Geosciences | Web site

Department Chair, David Watkins
214 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340 | (402) 472-2663 | dwatkins1@unl.edu

Undergraduate Geology Adviser, Tracy Frank
214 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340 | (402) 472-9799 | tfrank2@unl.edu

Undergraduate Meteorology/Climatology Adviser, Merlin P. Lawson
306 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340 | (402) 472-2418 or 472-9296 | mlawson1@unl.edu

Graduate Adviser, Richard Kettler
321 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340 | (402) 472-2663 | rkettler1@unl.edu

Geology
Geology offers a broad range of study, encompassing a blend of the physical and biological sciences but adding the fourth dimension of geologic time. The major in geology offers a field- and laboratory-oriented program of study and strives to expose students to the full spectrum of geological experiences. Research projects carry faculty and students around the world to remote localities in Antarctica, South America, Canada, Europe, Africa, and all of the world's oceans.

The geology major can be completed with either a B.S. or a B.A. degree. In addition, both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered. Introductory courses include Physical Geology, which focuses on Earth's structure, composition, and the physical processes that shape the Earth, and Historical Geology, which treats the evolution of Earth and life from their origins to the present. Higher level courses emphasize mineralogy, geochemistry, rock origins, paleobiology, and Earth structure, all of which prepare the student for a six-week summer field course. A minor in geology would broaden any major in the allied sciences, or would offer a broad-based science education for the nonscience major. (Geology undergraduate major information)

Meteorology/Climatology
The Meteorology/Climatology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is administered through the Department of Geosciences. The B.S. degree program in Meteorology/Climatology exceeds the minimum curriculum jointly recommended by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and also meets the course work requirements for National Weather Service (NWS) employment.

The major in Meteorology/Climatology is designed to help you develop an understanding of the atmosphere and the processes and phenomena that result in various types of weather, the spatial and temporal patterns of weather, and the variability of climate. Part of completing the Meteorology/Climatology degree is developing a strong background in mathematics and physics; many majors in meteorology also complete a minor in math and/or physics, but this is not required. (Meteorology undergraduate major information)

Graduate Programs
The Department of Geosciences offers the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in most sub-disciplines of geosciences, but with particular emphasis on hydrogeology/environmental geology, micropaleontology/vertebrate paleontology, quaternary geology/geomorphology, sedimentology/stratigraphy, structural geology/petrology, and meteorology/climatology. Excellent facilities exist for analytical geochemistry, luminescence dating, and electron/optical microscopy and cooperative work with the State Geological Survey and State Museum, and University Research Centers in Water and Materials Science is possible.