Geology, B.S.: 180 units

Required Core Courses for Major: 41 units

Required of all students. A 2.0 cumulative GPA is required in Geology core courses to receive a degree in the major.

• GSC 111 - Principles of Geology (4)
• GSC 112 - Earth, Time and Life (3)
• GSC 141L - Principles of Geology Laboratory (1)
• GSC 145L - Megascopic Petrography Laboratory (1)
• GSC 151L - Earth, Time and Life Laboratory (1)
• GSC 215/215L - Mineralogy (3/1)
• GSC 255L - Field Methods Laboratory (2)
• GSC 300/300L - Introduction to Geochemistry (3/1)
• GSC 307/307L - Introduction to Global Geophysics (3/1)
• GSC 323/323L - Geomorphology (3/1)
• GSC 333/333L - Structural Geology (3/1)
• GSC 360/360L - Hydrogeology (3/1)
• GSC 410 - Earth Science Seminar (2)

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• GSC 401/401L - GIS Applications for Earth Scientists I (1/2) or
• GSC 411/411L - GIS Applications for Earth Scientists II (1/2)

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Elective Core Courses: 6 units

Select 6 units from the list below:

• GSC 461 - Senior Project (2) and
• GSC 462 - Senior Presentation (2)

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• GSC 463 - Senior Thesis (2)
• 300- or 400-level GSC course(s) (2-6)

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• ENG 301 - Writing for the Professions (4) or
• CE 362/362A - Technical Communications and Documentation/Activity (2/1)

Required Support Courses: 44-45 units

The following major support courses should be used to satisfy the indicated GE requirements. If these courses are not used to satisfy GE, the total units to degree may be more than 180 units.

• BIO 110/111L - Life Science (3/1) (B2, B3) or
• BIO 115/115A/115L - Basic Biology (3/1/1) (B2, B3)

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• CHM 121 - General Chemistry (3) (B1) and
• CHM 121L - General Chemistry Laboratory (1) (B3)

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• CHM 122 - General Chemistry (3) and
• CHM 122L - General Chemistry Laboratory (1)

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• CHM 123 - General Chemistry (3) and
• CHM 123L - General Chemistry Laboratory (1)

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• GSC 350 - Natural Disasters (4) (B5)
• MAT 114 - Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (4) (B4)
• MAT 115 - Analytic Geometry and Calculus II (4)

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• MAT 116 - Analytic Geometry and Calculus III (4) or
• GSC 225 - Quantitative Applications in the Earth Sciences (4)

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• PHY 121 - College Physics (3) and
• PHY 121L - College Physics Laboratory (1)

• or

• PHY 131 - General Physics (3) and
• PHY 131L - General Physics Laboratory (1)

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• PHY 122 - College Physics (3) and
• PHY 122L - College Physics Laboratory (1)

• or

• PHY 132 - General Physics (3) and
• PHY 132L - General Physics Laboratory (1)

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• PHY 123 - College Physics (3) and
• PHY 123L - College Physics Laboratory (1)

• or

• PHY 133 - General Physics (3) and
• PHY 133L - General Physics Laboratory (1)

Restricted Support Electives: 34 units

Choose 34 units from chosen Emphasis as specified below.

Unrestricted Electives: 0-3 units

Select a sufficient number of courses so that the total from “Required Support”, “GE”, and “Unrestricted Electives” is at least 99 units.

Subject Matter Preparation - Program for Prospective Teachers of Science with a Concentration in Geology:

Note: The listed curriculum is pending approval by the State Commission
on Teacher Credentialing. Anyone interested please check with the
Department of interest for current status.

General Education Requirements: 68 units

Students should consult the Academic Programs website https://www.cpp.edu/~academic-programs/general-education-course-listings.shtml for current information regarding this requirement. Unless specific courses are stated under Support Courses, please refer to the list of approved courses under General Education Requirements, Areas A through E.

For an alternative and interdisciplinary way to complete some of their GE requirements, students may choose the Interdisciplinary General Education program, see below. 

Interdisciplinary General Education: 32 units

An alternate pattern for partial fulfillment of GE Areas A, C, D, and E available for students is the Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) program.  Students should see an advisor for specific GE coursework required by their major.  Students must be exempt from or score at least 147 on the EPT to qualify for IGE.  Please refer to the University Catalog General Education Program section for additional information.

How IGE fulfills General Education Requirements:

American Institutions: 8 units

Courses that satisfy this requirement may also satisfy GE Area D1.

American Cultural Perspectives Requirement: 4 units

Refer to the University Catalog General Education Program section for a list of courses that satisfy this requirement.  Course may also satisfy major, minor, GE, or unrestricted elective requirements.

Graduation Writing Test

All persons who receive undergraduate degrees from Cal Poly Pomona must pass the Graduation Writing Test (GWT).  The test must be taken by the quarter following completion of 120 units for undergraduates.