Geosciences
Student Organizations/Clubs:
Geosciences Club; Sigma Gamma Epsilon.
Career Possibilities:
Students in the Geosciences Department select between two concentrations: environmental geosciences or earth science, depending on their career goals.
The environmental geosciences concentration will prepare students for employment in private sector and various governmental agencies. Students completing this concentration will also have appropriate course work to be eligible for the certification exam as a professional geologist and/or professional hydrogeologist in Wisconsin. The expertise in hydrogeology and contaminant fate and transport afforded by this concentration can lead to employment as an environmental geoscientist in a variety of governmental and private organizations. Students interested in taking certification exams as professional soil scientists in Wisconsin may choose electives in soil science. Graduates with this background may work with governmental and private agencies in such applied fields as water resource management, soil conservation, and land-use planning.
The earth science concentration is extraordinarily flexible, as 15 credits of support courses are built into the major. These courses will be selected by the students and their advisors in order to develop a focal point related to their geosciences curriculum. The 15 credits are part of the major; therefore, a student electing to complete a minor cannot use these credits for that minor. Typical uses for the support courses include preparation for teacher licensure, law school, M.B.A. or M.P.A. programs.
Department Overview
The department’s primary activities center around providing UW-Parkside students with a high-quality major program that will enable them to satisfy their specialized employment objectives. Toward this end, the Geosciences Department provides a core curriculum plus concentrations in environmental geosciences and earth science. Students electing the first concentration may choose to fulfill curricular requirements preparatory to professional certification by the state of Wisconsin as a geologist, hydrogeologist, or soil scientist. The earth science concentration provides a broad and flexible foundation for students with wide- ranging interests in the sciences, education, and the liberal arts. Furthermore, upper-level courses are intensively hands-on, enabling students to generate and analyze real-time data while gaining experience with innovative methods and instrumentation used by environmental professionals. The department has installed and maintains a network of ground water monitoring wells on campus and at other university properties in the community. These sites will serve students as hands-on learning sites, through which they can provide environmental quality assessment data that will assist surrounding communities in recognizing and interpreting long-term effects of land use changes.
It is the purpose of the Geosciences Department to become a key resource for environmental earth-system science at UW-Parkside, and in Kenosha and Racine counties. To this end, the department fosters faculty, student, and staff involvement and investment in local and regional environmental issues. Geosciences faculty are also taking leadership roles in the establishment of the Root River Environmental Education Community Center (REC) in Racine, and the Center for Environmental Education and Research (CEDAR) in Kenosha.
The Geosciences Department encourages and supports research and publication by students in cooperation with faculty. The department also supports a program of student research projects on local environmental problems as part of the introductory and advanced courses. The department encourages and aids advanced students to attend professional society meetings at national, regional, and local levels. Departmental faculty members are actively engaged in research and continue to seek and obtain research support from appropriate federal, state, University of Wisconsin System, and campus sources.
Preparation for Graduate School
The environmental geosciences curriculum provides a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences that prepares students for graduate work in the natural and environmental sciences. The earth science concentration— with an appropriate support course plan—is good preparation for advanced degree programs in law, public administration, education, and library science. The Geosciences Department has established an articulation agreement with the School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee for a 3+2 program to earn a B.S. from UW-Parkside and an M.S. or M.A. from School of Freshwater Sciences, UW-Milwaukee.
Program Level Outcomes
- To prepare students for professional certification and employment in areas of environmental and earth sciences. The program satisfies requirements for Wisconsin Professional Geologist and Professional Hydrogeologist.
- To promote scientific literacy on the campus and in the community, particularly with respect to principles and issues involving environmental awareness, quality, and protection.
- To contribute fundamental scientific research that enhances environmental quality and quality-of-life for members of the regional, state, local and campus communities.
- Contribute to the diversity of the university community by working toward the goals of Plan 2017-2020.