Geology Degree Requirements
Courses of Instruction

Overview

Available on the Master of Science degree.

Prerequisites:
B.A. or B.S. degree from an acceptable college or university with an academic record meeting the standards of the University.

Students who have majored in an area other than geology may be admitted if undergraduate deficiencies can be removed within a reasonable time. An applicant's academic record should demonstrate a knowledge both of the other sciences necessary to the field of concentration and of mathematics through differential and integral calculus. If these areas are deficient, the student may be counseled to take non-credit background courses.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a total of at least 30 approved hours including at least 12 in geology (of which 3 must be in GEOL 60710) and 6 in thesis; approved electives or 9-hour minor in a related graduate field may be substituted for geology courses.

Courses of Instruction

GEOL 50233 Optical Mineralogy and Petrography. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Analysis of the behavior of light in crystalline substances, complete treatment of crystal optics and the identification of non-opaque, rock-forming minerals using immersion media and thin section techniques. Intensive use of the microscope required.

GEOL 50251 Scanning Electron Microscopy. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Use of the S.E.M. in geological applications.

GEOL 50331 Basic Seismics. Prerequisites: GEOL 30243. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to techniques of gathering, processing and interpreting seismic data.

GEOL 50341 Interpreting Seismic Data. Prerequisite: GEOL 30243. Three hours of laboratory per week for five weeks. A practicum in interpreting seismic data. Prerequisites: GEOL 50331 or equivalent.

GEOL 50351 Seismic Stratigraphy. Prerequisites: GEOL 50331 or equivalent. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the principles of seismic stratigraphy and their application in oil and gas exploration.

GEOL 50361 Basic Well Log Interpretation. Prerequisite: GEOL 30243. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the use of borehole geophysical logs in formation evaluation, correlation and subsurface facies analysis.

GEOL 50413 Global Tectonics and Basin Analysis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Explores the relationship between plate motion and the evolution of sedimentary basins.

GEOL 50423 Petroleum Geology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Origin, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons, exploration and production techniques used in the petroleum industry.

GEOL 50493 Physical Hydrology. Prerequisite GEOL 10113 and permission of instructor. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. A study of the occurrence, movement, and exploitation of water in the hydrologic cycle including surface-atmosphere, groundwater, and surface water processes.

GEOL 50543 Sedimentary Environments and Facies. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Facies analysis and facies models applied to the problem of interpreting stratigraphic sequences and reconstructing paleogeography.

GEOL 50593 Hydrological Modelling.

GEOL 50593 Hydrologic Modeling. Prerequisites: GEOL 50493, or permission of instructor. Elements of surface and ground water modeling with applications. Topics covered include: modeling procedures, selection of appropriate model, and presentation of results. Class consists of 2 hours lecture, and 2 hours lands-on computer modeling laboratory.

GEOL 50602 Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements. Two laboratory periods per week. The methodology of environmental impact statement preparation from initial collection of data to final report drafting is covered. The course is problem-oriented; students are taught to take the initiative in EIS preparation. (Offered as BIOL or GEOL credit.)

GEOL 50603 Introduction to Geochemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 10114-10124 or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Application of basic chemical principles to understanding the origin, distribution and migration of chemical elements in the earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.

GEOL 50613 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prerequisite: GEOL 50233, or permission of instructor. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Petrogenesis of igneous and metamorphic rocks based on field, petrographic, chemical and isotopic data. Inferences on the evolution and dynamics of the crust and mantle. Involves use of microscope.

GEOL 50623 Volcanology. Prerequisite: GEOL 50233, or permission of instructor. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Types and processes of volcanic eruptions; characteristics of modern volcanic products; recognition and significance of ancient volcanic deposits in the stratigraphic record. Involves use of microscope. Field trip required.

GEOL 50712 Environmental Geology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Geologic processes, earth resources and engineering properties of crustal materials in the activities of society.

GEOL 50723 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. Basic introduction to GIS by use of ESRI-ArcGIS. Elements of spatial data, mapping, data representation, and geodatabases. Training in use of a GIS system to infer relationships among spatial features.

GEOL 50731 Remote Sensing Technology. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the technology used in remote sensing, including MSS, TM and SPOT, thermal scanners and radar imaging.

