The Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment offers a variety of field work-based perspectives on the study of the earth and people’s relation to it. Students can focus on the physical nature of the earth, on the nature of places on the earth’s surface, or on the geographic study of economic, political, and cultural processes. Or students may take a more interdisciplinary approach and integrate knowledge from many disciplines in the study of environmental issues.

Program in Geography
Ways of life in near and distant lands, environmental planning, regional development, resource management, mapmaking, remote sensing, and geographic information systems are just a few of the exciting topics that are covered in our geography programs. The department’s programs may lead to an equally exciting diversity of employment opportunities. Some recent graduates have found employment conducting floodplain studies for a private consulting firm, administering land subdivision regulations for a county planning commission, developing a transportation plan for a state transportation department, designing a system of bikeways for a small city, doing store location research for a large retail chain, heading the cartography department of an engineering firm, working as an aerial photo analyst in the military, working for a travel agency, teaching, and pursuing graduate studies. Students are urged to visit the department office for further information and for a tour of the facilities.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts
Major: Geography (37 credits)

Specialization: Liberal Arts Geography
Core Courses (15 credits): G&ES 150, 302, 331, 444, 489
Regional Courses (select 9 credits from the following): G&ES 107 or 109, 201 or 202 or 204, 303 or 308 or 309
Technique Courses (7 credits - two required and one elective): G&ES 115, 220 or 325, 315
Elective G&ES Courses (select 6 credits at the 300 or 400 level)

Degree Completion in Four Years
Geography (BA)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
ENGL 101, 103	6		ENGL 210	3
*G&ES 115, 150	4		COMM 200	3
*G&ES Regional 1xx	3		*G&ES 220 or 325	3
PESM 141	1		*G&ES Regional 2xx	3
Liberal Studies	15		*Language 101	3
			PESM or DANC	1
			Liberal Studies	13
Total Hours	29		Total Hours	29
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
*G&ES 302, 315, 331	9		*G&ES Elective	2
*G&ES Regional 3xx	3		*G&ES 444	3
*Language 102, 103	6		*G&ES 489	3
*G&ES Elective 1	3		Liberal Studies/Electives	22
Liberal Studies/Elective	10			3
Total Hours	31		Total Hours	31
			Completion Hours	120

*Indicates course in major.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science
Major: Geography (55 credits)

Specialization: Applied Geographic Technology
Core Courses (27 credits): G&ES 100, 135, 150, 215, 235, 302, 324, 331, 489
Technique Courses (13 credits): G&ES 115, 220, 315, 325, 425
Technique Elective (select 6 credits): G&ES 410 or 415 or PREE 412
Regional Elective (select 3 credits): G&ES 201 or 202 or 204 or 303 or 308 or 309
Elective G&ES Course (select 3 credits at the 200 level or above)

Degree Completion in Four Years
Applied Geographic Technology (BS)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
ENGL 101, 103	6		ENGL 210	3
*G&ES 100, 115, 135, 150	10		COMM 200	3
PESM 141	1		*G&ES 215, 220, 235	9
Liberal Studies	12		PESM or DANC	1
			Liberal Studies	15
Total Hours	29		Total Hours	31
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
ENGL 205	3		*G&ES 331, 425, 489	9
*G&ES 302, 315, 324, 325	12		*G&ES 410 or 415 or PREE 412	3
*G&ES Regional	3		*G&ES Elective	3
Liberal Studies/Electives	12		Liberal Studies	15
Total Hours	30		Total Hours	30
			Completion Hours	120

*Indicates course in major.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies
See the Environmental Studies section.

Requirements for the Minor in Geographic Information Technology
Required Courses (21 credits): G&ES 220, 315*, 325*, 410, 415*, 425*, 450

*Check prerequisite

Requirements for the Minor in Geography
Required Courses (21 credits)

Group I: (select 6 credits) G&ES 150, 302, 331
Group II: (select 3 credits) G&ES 202, 301
Group III: (select 3 credits) G&ES 220, 315, 410
Electives: (9 credits)
Any three G&ES courses at the 200 level or above.

Program in Geology

The geology (BS) program, together with the programs of environmental science (BS) and environmental geoscience (BA), focus on providing students with a scientific understanding of the Earth and surrounding environment.

