Geology

Geoscientists provide a unique perspective on using science and mathematics to solve common problems affecting society, locally, regionally and on a global scale. There are far fewer geologists and environmental geoscientists than biologists, chemists, accountants or engineers. Given the relatively low number of qualified graduates, the balance within the job market is anticipated to remain good. Geology majors conduct real-world research using space-age technology to solve age-old problems, gaining practical experience that is important to businesses, government agencies and graduate schools.

Careers

Career opportunities are remarkably diverse. While some geoscientists spend most of their time conducting field work, others may spend considerable time in the lab or in an office. And many have the opportunity to do both. Some examples of jobs our majors have entered immediately after graduation include:

Environmental site assessment, General Engineering Laboratories, Charleston
Geologist, Environmental Resource Management, Charleston
Geologist, Joyce Engineering, Richmond, Va.
Staff geologist, Advent Environmental Inc., Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Sonar scientist, NOAA Research Vessel
GIS specialist, NOAA Coastal Services Center

An advanced degree in geology or a related field provides you with greater employment and advancement opportunities and helps you command a larger starting salary.

Graduate Programs

Recent alumni of our program are pursuing or have completed graduate programs in:

Geophysics (University of Alaska)
Geology and geochronology (University of Florida)
Space studies (University of North Dakota)
Earth science (Boston University)
Architecture (University of Miami)
Geography (University of South Carolina)
Civil engineering (University of Minnesota)
Urban studies and planning; geology (Portland State University)
Geology (University of California at Santa Cruz)
Geology (The Pennsylvania State University)
Geophysics (University of Nevada-Reno)
Environmental science and engineering (Colorado School of Mines)
Remote sensing (University of Maryland)
Environmental sciences-hydrogeology (University of Virginia)
Geology (University of Montana)

Active Learning Opportunities

Project Oceanica – Transects Program. Participants spend five days at sea aboard a 92-foot research vessel employing a wide range of oceanographic equipment to sample the sea floor sands, the sea and the organisms that live in it. Students have used their experience in the Transects Program as the basis for research projects, such as:

An analysis of microfossil assemblages across the continental shelf off the coast of Charleston, S.C.
Discovery of an ancient river channel on the middle continental shelf off Charleston, S.C.

On-site research in the Charleston area. Diverse and interesting sites near Charleston provide inspiration for student/faculty research projects, such as:

Nutrient cycling in a South Carolina tidal salt marsh (Dixie Plantation).
Greenhouse gas emissions from soils in Southeastern U.S. Forests (Francis Marion National Forest).
The study of Charleston’s earthquake hazards (examining the Earthquake of 1886 to prepare better for the future).
Coastal erosion and development (nearby barrier island resources).

Research farther afield. Either through on-site field work or the use of GIS and remote-sensing technology, students also work with faculty on research projects in distant locations, such as:

The Florida coral banks (studying the distribution of benthic foraminifera)
Theban necropolis near Luxor, Egypt (digital elevation modeling)
Offshore and onshore Gulf of Mexico (constructing subsurface maps using 3-D seismic and well log data)
Nicaragua (mapping potential hazards for volcanoes).

Research presentations. Our students frequently present the results of their research at meetings and conferences of professional organizations such as the national and regional conferences of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the Association of Engineering Geologists, and the Ninth International Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands (about 150 wetland scientists and students representing 10 countries attended this symposium; College of Charleston geology students were the only undergraduates present)!

Student employment. Qualified students may serve as teaching assistants in both introductory and advanced level courses or as research assistants for faculty.

Geology Club is a student organization that provides a forum for invited speakers, plans field trips, sponsors social activities and sports teams, and organizes other activities.

Learning Resources

Students have access to the following:
Paleontology lab with an extensive fossil collection
Remote sensing – image processing laboratory
GIS laboratory and training facility
Sediments and cores analytical laboratory
Water chemistry and hydrogeology lab
Seismology and tectonics lab
Geological engineering and testing lab.

Some of the of the research and instructional equipment available to students includes:

Portable seismic seismometer system
3-D LASER scanner
State-of-the-art field and survey equipment
Magnetometer
Petrographic and binocular microscopes
Aquatic chemical analytical instrumentation
Visible-near infrared spectroradiometer

The department also maintains a well-equipped rock and thin section preparation laboratory as well as an extensive rock and mineral collection. The state-of-the-art Santee Cooper GIS Laboratory is a training facility with networked computer workstations and an overhead computer projection system. Workshops and classes in GIS and remote sensing are held throughout the year.

The department houses NASA’s South Carolina Space Grant Consortium and the South Carolina Earthquake Education Center.

“The department is full of the most inspiring and motivating people that I have ever met. They have shown me the way to do what I love and how to be the person that I want to be as a scientist working within geology.”

Chris Stubbs ’07