Geology

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Geology is the science of the Earth—of its minerals and processes, of its origin and evolution. It is a broad science concerned with a vast range of physical phenomena in both space and time, and it requires a broad scientific background. Trained geologists can address a wide range of concerns, including energy supply, mineral resources, and environmental protection. This major provides a strong background in the processes shaping the Earth. It emphasizes quantitative understanding and a strong foundation in the physical sciences.

Declaring the Major

The department strongly encourages students to see the student services advisor as early as possible. Students are accepted into the major with a C average or better. There are a number of scholarships and research opportunities as well as other benefits available to declared majors.

Honors Program

Students in the honors program must fulfill the following additional requirements: 1) Maintain a GPA of at least 3.3 in all courses in the major and an overall GPA of at least 3.3 in the University; and 2) Carry out an individual research or study project, involving at least three units of EPS H195. The project is chosen in consultation with a departmental adviser, and a written report is judged by the student's research supervisor and a departmental adviser.

Minor Program

For information regarding the requirements, please see the Minor Requirements tab. Program planning and confirmation should be done with the undergraduate major adviser and the geology faculty adviser.

Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Earth and Planetary Science

Atmospheric Science: BA, Minor
Climate Science: Minor
Earth and Planetary Science: Minor
Environmental Earth Science: BA, Minor
Geophysics: BA, Minor
Marine Science: BA, Minor
Planetary Science: BA, Minor

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.

  2. No more than two upper division courses may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's double major and no more one course may be used to fulfill minor program requirements with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.

  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
  4. For more information on AP/IB Exam Scores & A-Level Course Equivalencies for EPS Majors, please see here.

For information regarding residency requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Lower Division Requirements

EPS 50The Planet Earth4
CHEM 1A
& 1AL		General Chemistry
and General Chemistry Laboratory		5
or CHEM 4A General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
MATH 51/1ACalculus I (MATH 51 as of Fall 2025)4
MATH 52/1BCalculus II (MATH 52 as of Fall 2025)4
Choose one of the following physics sequences:
PHYSICS 5A
& PHYSICS 5B
& PHYSICS 5BL
Introductory Mechanics and Relativity
and Introductory Electromagnetism, Waves, and Optics
and Introduction to Experimental Physics I
PHYSICS 7A
& PHYSICS 7B
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
and Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Upper Division Requirements 

EPS 100AMinerals: Their Constitution and Origin4
EPS 100BGenesis and Interpretation of Rocks4
EPS 101Field Geology and Digital Mapping4
EPS 102History and Evolution of Planet Earth4
EPS 118Advanced Field Course (Register in the spring, but the course is during the summer)4
EPS 150Case Studies in Earth Systems2
Electives, select a minimum of 10 units from the following list of suggested courses: 110
CIV ENG 115
Water Chemistry [3]
EPS 108
Geodynamics [4]
EPS 109
Computer Simulations with Jupyter Notebooks [4]
EPS 115
Stratigraphy and Earth History [4]
EPS 116
Structural Geology and Tectonics [3]
EPS 117
Geomorphology [4]
EPS 122
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors [3]
EPS 124
Isotopic Geochemistry [4]
EPS 125
Stable Isotope Geochemistry [4]
EPS 131
Geochemistry [4]
EPS C178
Applied Geophysics [3]
ENE,RES 102
Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems [4]
1

All elective courses used to fulfill the major requirements must be approved by the faculty adviser. This list is intended as a guide; the suggested courses are not limited to only courses included in this list.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.

General Guidelines

  1. All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

  2. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

  3. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.

  4. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.

  5. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.

  6. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

  7. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.

  8. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Lower Division
EPS 50The Planet Earth (or equivalent)4
Upper Division
Select a minimum of five courses from the following:
EPS 100A
Minerals: Their Constitution and Origin [4]
EPS 100B
Genesis and Interpretation of Rocks [4]
EPS 101
Field Geology and Digital Mapping [4]
EPS 102
History and Evolution of Planet Earth [4]
EPS 108
Geodynamics [4]
EPS 109
Computer Simulations with Jupyter Notebooks [4]
EPS 115
Stratigraphy and Earth History [4]
EPS 116
Structural Geology and Tectonics [3]
EPS 117
Geomorphology [4]
EPS 118
Advanced Field Course [4]
EPS 131
Geochemistry [4]
EPS C178
Applied Geophysics [3]

College Requirements

Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages. 

University of California Requirements

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

Berkeley Campus Requirement

American Cultures

All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.

College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The goal of the Geology BA degree is to provide students with a broad and sound education that provides general and specialized knowledge and is intellectually challenging and stimulating. Upon completion of the degree students are ready to enter graduate school at top-ranking institutions (about half of them choose this path), find employment in the profession (geological and environmental engineering and consulting are major opportunities), continue in public education as teachers, or use their background as a sound basis for a new career such as in public policy, law, or medical sciences.

Learning Goals for the Major

Geology majors acquire knowledge through coursework, laboratory training (expertise in experimental techniques), primary field research, library research, and computer applications, with oral presentations and written reports required in many of our classes.

The undergraduate program provides strong technical training for those who wish to pursue professional careers in the earth, environmental and planetary sciences, as well as training in analytical, creative and critical thinking and communication that serves well those who choose paths in new fields.

Geology is a broad science concerned with a vast range of physical phenomena in both space and time, and thus, it requires a broad scientific background. This track affords a strong foundation in the processes that shape the earth; it emphasizes quantitative understanding and a solid understanding of the physical sciences. Courses in the department emphasize expertise in laboratory skills, field observation, oral student presentations and many involve research projects.

The Geology track is versatile: it is an excellent background for graduate work, and it satisfies the minimum academic requirement for registration as a geologist in the State of California. Students learn from both a theoretical and a practical perspective, through field trips, in courses and through a four-week long summer camp. In summer camp students spend the entire time in the field, making observations, mapping, and interpreting a technical report that describes your findings in relation to published literature on the area.

Major Map

Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.

Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:

View the Geology Major Map.

 

Advising

Undergraduate Student Services

Anna Atkinson, Undergraduate Major Advisor

epsua@berkeley.edu

Faculty Advisor

Associate Professor Nicholas Swanson-Hysell

swanson-hysell@berkeley.edu

EPS Undergraduate Appointments

To make an appointment, please visit the EPS Student Services page.

Courses

Contact Information

Department of Earth and Planetary Science

307 McCone Hall

Phone: 510-642-3993

Fax: 510-643-9980

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Professor Mark Richards

mark_richards@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Services

Anna Atkinson

319 McCone Hall

https://eps.berkeley.edu/student-resources/contact-student-services-advisors

epsua@berkeley.edu

Faculty Advisor

Professor Matthew Gleeson

gleesonm@berkeley.edu

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