"Earth and Planetary Sciences" text placed on top of a decorative photo collage of the five main UC Davis EPS research disciplines.

Planning your GEL Major

Your path to a Geology Major

The Geology major at UC Davis begins with preparatory science coursework in math, chemistry, physics, statistics, and of course geology. The required major courses then span foundational geology topics such as mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, earth history, and field work. Students get to take electives to fill out the rest of their major requirements, in areas such as geophysics, planetary science, geochemistry, oceanography, natural hazards, environmental science, and more. Bachelor's of Science students finish their degree with capstone Summer Field courses. 

Geology Major and Minor Courses

Many upper division major and minor classes are offered once per year or once every other year. Check when each GEL major and minor class is offered.

4-year Students | GEL Sample Academic Plans

The following are sample academic plans and goals for four-year Geology B.S. majors. A.B. plans will have fewer classes. This information is provided for your convenience, but should be adjusted to each student's specific needs. These plans are not meant to replace a consultation with a major advisor, who can help you create a personalized academic plan. Classes are subject to change. 

The full structure series (101/L-103-110A) is offered in the 2023-2024 year, or the 2025-2026 year, etc. Take these classes junior year if you’ve completed the physics prerequisites by then. The full petrology series (60-105-109/L-110B) is offered in the 2024-2025 year, or 2026-2027, etc. Take these classes junior year if you’ve completed the chemistry prerequisites by then. Split up taking the structure and petrology series to keep a balanced schedule.

Freshman Year 

Fall
Winter
Spring
Entry-Level Writing (if needed) (0-6)MAT 017B or 019B or 021B (3-4)MAT 017C or 019C or 021C (3-4)
Preparatory Math or MAT 017A or 019A or 021A (0-4)CHE 002B (5)CHE 002C (instead of GEL 55) (5)
Preparatory Chemistry or CHE 002A (3-5)General Education (3+)GEL 050 (3)
First-Year Seminar (optional) (1-2)
Total: 12+ units
GEL 050L (2)
Total: 12-15 units
 
Total: 12+ units
  • Freshman Year Goals

  • Welcome to college! This year is all about getting used to campus and all the support you have available. There are a lot of resources, so be sure to find what works for you. Dedicate some time to yourself to think about what you value and what you want to accomplish during your time at UC Davis. Here are some things to think about exploring during your first year:

    Academic Goals
    • Take 1-2 preparatory science classes each quarter, and fill in your schedule with General Education classes
    • Take fun classes to explore your major (GEL 50 & 50L or lower division Geology classes)
    • Enroll in a Freshman Seminar
    • Attend office hours
    • Attend study skills and time management workshops
    • Figure out the right workload for you so you can create successful schedules
    • Complete your first-year mandatory advising requirement with the College of Letters & Sciences
    Career Goals
    • Visit the Career Center to learn about career preparation workshops, Handshake, and career counseling services
    Extracurricular Goals

Sophomore Year

Fall
Winter
Spring
MAT 022A – unless doing 017 or 021 series (0-3)PHY 007A or 009A (4-5)PHY 007B or 009B (4-5)
MAT 22AL – if taking 22A (0-1)GEL 053 or 003 (3)STA 013 or 032 or 100 (4)
Lower Division College English (4)General Education (3+)General Education (3+)
General Education (3+)
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
  
  • Sophomore Year Goals

  • It takes everyone a different amount of time to get used to how college works, but once you feel like you’ve learned some of the resources and support systems that exist, it’s time to start pursuing some of those and getting more involved. Consider some of these things this year:

    Academic Goals
    • Finish math and chemistry and start physics, while continuing with General Education classes
    • Complete your second-year mandatory advising requirement with your major advisor 
    • See My Degree for a GE check
    • See your major advisor to create a four-year academic plan
    • Explore what undergraduate research is like by talking to your advisors, professors, and the Undergraduate Research Center (URC)
    • Learn about gaining a global education through the Global Learning Hub and their Study Abroad programs, the UC Davis Washington Program, or UC Center Sacramento
    Career Goals
    • Attend Career Center workshops on how to write a resume, how to interview, and how to find internships and jobs
    • Create a resume
    • Visit your major advisor or faculty advisors to find out more about getting an internship
    • Attend a meeting of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG)
    • Talk to your major advisor and faculty advisors about graduate school
      Are you interested in teaching? Consider taking a CalTeach/Math and Science Teaching (CalTeach/MAST) course
    • Visit Health Professions Advising (HPA)
    Extracurricular Goals
    • Continue your involvement on campus by participating in clubs and student organizations
    • Find a summer experience that will help you explore your interests and begin to gain transferable skills

Junior Year

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
PHY 007C or 009C (instead of GEL 056) (4-5)GEL 105 (4)GEL 108 (3)GEL 110B (4)
GEL 060 (4)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)GEL 109 (3)Units for financial aid (2+)
UWP 101/102/104/UDCE (0-4)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)GEL 109L (2)
Total: 4+ units
General Education (3+)General Education (3+)General Education (3+) 
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
 
  • Junior Year Goals

  • By your third year, you’ll want to work on creating your unique path at UC Davis. This is the time to get more involved in the opportunities you think will best support your long-term goals. Use these academic and co-curricular experiences to clarify some of your values, and help shape the person you want to be when you graduate:

    Academic Goals
    • Transition into taking Upper Division coursework for your major. Check which geology major classes are offered this year: either the petrology series or the structure series. 
    • Get to know your professors
    • Think about if a minor is right for you. See the advisor for that minor to fit it into your academic plan.
    • Approach faculty members about research opportunities
    • Learn what a Senior Thesis is like. If you want to pursue one, set that up with a faculty member this year.
    Career Goals
    • Meet with a career advisor to explore your interests and skills
    • Update your resume with each new experience
    • Create a LinkedIn account and use it to network
    • Complete an internship
    • Attend the AIPG meeting on how to become a Professional Geologist (January)
    • Research graduate or professional schools and prepare to apply, with help from your advisors, professors, and Pre-Graduate Advising
    Extracurricular Goals
    • Take on a leadership role in a class, project, or club
    • Volunteer for campus or community service
    • Work at a part-time job to build transferable skills and a professional network

Senior Year 

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
GEL 107 (3)GEL 101 (3)GEL 103 (4)GEL 110A (4)
GEL 107L (2)GEL 101L (2)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Units for financial aid (2+)
Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)General Education (3+)
Total: 4+ units
Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Upper Division units (4)Upper Division units (0-8) 
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
 
Total graduation units: 180 (64 upper division)
  • Senior Year Goals

  • All the opportunities you’ve created for yourself over the past few years have shaped you into the person you are today. Continue to develop skills, recognize your strengths, and set long-term goals for yourself with some of these resources during your senior year:

    Academic Goals
    • Take discipline-specific courses like GIS, classes recommended for the Professional Geologist license, and classes to help you get into graduate school. Also consider practical courses outside of your major like writing, communication, computer programming, personal finance, etc
    • Complete your fourth-year mandatory advising requirement with your major advisor 
    • Check My Degree and plan for any remaining degree requirements with your academic advisors
    • Complete a senior thesis
    • Consider presenting your research at the Undergraduate Research Conference in Spring
    • Register for Graduation and Commencement
    Career Goals
    • Attend a Career Fair
    • Attend academic conferences
    • Use your AIPG contacts to network
    • Apply to jobs for after graduation
    • Research and apply to graduate or professional schools
    Extracurricular Goals
    • Prepare for the transition from your undergraduate career to graduate school or the professional world

Updated December 2024

2-year Transfer Students | GEL Sample Academic Plans

The following are sample academic plans for 2-year transfer Geology B.S. majors. A.B. plans will have fewer classes. They assume you've completed the preparatory coursework. This information is provided for your convenience, but should be adjusted to each student's specific needs. These plans are not meant to replace a consultation with a major advisor, who can help you create a personalized academic plan. Classes are subject to change. 