GEOL 50741 Image Processing. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to processing techniques used to enhance the display of remote sensing images with emphasis on those techniques useful in resource mapping.

GEOL 50751 Image Interpretation. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. Geologic and resource mapping and environmental monitoring using satellite images.

GEOL 50773 Introduction to Environmental Law. Three hours lecture per week. Introduction to and analysis of selected federal statutes regulating environmental degradation and environmental clean-up, including the National Environmental Policy Act and regulation of air quality, water quality, wastes, hazardous and toxic substances and enforcement. (Offered as BIOL or GEOL credit.)

GEOL 50783 Environmental Chemistry. Prerequisites: CHEM 10114-10124 or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Chemistry of water, soil, energy, and air as related to environmental problems. Subjects include: nutrients and eutrophication, fluorocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, Eh-pH relationships, natural carbonate reactions, and cation exchange phenomena. Cross listed with CHEM 40783.

GEOL 50863 Spatial Analysis. Prerequisites: GEOL 50721, 50762, MATH 10043 or equivalent. Application of spatial methods to interpolate surfaces from point measurement, obtaining new spatial attributes on continuous fields, and the ability to defend hypothesis based on spatial information. This course provides analytical capabilities beyond GEOL 50762.

GEOL 50883 Introduction to Environmental Engineering Technology. Introduction to fundamentals of pollution control technology; impact of federal and state legislation on the construction, modification and control of industrial plants. Other topics include hazardous pollutants, modification to ambient quality, and basic pollution modeling. (Offered as BIOL or GEOL credit.)

GEOL 50901 Computer Applications in Geology. Prerequisites: COSC 10403 or equivalent and permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. The use of microcomputers in Geology.

GEOL 50912 Statistical Applications for Microcomputers. Prerequisite: GEOL 50901. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Statistical treatment of directional data and the use of multivariate and special regression techniques, analysis of variance, discriminate function analysis and factor analysis in solving geologic problems.

GEOL 50922 Mapping Applications for Microcomputers. Prerequisite: GEOL 50901. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Selecting and using mapping and drafting software.

GEOL 60213 Environmental Analysis. Two hours of lecture and one laboratory period per week. Techniques of analysis using X-ray, atomic absorption, differential thermal, infrared absorption, chromatography and liquid scintillation.

GEOL 60393 Soils in the Environment. Two hours lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. This course covers the formation, distribution, and classification of soils: major soil properties; field evaluation of soils; the use of soil survey information; and soil hydrology. The emphasis is on the study of soils as products of biophysical processes, and on soil properties of interest to geoscientists and natural resource managers.

GEOL 60413 Advanced Map Interpretation. Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Three hours lecture per week. Techniques used in the analysis of geological structures.

GEOL 60493 Hydrology. Prerequisite: GEOL 50493 or permission from instructor. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Principles of groundwater flow, aquifer analysis, chemical and physical properties of groundwater. Modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport.

GEOL 60513 Carbonate Petrology. Two hours lecture and one laboratory period per week. An examination of the chemical sedimentary rocks: limestones, dolomites, evaporites, chert, ironstones and phosphates, including their classification, genesis and diagenesis. The course has a large component of microscope study and fieldwork.

GEOL 60523 Sandstone Petrology. Two hours lecture and one laboratory period per week. Study of provenance, diagenesis and classification of sandstone using the petrographic microscope; consideration of the relationship between tectonics and sedimentation, especially sandstone composition.

GEOL 60710 Geology Seminar. Formal presentation and discussion of controversial topics with emphasis on geologic principles involved. For seniors with permission of instructor and graduate students.

GEOL 70003 Environmental Internship. Students must spend at least 135 hours in approved practical work experience with an organization or company approved by the TCU MBA/MA Program. Open only to MBA/MA students. (Offered as BIOL or GEOL credit.)

GEOL 70771 Non-Thesis. Selected when enrolling only for non-thesis examination or preparation for the examination.

GEOL 70970 Special Problems. Field or laboratory problems for graduate students in various aspects of geology. Fifty clock hours of laboratory, field or library work for each semester hour of credit.

GEOL 70980 Thesis. A minimum of 3 hours of GEOL 70980 Thesis is required.

GEOL 70990 Thesis. Prerequisite: GEOL 70980 and admission to candidacy. A minimum of 3 hours of GEOL 70990 Thesis is required.

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