Undergraduate
Why study Geosciences?
U of A Geosciences students and faculty are involved in everything from predicting earthquakes to finding and extracting minerals from mines to monitoring coral reefs. We even have a project on Mars! We work outside, in laboratories, and on computers.
Geologists study the Earth. We look at the Earth’s origins and how it has changed, and continues to change, over time. We study all of the Earth’s components, from its core to the highest mountains and from its thousands of different minerals to its interaction with the rest of our solar system. We encourage our undergraduates to participate in research, and our students and faculty work closely with many other exciting departments, such as Planetary Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, and Physics.
The University of Arizona Geosciences Department provides a top-ranked program with an exciting field-based environment for students. All Major options require students to participate in a Summer Field Camp that provides hands-on experience, or to complete research alongside one of our world-renowned faculty members. Tucson's proximity to four mountain ranges and an exceptionally diverse desert allow us to study the Earth by driving minutes in any direction. Tucson is also less than a day's drive away from the Gulf of California, the Grand Canyon, and White Sands National Monument!
In the Undergraduate Geosciences program, you will have the opportunity to explore, discover, and train in the integrative and interdisciplinary field of Earth science. Our program focuses on tectonics, geophysics, climate & surface dynamics, earth materials & geochemistry. Our graduates pursue careers in research and education, energy and mineral resources, environmental policy, and many other areas. Please visit additional Undergraduate sections of our website to learn more about the field, as well as various opportunities available to current University of Arizona students.
As an incoming Undergraduate Geosciences student, you will:
- have strong support from our faculty, instructors and academic advisors
- get hands-on experience in the classroom
- gain mathematical and scientific research skills early on, that will be necessary to continue into more rigorous Geosciences classes during your Undergraduate career
