Program Requirements: Bachelor of Science in Geology

(45 semester hours minimum in GLG; 68 semester hours minimum including related courses)

Strongly recommended for first year students

GLG 147 Introductory Seminar - Geology & Environmental Earth Science (1 hr)

Core requirements (30 hours):

Select one of the following
GLG 111 The Dynamic Earth (3 hrs)
GLG 121 Environmental Geology (3 hrs)
GLG 141 Geology of US National Parks (3 hrs)

Select all of the following
GLG 115L Laboratory (1 hr)
GLG 204 Survival on an Evolving Planet (4 hrs)
GLG 301 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4 hrs)
GLG 322 Structural Geology (4)
GLG 356 Mineralogy (4 hrs)
GLG 357 Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology (4 hrs)
GLG 411A Field Geology (6 hrs)

Select 1 from each of the following categories (16 cr hrs minimum)

Geophysics:
GLG 461 Geophysics (3 hrs)
GLG 467 Seismology (3 hrs)

Geobiology:
Geomicrobiology (3 hrs)
Paleontology in Conservation (3 hrs)

Geochemistry:
GLG 427 Isotope Geochemistry (3 hrs)
GLG 432 X-ray Powder Diffraction & Clay Anal. (3 hrs)

Tectonics:
GLG 450 Sedimentary Basin Analysis (3 hrs)
GLG 492 Global Tectonics (4 hrs)

Surficial Processes:
GLG 354 Geomorphology (4 hrs)
GLG 407 Introduction to Hydrogeology  (4 hrs)

Electives (12 cr hrs, no more than one at the 300-level) - Select from the following:

GLG 335 Ice Age Earth (3 hrs)
GLG 354 Geomorphology (4 hrs)
GLG 402 Geomicrobiology (3 hrs)
GLG 408 Intro to Hydrogeology (4 hrs)
GLG 417 Forensic Isotope Geochemistry (3 hrs)
GLG 427 Isotope Geochemistry (3 hrs)
GLG 428 Hydrogeological Modeling (4 hrs)
GLG 432 X-ray Powder Diffraction and Clay Analysis (3 hrs)
GLG 435 Soils and Paleosols (3 hrs)
GLG 436 Paleoclimatology (3 hrs)
GLG 437 Paleontology in Conservation (3 hrs)
GLG 447 Volcanology (3 hrs)
GLG 450 Sedimentary Basin Analysis (3 hrs)
GLG 461 Geophysics (3 hrs)
GLG 467 Seismology (3 hrs)
GLG 492 Global Tectonics (4 hrs)
GLG 496 Isotopes in Environmental Processes (3 hrs) 
GLG 498 Senior Thesis in Geology* (3)

Related Hours (10 cr hrs minimum)

Select one of the following:
CHM 141  College Chemistry (3 hrs) & CHM 144 Lab (2 hrs)
GLG 211 Chemistry of Earth Systems (4 hrs)

Select one of the following:
MTH 151 Calculus I (5 hrs)
STA 261 Statistics (4 hrs)
STA 301 Applied Statistics (3 hrs)

Select one of the following:
GLG 261 Geohazards and the Solid Earth (3 hrs)
PHY 161 Physics for the Life Sciences with Laboratory I (4 hrs)
PHY 191 General Physics with Laboratory I (5 hrs)

Select one of the following:
PHY 162 Physics for the Life Sciences with Laboratory II (4 hrs)
PHY 192 General Physics with Laboratory II (5 hrs)
GLG 261 Geohazards and the Solid Earth (3 hrs)

*Department Honors: requires 3 credit hours of GLG 498 Senior Thesis in Geology and public presentation of research

Assessment of Student Learning - Dept of Geology & Environmental Earth Science (GLG)
Contact Person: Mike Brudzinski, Assoc. Prof., GLG, brudzimr@muohio.edu, 513-280-0660

Undergraduate Student Assessment Plan:
Degrees: B.A. Environmental Earth Science, B.S. Geology
Outcomes: The following is a general draft of our graduation level student learning outcomes.
We will be discussing how to differentiate the outcomes of our three B.A. degrees, but for now
we list a single set of general outcomes that would be appropriate for each degree.

B.A. degree:
• Students will define and properly use the principal specialized terms and concepts
employed in the geosciences
• Students will demonstrate proficiency with the use of tools, technologies and methods
common to the geosciences
• Students will demonstrate proficiency with the application of the scientific method to
geoscience problem solving
• Students will demonstrate quantitative literacy
• Students will be able to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists
•
B.S. degree:
• Students will define and properly use the principal specialized terms and concepts
employed in the geosciences
• Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of tools, technologies and methods
common to the geosciences
• Students will conduct and publish a geoscience research project, with appropriate use of
the scientific method, robust sampling, and analytical methodologies
• Students will demonstrate quantitative literacy
• Students will be able to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists

Assessment Plan:
We plan to utilize assessment plans we are developing for the CAS undergraduate writing
competency and undergraduate quantitative literacy to address those outcomes. We plan to
assess our other outcomes in a new capstone course we are developing to address all four of
undergraduate degrees. Content knowledge, skill proficiency, and research outcomes will be
assessed through rubrics and test scores. We anticipate using student reflection knowledge
surveys that currently target outcomes in a few key courses to examine student perceptions of
content and skill outcomes. We also plan to use a graduation-level student survey to collect
student perceptions of their learning towards our defined outcomes.

Analysis and Implementation:
Collection of student assessment data (e.g., rubric or test scores) will begin in Fall 2012. In
advance, the assessment committee will work with individual faculty to ensure a core
commonality to the assessment forms that will allow for comparison across courses and to track
development across tiers. Following the collection of student data, the assessment committee
will analyze the data and complete a report at the end of Spring 2013 offering suggestions for
improvement if the student outcomes are not being achieved. If necessary, a faculty meeting will
provide an opportunity for department-wide discussion of potential improvements that can be
made to our program and curriculum based on what’s learned from the assessment results.
Individual faculty will be responsible for implementing the improvements in their courses
beginning in Fall 2013.