The student in geology gains an understanding of the various terrestrial processes and features (mountains, oceans, volcanoes, glaciers); the immenseness of geologic time, the history of the earth and organisms that inhabit it (fossils); the role of water, fuel, and mineral resources in the development of civilization; and the close interaction between the geologic and organic environments.

Demand for the professional geologist comes from the needs of engineering, hydrogeologic and environmental firms, geological surveys, oil, gas and mining companies, state and national parks, museums, conservation agencies, planning commissions, and teaching institutions. A student who completes a bachelor of science in geology will have the basis for entry to graduate schools or for employment as a geologist. The Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment offers a BS and a minor in geology. Students who desire to combine interests in geology and other fields, such as business, recreation, environmental sciences, or language may elect the minimum BA curriculum and have room to take a second major or minor in another field.

To help students during their studies in the department, all environmental geoscience students are assigned a faculty advisor from the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment to assist them with curriculum development and upper-level course selection.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science
Major: Geology (54 credits)

Required Core Courses (30 credits): EGEO 101, 102, 111, 112, 271, 272, 303, 304, 327, 351, 352, 362, 482
Elective Major Courses (10 credits): EGEO 241, 242, 360, 448, 451, 453, 460, 476, 498
Required Field Camp (4 credits): At an acceptable field station
Other Required Courses (14 credits): CHEM 108, 112, G&ES 325 or 410 MATH 230, PHYS 213.

Degree Completion in Four Years
Geology (BS)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
EGEO 101, 111	4		EGEO 271, 272, 303, 304	7
EGEO 102, 112	4		PHYS 211	4
CHEM 107, 111	4		MATH 225	4
CHEM 108, 112	4		COMM 200	3
ENGL 101,103	6		ENGL 210	3
PESM 141	1		PESM or DANC	1
Liberal Studies	6		Liberal Studies/Electives	9
Total Hours	29		Total Hours	31
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
EGEO 327, 351, 352, 362	14		EGEO 325 or 410, 482	4
PHYS 213	3		Major Electives	10
MATH 230	4		Liberal Studies/Electives	16
Liberal Studies	9
Total Hours	30		Total Hours	30
			Completion Hours	120

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts
Major: Environmental Geoscience (39 credits)

Required Courses (20 credits): EGEO 100 or 101, 102, 110 or 111, 112, 121, 201, 241, 271, 272

Electives (15 credits): Select from G&ES 325, 410, 425, MARS 362, any EGEO course above 200

Related courses (4 credits): CHEM 108, 112

Degree Completion in Four Years
Environmental Geoscience (BA)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
ENGL 101, 103	6		PHYS 211	4
CHEM 107, 111	4		CHEM 108, 112	4
PESM 141	1		COMM 200	3
EGEO 100 or 101, 110 or 111	4		MATH 225	4
EGEO 102, 112	4		PESM or DANC	1
Liberal Studies	9		Language 101	3
			EGEO 121, 201, 241	10
			Liberal Studies	3
Total Hours	28		Total Hours	32
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
Language 102, 103	6		Major ELEC (select from list)	12
EGEO 271, 272	3		Liberal Studies/Electives	18
Major ELEC (select from list)	3
ENGL 210	3
Liberal Studies	15
Total Hours	30		Total Hours	30
			Completion Hours	29

Requirements for the Minor in Geology
Required courses (19 credits)

Geology Core (10 credits), EGEO 101, 102, 111, 112, 271
Geology electives (9 credits minimum)
  a. At least three credits of geology courses at a level of 200 or higher.
  b. At least six credits of geology courses at a level of 300 or higher.

Note: Electives should be chosen only after consultation with the chairperson of the Department of Environmental Geosciences.
Note: No more than six semester credits may count toward both a major and the geology minor.

Requirements for the Minor in Meteorology
Required Courses (18 credits)
Geology Core (12 credits)
EGEO 121, 221, 450
Elective Courses (6 credits)
EGEO 251, 340, 360

Note: No more than six semester credits may count toward both a major and the meteorology minor.

Note: Internship is arranged at a national weather service or other professional office. Students will be working with professional weather forecasters.

Requirements for the Teacher Certification in Earth and Space Science
Teacher certification is earned through the master of education degree at Slippery Rock University. Students seeking secondary school teaching certification in earth and space science must earn a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree in geology and contact the Department of Secondary Education/Foundations of Education concerning its graduate program in education. Information about this program, including prerequisites for admission, may be obtained from the secondary education/foundations of education office in 114 McKay Education Building.

