Geology & Environmental Sciences Major & Minor

The major offers three tracks: the geology track – preparing students for careers in the petroleum or mining industries as well as other traditional career paths in geology; the environmental track – preparing students for careers in the environmental sciences, including hydrology, oceanography and meteorology; and the education track – preparing students for certification to teach earth science.

 

Graduates pursue careers as:

Geoscientists
Hydrologists
High School Teachers
Environmental Scientists & Specialists
Geographers
Atmospheric Scientists

Putting geology & environmental sciences to work

Hartwick alumni at work.

Hartwick geology and environmental science majors have gone on to careers in a wide variety of fields, working for national and international organizations:

  • Stork Technical Services
  • Specialized Environmental Monitoring
  • Weston Solutions
  • The Museum of Science – Boston
  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.
  • Moody and Associates

Alumni in graduate school.

Many of our graduates go on to study at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions:

  • Harvard University
  • Cornell University
  • University of California at Berkeley
  • South Dakota School of Mines
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • University of Arizona
  • Notre Dame University

Beyond the basic.

Oneonta is close to several important geological provinces: the Catskill Mountains, the southern and northern Appalachians, and the Adirondacks. The department takes full advantage of its location and runs day and weekend (and longer) field trips to all of these mountain ranges. Hartwick’s Geology and Environmental Sciences Department also offers off-campus study and fieldwork opportunities across the country.

A closer look.

Majors conduct a wide range of exciting research; recent projects have analyzed soils and lava flows in Hawaii, determined the pressure and depth for the intrusion of granite bodies in the Northwest Adirondacks, examined fossil reef structures in the Bahamas, and so much more. Most students have the opportunity to visit their field study areas first hand and collect their own research data.

Faculty

Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad

Associate Professor of Geology & Coordinator of Environment, Sustainability & Society
607-431-4734

David Griffing

Professor of Geology and Department Chair
607-431-4629

THREE-YEAR BACHELOR’S DEGREE PROGRAM

Ready to move faster? Get the full Hartwick geology & environmental sciences experience in three-quarters the time at three-quarters the cost.

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