Courses

The following links provide the requirements to obtain a geology major, a geology major with an environmental geology focus or a geology minor. After clicking one of these links, you can view more information about a class by clicking the title of a course, which will show a brief description of that class. The Major & Minor Checklists tab shows this same information but in a format more conducive to printing.

You can obtain more specific information about class (when and where a class is being taught, who the professor is, etc.) by visiting the William & Mary Courselist and searching through the geology courses.

What to Expect

What type of readings are involved in first-and-second-year courses? (e.g. articles, textbook) How much reading should a student expect to do per week?

Students should expect to cover (and hopefully read) 1 to 2 chapters in the textbooks per week, some faculty ask students to read research articles as well

What sorts of assignments should a student expect in first-and-second-year courses? (e.g. quizzes, group projects, presentations)

Students should expect quizzes and group projects depending on the exact class. Presentations are typically not important in large intro classes.

Beyond the required course texts, are there other course materials a student should be prepared to purchase for first-and-second-year courses?

No, textbooks are it. Other materials are provided by the faculty in a digital format.

Is there anything else that is important for first-and-second-year students to know and/or expect from their courses?

Some of our classes ask students to explore William & Mary’s campus to answer questions for homework or problem sets.