I’m currently a high school senior and I definitely want to attend a liberal arts college however I would like some insight into what LACs have the best geology programs. If you could provide any information regarding some of the schools I have already visited that would be helpful…Colgate, Bucknell, Amherst, Williams. Thanks
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Have you heard of the [Keck Geology Consortium](http://www.keckgeology.org)?
Also look into the University of Tulsa, Allegheny College, University of Puget Sound, New Mexico Tech, South Dakota School of Mines, MUST, Harvey Mudd, and the University of Minnesota Morris (can’t really remember though)
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I am not sure geology is a major at Mudd. Carleton had a strong geology major. Colorado College is another school to take a look at.
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Ah yea intparent, I just remember looking at a geophysics course once offered by HMC and being quite impressed. Probably only offered by Pomona.
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Yes, Pomona has a geology major.
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This is not an LAC, but I want to share it so you know the types of programs that are out there – it is University of Montana’s International Field Geosciences program completed in multiple countries:
http://www.hs.umt.edu/geosciences/ifg/
You should compare your options based on what experiences they offer. Geology is very much a field-based major, where you can learn so much from your outdoor experiences. Compare the outdoor offerings of the colleges you are considering. Also, there can be different focuses within the major, and if you have a preference – such as a petroleum focus, e.g. – then you will want to be sure the college you choose offers your favorite courses, and has suitable facilities and equipment to teach the courses and support related research. Plus some colleges require research and hold your hand while conducting it, while other colleges do not, meaning they also don’t guarantee research opportunities.
In other words, the best program will be the one that offers you the choices you’d really love to have in terms of what outdoor learning experiences are readily available (where they are and how long they last – three weeks or a semester or year), courses and focus options, and research opportunities and requirements.
Make your own list of what you’d love to have in a program, and start comparing the choices. Your long-term goals for what to do with the major should also be a consideration. Do you want to teach, work for a large corporation, the government, a nonprofit, or what? Do you have an area of the country that you’d definitely want to continue living in, or avoid? Identifying what is most important to you will help lead you to the geology programs that are best for you.
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Lafayette College might be an option as well.
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May I suggest you think about expanding your college options to Universities?
At the beginning of his SR year DS was also sure he wanted to go to a LAC, but changed his mind after doing more research and ended up at a large U for various reasons. [ He was accepted at Pomona and Carleton]
He is now finishing his PhD in Geophysics at Caltech
Universities with good Geology programs offer a much wider range of geology classes than LAC’s because they have more Profs to teach them. That is one of the reasons DS chose a U instead of a LAC. There will be more opportunities to do research at U’s as well. Also, adding a minor in Physics or engineering to your Geology Major will greatly expand your employment options in the future.
“Relatively” smaller U’s with top Geology programs include Caltech, U of Chicago, Wash U, Columbia.
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Joan17,
You have visited these 4 colleges and presumably have met with faculty from their geology departments. And you
have access to their websites and current students.
So what in particular are you interested in knowing that you won’t learn from the primary sources represented by the people and institutions themselves? And what do you mean by “best”? Best for you or for some anonymous third party poster?
Good luck with your efforts!
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A good liberal arts college geosciences department will offer over forty courses, at least 25 more than you will be likely to take, so LACs are excellent places for study in this field.
From your list:
Williams: One of the country’s oldest departments. Has a dedicated geosciences building. Near the center of several Paleozoic orogenies.
Colgate: Geoscience is one their stronger departments. Local rocks are stratified Paleozoics. Precambrian and glacial features can be found in the nearby Adirondacks.
A few other schools to consider:
Hamilton: Their geosciences department has produced a Nobel Prize winner (shared, in Peace, for work in climate change). Offers field study in Iceland. Paleozoic, Precambrian, glacial and hydrologic features are all nearby.
Colorado College: Lack of natural vegetation makes geologic formations and structures easier to recognize. Block Plan allows for extended field trips.
Bryn Mawr: Generally strong in the sciences.
Carleton: Has a tendency to produce future PhDs.
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Carleton. Very strong Geology program for years, and as LAC as it gets.
Good luck!
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Look at the colleges that are members of the Keck Geology Consortium:
http://www.keckgeology.org/
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Thank you for the input everyone! I will look into some of the bigger universities although I do think I will end up at LAC
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My D felt that a LAC was the best place for her from the start, and she was right – so IMO if you feel that the smaller classes and more intimate atmosphere of a LAC is best for you, I’d stick to that. It is always a good idea to look at a larger school or two so you know what the options are, but I’m confident that there are a number of excellent LACs that can meet your academic needs. You can also consider some LACs that are in a consortium with larger universities.
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The NSF compiles data on the number of alumni-earned PhDs in Earth Sciences.
https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/webcaspar/
Carleton, Colorado College, and other LACs in the Keck Consortium generate comparatively high numbers.
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My best friend at Williams was a geo major and he raves about the department, fwiw.
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As was mentioned upstream, Colorado College has a fantastic geology department. The block plan lends itself well to studying geology because 7-10 day field trips are not only possible but the norm at CC. The entire west/southwest is your classroom. Colorado College has an incredible geology department!
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In addition to the Keck schools that have been mentioned several times, I’d add the following:
Allegheny
Bates
Bowdoin (particularly for marine science and/or Arctic studies)
Colby
Cornell (along with Colorado College, unique for its academic schedule)
Denison
Dickinson
Earlham
Furman
Haverford
Juniata
Lawrence
Middlebury
Occidental (particularly for marine/environmental geology)
Ohio Wesleyan
Sewanee
Skidmore
St. Lawrence
Susquehanna
UPS
Vassar
They vary quite a bit in academic strength, but that covers most of the decent programs.
Good points. Also note that geology is relatively unpopular at most schools since few high schools teach it properly and there is still no AP Geology class (for reasons that escape me). As a result, geology classes are typically far smaller than in subjects like biology or psychology. Despite attending a university with about 6500 undergraduates, for example, none of my geology classes had more than 15 students. Since faculty outnumbered undergraduate majors, there was no shortage of research opportunities, and most summer internships went unclaimed. In fact, this level of personal attention was a major reason I switched majors from biology to geology.
Socially, however, a university (even a smaller one) will be very different from a LAC.
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“Despite attending a university with about 6500 undergraduates, none of my geology classes had more than 15 students, and faculty outnumbered undergraduate majors.”
Exactly! DS had only 1 large geology class in his 4 years at USC, and it was an intro class taught by one of the most popular profs at the school [ and taking it fulfilled one of 8 required areas for graduation]
OP- My DS was treated like GOLD in part because Freshman who come in as declared Geology majors are rare- most Geology grads switch into Geology. So be SURE to let colleges KNOW of your interest is in Geology on your application!!!.
It could help open doors to you that other wise might not open. Geology profs want students to teach!
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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and Colorado School of Mines may be of interest. All three are small engineering and mining oriented schools with large geology departments, so if the desire for a LAC is based on small school size, they may match well to your desires. The South Dakota and New Mexico ones are low cost as well, even for out-of-state students.
On the other hand, if you want to be around a lot of other students studying humanities and social studies majors, they may not be the best choices from that standpoint.
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