Department of
Earth
Sciences
The department, headed by Dr.
Steve
Custer,
has a full-time faculty of 15 earth scientists, geologists and
geographers. We have about 50 active graduate students in our Master of
Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Sciences programs. Our PhD
program was added in Fall 2004. There are 200+ undergraduate majors in
the department, divided between geography, geology, geohydrology,
gis/planning, snow
science and paleontology. Although classes at the freshman/introductory
level are typically large, courses in the major from the sophomore
level up typically range from 10 to 40 students. Graduate level courses
usually enroll 6-20 students.
By virtue of our outstanding
location in
the scenic and rugged mountains of southwest Montana, Earth Science
students have many opportunities to participate in field trips that
will facilitate the study of earth processes, earth resources, earth
history, and environments that people have modified. These field trips
are an integral part of many courses, as well as extracurricular
activities sponsored by the department. Field work is a very important
component of our instructional programs at both the undergraduate and
graduate levels.
Because of the research
conducted by faculty in the
department, an undergraduate student may have the opportunity to work
on active research projects. In particular, we offer the opportunity to
do a "Senior Thesis" to our top students in each senior class. The
senior thesis enables a student to work on an actual research project
under the supervision of a faculty member, write a research report (a
mini-thesis), and present the results at a professional conference.
This is excellent preparation for graduate school and/or the workplace.
Our Master's theses frequently
involve field testing of
state-of-the-art hypotheses proposed elsewhere, as well as formulation
of the next generation of hypotheses which will shape our disciplines
in the decades to come. Most Master's thesis work in the Department is
published in the peer-reviewed professional literature after
presentation at regional or national professional meetings.
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