Geoscience (B.A.) - Hegis Code 1917.00

(Bachelor of Arts degree)

The mission of the Department of Geology is to provide knowledge and understanding of the earth and its hazards and resources as well as an understanding of the interactions of the earth with other natural environments and with society to students in Geoscience, the other natural sciences, liberal arts, and pre-professional programs who choose such courses as part of their majors, minors and general education electives.

Geoscience is a broad, interdisciplinary field comprising geology as well as aspects of ocean science, atmospheric science, planetary science, and environmental science. Utica University offers both B.S. and B.A. degrees in Geoscience. Those interested in a program in earth and environmental science designed to provide substantial breadth in science preparation by also including coursework in biology, environmental issues, and astronomy may elect to pursue the B.A. Each degree is also appropriate for teaching secondary earth science. Students interested in teaching should see also the Programs in Education.

Total credit hours required for degree: 120

Learning Objectives

Students who complete the BA degree will:

• Explain the fundamentals of the Theory of Plate Tectonics, including its causes and its effects, and the evidence that supports its occurrence;
• Explain and provide illustrative examples of how earth processes and materials impact human society and how activities of human society impact the earth and environment; describe and explain in detail several examples of each with emphasis on interactions with the broader environment in addition to the geology;
• Explain the limitations of several different methods used to perform historical science, and justify  how and why multiple approaches are used simultaneously;
• Explain how modern-day processes can be used to reconstruct the processes and events of Earths’ deep past and its evolution over periods of time.