University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Geosciences, BS

Many students are already familiar with Geosciences through what is commonly called "earth science" in high school. Geosciences covers our Planet Earth - its soil, minerals, climate change, magnetic fields, earthquakes, water, plants, fossils, volcanoes and more.

The BA degree in Geosciences requires fewer math, physics, and chemistry prerequisites and upper-level courses than the BS degree. It is designed for students who expect to use the earth sciences in preparation for a career in law, business, government, primary or secondary schools, or natural resources, or for those who start the Geosciences program later in their college careers. The BA degree in Geosciences is more easily combined with complementary majors for students to pursue a double or a triple major.

Geosciences majors at UWM can organize their electives around a particular area of interest if they wish:

Hard Rock - the study of structural geology, mineralogy, petrology, volcanology and tectonics
Hydrogeology - the study of water resources
Paleontology - the study of evolutionary patterns in history
Sedimentary Geology - the study of rocks, fossils, and landforms in the context of the biological and chemical make-up
Geosciences touches on all aspects of the other natural sciences including chemistry, biology, mathematics and physics, so the ideal student for Geosciences loves all types of science and is curious about how they interrelate. Most Geosciences students also love the outdoors and traveling off of the beaten path.

Required outdoor field work prepares students for jobs with environmental and water resource management; energy and mineral industries; and government agencies. 

UWM students often participate in research abroad in places as diverse as Iceland, Turkey, South America, Ireland, and New Zealand. Others gain hands-on experience in the dirt of Montana, the hills of South Dakota or the swamps of Florida.