What Can I Expect From The Geology Program at CSUSB?
Zzyzx field study affords students chance to examine geology A-Z. Appreciating the value of firsthand learning, the CSUSB Department of Geological Sciences helped students expand their knowledge during a seven-day visit to the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx. Such experiences outside the classroom helps prepare graduates for the future.
The Geology Program at CSUSB will give you a solid grounding in the core principles of geology. This is a results-oriented program. We give you useful, important information and provide you the skills to move right into career employment, or to pursue graduate studies. The B.S. in geology is recommended for students who intend to work as a professional geologist or to pursue graduate studies in geology or related fields. The B.A. in geology is appropriate for those who would like a broad liberal arts education in preparation for careers that require a college degree. Either the B.A. or B.S. in geology is appropriate for students who are interested in teaching Earth Science in high school or middle school (a teaching credential is also required) or working as a science writer.
In the CSUSB Geology Program, class sizes are small and the faculty is outstanding. Professors have a wide range of specializations - volcanology, paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, earthquake hazards, structural geology, neotectonics, hydrogeology and stable isotope geochemistry, among others. The program takes advantage of Southern California as a natural geological laboratory. Some classes study California geology and geological mapping. Others concentrate on earthquakes or oceans and atmospheres. Back in the lab, the program has top-end tools: a scanning electron microscope, an X-ray diffractometer, a seismograph, GPS receivers, surveying equipment, stable isotope mass spectrometer, polarizing microscopes and a video microscopy and photomicrography workstation.
The department has other equipment crucial for geologists - rugged 4WD vehicles. Like working geologists, CSUSB's geology students spend plenty of time tromping about in wild, interesting places. Most upper division classes have field trips, and department students have done everything from exploring Mitchell Caverns in the eastern Mojave to hiking into the Grand Canyon.
If you are interested in changing your major, please fill out the Office of the Registrar's Change of Major Form.