Academic program
Located in the northern Appalachian mountains and an hour from the Maine coast, the College affords students excellent opportunities for study and research in the geological sciences. The curriculum utilizes this setting by stressing field-oriented and laboratory-supported inquiry into bedrock, surficial, and environmental geology. This program leads students and faculty alike to a fuller understanding and appreciation of the geosciences.
Earth Surface Environments and Environmental Change (103), Plate Tectonics and Tectonic Hazards (104), Field Geology in Maine (107), Global Change (109), and Lunar and Planetary Science (110) introduce students to areas of active research and current interest in geological and environmental sciences and are vehicles for acquiring a basic understanding of processes that have formed and continue to shape the Earth and other planets.
Short Term courses in geology offer students a unique experience. Geologic field methods, mapping techniques, and geochemical analyses are learned in a variety of spectacular settings. Past Short Term courses have taken students to the Canadian Arctic, the American Southwest, Iceland, the Netherlands, and the lakes, mountains, and coast of Maine.
More information on the geology department is available on the website (www.bates.edu/GEO.xml).
Major Requirements. The major requirements include two geology courses at the 100 level, one of which must have a laboratory component; four geology courses at the 200 level (Geology 210, 223, 230, and 240); two elective geology courses at the 300 level; and a geology Short Term course. The program in geology culminates in a two-semester senior research experience (Geology 457 and 458) that consists of an original contribution based on field and/or laboratory investigations by the student under the supervision of a faculty committee.
For the B.S. degree a student is required to complete Chemistry 107A or 107B, (or First-Year Seminar 398) and 108A or 108B, Mathematics 105 and 106, Physics 107 (or First-Year Seminar 314) and Physics 108 (or First-Year Seminar 274). For the B.A. degree a student is required to complete either Chemistry 107A or 107B (or First-Year Seminar 398) and 108A or 108B or Physics 107 (or First-Year Seminar 314) and Physics 108 (or First-Year Seminar 274). Courses for the B.A. cannot be taken pass/fail. The B.S. degree is recommended for students planning careers in the geological or environmental sciences. Prospective majors are encouraged to take Chemistry 107A or Chemistry 107B and Chemistry 108A or Chemistry 108B for a letter grade during their first or second year.
Interdisciplinary Interests. The departmental course offerings allow a maximum of flexibility to meet individual interests. Students with environmental interests are encouraged to choose a major in geology or environmental studies with a geology concentration or a double major involving geology and another natural science such as biology, chemistry, or physics. Students contemplating a major in geology or an interdisciplinary major or double major must consult with the geology faculty during their second year to plan an appropriate program of study. All programs are subject to departmental approval.
Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail grading may not be elected for courses counting toward the major.
Guidelines for Geology Majors Regarding Off-Campus Study.
1) The department expects that majors who wish to study abroad do so for only one semester.
2) The department expects that majors will have completed the following major requirements prior to the semester abroad: two 100-level courses; a minimum of two, but preferably three, 200-level courses; and one geology Short Term course.
3) The department expects that majors will have completed the following major requirements prior to their senior year: all four 200-level courses and one 300-level course.
4) The department normally accepts only two non-Bates courses toward the major. Typically this is a 200-level course equivalent similar in content to one of the required Bates 200-level courses and a 300-level course chosen by the student in consultation with the major advisor.
5) All applications for off-campus study require approval of the major advisor and the department chair. Applications that involve exceptions to the above guidelines require review and approval by the department.