Program in Environmental Science

Coordinator
Michael Stapleton

Environmental science is the integration of scientific knowledge from many disciplines in order to understand the interrelationships between human activities and the environment. Environmental science majors are exposed to the general principles of biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and physics. Thus, it is not a focus on one of these disciplines, but involves all of them and their interaction within environmental systems.

Environmental science majors could enter several general fields:

Industry and Consulting, monitoring and investigating the contamination of the air, land and water. Responsibilities could range from working to reduce potential environmental contamination in an industrial setting, to remeditating contamination that resulted from past disposal practices.

Local, State, or Federal Environmental Agencies, working to monitor, enforce, and develop environmental policy and regulations.

Environmental Research, working to understand and solve environmental problems. Students would continue their education in a graduate program focusing on an area of interest to them.

The program takes four years of full time study to complete. Students with associate degrees and transfer students are welcome and could complete the program in less time based upon their prior classes taken. The program is rich in laboratory and field experiences that support our lecture classes. Students gain important practical experience working in the field studying environmental systems and problems. In addition, students are required to complete an approved internship or research project. We train our students not only with a liberal arts education and a broad-based scientific background, but with the skills that will enable them to succeed in a competitive work force. The department encourages undergraduate student research. There are many opportunities for students to work directly with the faculty on independent research projects.

To help students during their studies in the department, all environmental science students are assigned a faculty advisor from the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment to assist them with curriculum development and upper-level course selection.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Science (49-52 credits)

Required Core Courses (35 credits): EGEO 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 201, 360, 451, BIOL 357, 401, CHEM 340 or 370, G&ES 324
Elective Major Courses (10 credits): BIOL 305, 306, CHEM 240, 270, 340, 370, 430, EGEO 231, 241, 327, 340, 448, 453, 460, 476, G&ES 315, 325, 410, MARS Summer Course
Required Internship or Research (3 credits from one of the following): ENVS 450 or 480
Other Required Courses (16 credits): BIOL 101, 325, CHEM 108, 112, 200, PHYS 213

Degree Completion in Four Years
Environmental Science (BS)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
EGEO 101, 111	4		EGEO 121, 201	6
EGEO 102, 112	4		BIOL 101	3
CHEM 107, 111	4		CHEM 200	3
CHEM 108, 112	4		PHYS 211, 213	7
ENGL 101, 103	6		COMM 200	3
Math 225	4		ENGL 210	3
PESM 141	1		PESM or DANC	1
Liberal Studies	3		Liberal Studies	3
Total Hours	30		Total Hours	29
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
EGEO 360	3		EGEO 451	4
BIOL 325, 357, 401	10		Major Electives	7
CHEM 340 or 370	4		G&ES 324	3
Major Elective	3		Liberal Studies/Electives	15
Liberal Studies	12
Total Hours	32		Total Hours	29
			Completion Hours	120

*ENVS 450 or 480 must be completed during the summer after your Junior or Senior year.

Requirements for the Minor in Environmental Science
Required courses: (24 credits)
Environmental Science Core (9 credits): EGEO 121, BIOL 100, 101
Elective Courses (15 credits—at least six credits are to be at the 300 or higher level): BIOL 305, 306, 355, CHEM 200, 240, 270, 340, 370, 430, EGEO 201, 231, 340, 360, 448, 451, 453, 460, 476, G&ES 324

Note: Of the required and elective courses listed, no more than six credit hours may be counted toward both the environmental science minor and a major.

Program in Environmental Studies

Environmental studies introduces students to environmental problems confronting contemporary society and examines these problems from various disciplinary points of view. An important goal of the program is for students to understand the relationships that exist between social, behavioral, and environmental systems. Students in environmental studies are required to take courses in the social and natural sciences. Elective courses within the program permit students to pursue their interests in greater depth. Students examine environmental problems in their physical and geographic context and relate them to historical, political, and economic conditions. Toward the end of their studies, students identify a research problem, gather and analyze data, and prepare a formal paper and presentation on their topic.

Environmental studies majors have completed internships with federal, state, and local governments, non-profit organizations, and in the private sector. In many of these cases, students obtained employment in a similar line of work after graduation. In several cases, the organization with which the student interned hired the student after graduation.

Graduates have found success in a diverse range of professional and academic pursuits, including: regional planner, environmental scientist, geographic information specialist, geography teacher, environmental recreation officer, land information specialists, and cartographer.

