The Geology Minor is designed for students who want to know how the Earth works, but who don't have the time to take the co-requirements in math, physics, and chemistry. We offer three informal tracks to help guide your class choices (professional environmental geologist, Earth Sciences teacher, and to support a civil engineering degree), but you can also simply pick your own path through the electives.
To earn the minor, complete the 3 core classes listed below plus 9 credits (generally three classes) of electives. The key thing to remember--especially if your major has many potentially overlapping classes--is that a maximum of 8 credits can count for both your major and the Geology Minor.
The requirements are listed below, or you can click here for a printable PDF.
Updated: September 2025
CORE COURSES (Check each as completed; 9 credits total) | ||
| GEOL 0800 or GEOL 0820 | Choose one of these two: GEOL 0800 Geology (3) -OR- GEOL 0820 Natural Disasters (3) | |
| GEOL 0055 | Geology Laboratory (2) [Fall, Spring, Jones] | |
| GEOL 0060 | History of the Earth (4) [Spring, Jones] | |
ELECTIVES: At least 9 credits of upper level or graduate GEOL courses (Check for pre-requisites!): | ||
| GEOL 1001 | Mineralogy (4) [Fall, Capo] This is a prerequisite for GEOL 1003 & a co-req. for 1020! | |
| GEOL 1003 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (4) [Spring, Stewart] | |
| GEOL 1020 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4) [Fall, Jones] | |
| GEOL 1050 | Surface Water Hydrology (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1051 | Groundwater Geology (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1060 or GEOL 1062 | Geomorphology (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1100 | Structural Geology (4) [Spring, McQuarrie] | |
| GEOL 1203 | Paleo 1: Invertebrates and Fishes (4) [Spring of odd-numbered years, Jones] | |
| GEOL 1204 | Paleo 2: Vertebrate Paleontology (4) [Fall of even-numbered years, Carroll] | |
| GEOL 1410 | Exploration Geophysics (3) [Spring of even-numbered years, Harbert] | |
| GEOL 1413 | Geophysical Well Logging (3) [Spring of odd-numbered years, Harbert] | |
| GEOL 1510 | Aquatic and Sedimentary Geochemistry (3) [Spring of odd-numbered years, Werne] | |
| GEOL 1516 | Environmental Geochemistry with Lab (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1701 | Geology of the Planets (3) [Fall] | |
| GEOL 1960 | Field Camp (4-8) [Summer. In the fall, seek out programs run by other universities (see this list of field camps) and transfer in the credits. | |
| GEOL 1xxx | Other upper level classes (GEOL 1000 or higher) may be approved by your advisor. | |
| GEOL 2xxx | Graduate classes are numbered 2000 and up. You must get instructor permission for graduate classes, but undergraduates often take such classes as GEOL 2054 Soils, GEOL 2110 Plate Tectonics, and GEOL 2750: Volcanology. | |
How to Pick Your Electives
| Example 1: Take whatever electives seem most interesting to you! Simply read the course descriptions and pick what you think is most appealing. | ||
| GEOL 1001 | Mineralogy (4) [Fall, Capo] This is a prerequisite for GEOL 1003 & a co-req. for 1020! | |
| GEOL 1003 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (4) [Spring, Stewart] | |
| GEOL 1020 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4) [Fall, Jones] | |
| GEOL 1100 | Structural Geology (4) [Spring, McQuarrie] | |
| GEOL 1960 | Field Camp (4-8) [Summer. In the fall, seek out programs run by other universities (see this list of field camps) and transfer in the credits. | |
| Example 2: If you want to be an environmental geologist, obtain a Professional Geologist’s license, or get into graduate school in geology, you want to look as much like a geology major as possible. | ||
| GEOL 1001 | Mineralogy (4) [Fall, Capo] This is a prerequisite for GEOL 1003 & a co-req. for 1020! | |
| GEOL 1003 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (4) [Spring, Stewart] | |
| GEOL 1020 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4) [Fall, Jones] | |
| GEOL 1100 | Structural Geology (4) [Spring, McQuarrie] | |
| GEOL 1960 | Field Camp (4-8) [Summer. In the fall, seek out programs run by other universities (see this list of field camps) and transfer in the credits. | |
| If you want to get the Professional Geologist’s license, you must take GEOL 1100 and GEOL 1960. With regards to graduate school, you might consider substituting some core classes. For example, if you are moving toward paleoclimatology, you might take GEOL 1030 and 1052 instead of, say, GEOL 1003 and 1100. Consult your favorite geology and environmental science instructors for advice customized to your specific interests! | ||
| Example 3: To teach earth and space sciences, take classes that focus on the following (based on the Earth and Space pre-req’s at Pitt’s School of Education): | ||
| GEOL 1030 | to fill the Earth System Science and oceanography requirements | |
| GEOL 0870 or GEOL 1701 | or an astronomy class to fill the space requirement | |
| GEOL 1510 or GEOL 1516 | to fill the environmental science requirement. (Or take GEOL 0820 Environmental Science, but this will not count toward the minor.) | |
| Be sure you have at least 9 total GEOL elective credits. | ||
| Please note that the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education Earth and Space program requires a total of 38 credits of GEOL classes, plus additional prerequisites including two classes in chemistry with labs, an introduction to physics with lab, and the first semester of calculus. Other schools of education may have different requirements. Be sure to consult the requirements of your favorite schools of education to ensure you meet their full prerequisites! If you are an environmental science or environmental studies major, again recall that only 8 GEOL credits can overlap between your major and minor. | ||
| Example 4: Civil Engineering. At least 9 credits of the following: | ||
| GEOL 1020 | Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (4) [Fall, Jones] | |
| GEOL 1050 | Surface Water Hydrology (4) [Fall, Spring | |
| GEOL 1051 | Groundwater Geology (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1060 or GEOL 1062 | Geomorphology (4) [Fall, Spring] | |
| GEOL 1100 | Structural Geology (4) [Spring, McQuarrie] | |
| GEOL 1410 | Exploration Geophysics (3) [Spring of even-numbered years, Harbert] | |