum is usually interdisciplinary with an environmental focus,
involving coursework in geology, civil engineering, chemistry, soil sciences,
and other areas. Two applied geology emphases are offered: (1) engineering
and environmental geology and (2) hydrogeology. Students of applied geology
are encouraged to undertake theses involving support and supervision by
professionals in private and public sectors.
University requirements are met through satisfactory completion of core
courses and specialty courses in the curriculum emphasis.
Students are required to pass the writing component of EES 201. Please
see the department's graduate program policy and graduate program coordinator
for more information.
The graduate program for the Master of Science in Geology assumes as
its foundation the equivalent of the undergraduate major in geology at California
State University, Fresno. Two-thirds of the 30 units required for the degree
must be in geology, and at least 21 of the 30 units must be 200-series courses.
Students will select a thesis adviser to guide their research. The thesis
adviser will also guide the selection of coursework in the program. For
additional details regarding such requirements and procedures, please see
the geology graduate program coordinator and the department's graduate program
policy statement; for general requirements see Division
of Graduate Studies. (See also Admission
to Graduate Standing, Advancement
to Candidacy, Program Requirements,
and Criteria for Thesis and Project.)
Course Requirements: Under the direction of his/her thesis adviser,
and with approval by the department faculty, each student prepares and submits
an individually designed program. Most coursework is elective in nature,
in keeping with the department's philosophy that flexibility enables students
to develop a path of study best suited to their goals. The course requirements
are as follows:
EES 201 (Seminar in Geology)
(3 units)
EES 299 (Thesis) (6 units)
Approved upper-division or graduate course electives in geology or related
fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and mathematics.
Electives determined in consultation with graduate adviser (21 units)
Total (30 units)
Students studying applied geology should take the following courses before
or during their graduate experience: EES
114, 117, 124.
Modifications in the program of study may be made with approval of both the thesis adviser and graduate program coordinator.
Additional Requirements. A master's thesis is required. An oral
defense of a thesis proposal is required, to ensure that students have selected
a problem that is commendable to an M.S. thesis in the sciences and that
the proposed methods of analysis are appropriate to the task. This defense
normally will be scheduled as a culminating experience in EES 201, but also
can be scheduled outside of EES 201 if necessary. An oral defense of the
thesis is also required. The defense will include questions regarding the
thesis and questions of a more general nature related to knowledge in the
earth sciences. The thesis will be judged by the extent to which a student
attempts to solve a scientific problem by employing methods appropriate
to the task. The thesis must meet certain minimum standards, which include
the following: thoughtful consideration of and reference to prior work in
the field of study; a peripheral understanding of the broader scientific
value or societal implications of the work, as appropriate; and a demonstration
of originality and critical thinking. Graduate students of geology conducting
research in a foreign country are expected to be proficient in the language
in which source materials are published.
GIS uses digital technology to assist the evaluation of spatial information. GIS professionals acquire, manage, analyze, visualize, and represent geospatial data, or information related to geographical locations. The certificate requires 12 units.
Required Coursework:
EES 211: Fundamentals of Geographical
Information Systems (3 units)
EES 212: Introduction to Geospatial
Technologies (3 units)
EES 214: Advanced Spatial Analysis
(3 units)
EES 216: Practicum (3 units)
Total (12 units)
Earth and Environmental Sciences Courses
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