There are numerous activities available for environmental studies students. Planet Keepers is an organization for students interested in environmental studies. There is also a geography and environmental studies club. In recent years students have gone on field trips to visit the LTV steel mill and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; the Modern Museum of Art and Greenwich Village in New York City; camped at Hocking Hills State Park and toured the Native American Mound Region in southern Ohio. Students have accompanied faculty to professional meetings at Chicago, Toronto, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and New Orleans and worked on research projects with several faculty.

Students intending to enter the environmental studies program should contact the chairperson for the assignment of an academic advisor to assist in scheduling, career planning and other matters.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies (55 credits)

Social Science Core Courses (22 credits): G&ES 115, 135, 150, 235*, 489, G&ES/POLS 324, ECON 315, or G&ES 331, PHIL 324

Natural Science Core Courses (9 credits): Select three courses from the following:
EGEO 100, BIOL 105, CHEM 107*, PHYS 204 or approved more advanced courses related to the environmental field from three of the above departments.

Research Skills (12 credits)

Group I: G&ES 220, 315*, 325*

Group II: Select one of the following courses: MATH 114, PSYC 221, SASW 317

Elective Courses (12 credits)

Select four courses from the following: AHEA 218, 310*, 318*, 348*, BIOL 120, 207, 208, 305, 306, CHEM 270*, 340*, 370*, ECON 315, EGEO 121, 131, 201, 231*, 340*, 451*, ENGL 205*, 410, G&ES 215, 244, 245, 255*, 331, 498, HIST 445, Marine Science courses as approved by the chair, POLS 200, PREE 213, 412, PSYC 189

*Check course prerequisite(s)

Environmental Studies students are required to perform 100 service-learning hours of their choosing.

None of the courses listed above can be counted in the liberal studies program by environmental studies majors.

Degree Completion in Four Years
Environmental Studies (BS)

Freshman Year	Hours		Sophomore Year	Hours
ENGL 101, 103	6		ENGL 210	3
*G&ES 115, 135, 150	7		COMM 200	3
*Science Core (2)	6		*G&ES 220, 235	6
PESM 141	1		*Science Core	3
Liberal Studies	12		ECON 202 (LS) 3	3
			PESM or DANC	1
			Liberal Studies	12
Total Hours	32		Total Hours	31
Junior Year	Hours		Senior Year	Hours
*G&ES 315, 325	6		Challenges Goal	6
*Statistics	3		*HIST 445	6
*Major Electives (2)	6		*G&ES 324, 489	3
ECON 315 or G&ES 331	3		Free Electives (Minor)	12
Liberal Studies	9		*Major Electives (2)	3
Total Hours	27		Total Hours	30
			Completion Hours	120

*Indicates course in major.

Program in Marine Science

Coordinators
Simon Beeching, Tamra Schiappa

Marine biology, marine ecology, marine geology and geophysics, chemical oceanography, and physical oceanography are career areas that are best approached through an undergraduate major in one of the basic sciences of biology, chemistry, geology or physics, or through mathematics. Slippery Rock University, through its membership in the Marine Science Consortium, offers students interested in ocean-related phenomena an opportunity to pursue that interest through a series of summer courses offered at the Wallops Island Marine Science Center, near the Atlantic Ocean in the Virginia eastern shore region. Four three-week summer sessions are offered.

Students interested in marine studies will pursue a major in one of the natural sciences or mathematics at SRU, augmenting their studies with summer courses at the Wallops Island Marine Science Center. The number of summer courses taken will depend on the students’ interests and the majors they pursue on campus. Individual programs may be tailored in consultation with an advisor, and the Department of Biology offers a minor in Marine Biology.

The Marine Science Consortium pools the talents and resources of 16 colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic States. Classrooms, wet and dry laboratories, computer room, a workshop, dock facilities, dormitories, apartments, a cafeteria and recreational facilities are available at or near the Wallops Island Station. Several research and training vessels are available for work along the Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay. Some courses offered at the Marine Science Center may be applied to the liberal studies requirement in the natural sciences so that any Slippery Rock University student, regardless of major, may take advantage of a first-hand experience in the marine environment. Advisement from one of the Slippery Rock University faculty members associated with the consortium is recommended for any student using Marine Science Consortium courses to fulfill the liberal studies requirement in science. Students should contact the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment or the Department of Biology for names of the advisors.