The full structure series (101/L-103-110A) is offered in the 2023-2024 year, or the 2025-2026 year, etc. Take these classes junior year if you’ve completed the physics prerequisites by then. The full petrology series (60-105-109/L-110B) is offered in the 2024-2025 year, or 2026-2027, etc. Take these classes junior year if you’ve completed the chemistry prerequisites by then. Split up taking the structure and petrology series to keep a balanced schedule.

Junior Year

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
GEL 060 (4)GEL 105 (4)GEL 108 (3)GEL 110B (4)
Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)GEL 109 (3)Units for financial aid (2+)
UWP 101/102/104/UDCE (0-4)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)GEL 109L (2)
Total: 4+ units
Total: 12-15 units
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
 
  • Junior Year Goals

  • Welcome to UC Davis as a transfer student! Your path through the major involves jumping right in and taking advantage of opportunities right away. Here are some sample goals for transitioning effectively to UC Davis and then getting even more involved throughout the year:

    Academic Goals
    • Finish any remaining preparatory (lower division) science coursework
    • Visit the College of Letters and Science advising in Winter quarter to check in on your IGETC or General Education
    • See your major advisor to create a four-year academic plan
    • Transition into taking Upper Division coursework for your major. Check which geology major classes are offered this year: either the petrology series or the structure series.
    • Attend office hours and get to know your professors
    • Attend study skills and time management workshops
    • Explore what undergraduate research is like by talking to your advisors, professors, and the Undergraduate Research Center (URC). Approach faculty members about research opportunities
    • Learn what a Senior Thesis is like. If you want to pursue one, set that up with a faculty member this year.
    • Learn about gaining a global education through the Global Learning Hub and their Study Abroad programs, the UC Davis Washington Program, or UC Center Sacramento
    Career Goals
    • Visit the Career Center to learn about career preparation workshops, Handshake, and career advising
    • Create a resume
    • Visit your major advisor or faculty advisors to find out more about getting an internship
    • Create a LinkedIn account and use it to network
    • Attend a meeting of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), especially the meeting on how to become a Professional Geologist (January)
    • Research graduate or professional schools and prepare to apply, with help from your advisors, professors, and Pre-Graduate Advising
    • Are you interested in teaching? Consider taking a CalTeach/Math and Science Teaching (CalTeach/MAST) course
    • Visit Health Professions Advising (HPA)
    Extracurricular Goals

Senior Year

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
GEL 107 (3)GEL 101 (3)GEL 103 (4)GEL 110A (4)
GEL 107L (2)GEL 101L (2)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Units for financial aid (2+)
Upper Division units (4)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)Upper Div GEL Elective (3)
Total: 4+ units
Total: 12+ units
Upper Division units (4)Upper Division units (0-4) 
 
Total: 12+ units
Total: 12+ units
 
Total graduation units: 180 (64 upper division)
  • Senior Year Goals

  • All the opportunities you’ve created for yourself over the past few years have shaped you into the person you are today. Continue to develop skills, recognize your strengths, and set long-term goals for yourself with some of these resources during your senior year:

    Academic Goals
    • Take discipline-specific courses like GIS, classes recommended for the Professional Geologist license, and classes to help you get into graduate school. Also consider practical courses outside of your major like writing, communication, computer programming, personal finance, etc
    • Complete your fourth-year mandatory advising requirement with your major advisor
    • Check My Degree and plan for any remaining degree requirements with your academic advisors
    • Think about if a minor is right for you. See the advisor for that minor to fit it into your academic plan.
    • Complete a senior thesis
    • Consider presenting your research at the Undergraduate Research Conference in Spring
    • Register for Graduation and Commencement
    Career Goals
    • Attend Career Center workshops on how to write a resume, how to interview, and how to find internships and jobs
    • Update your resume with each new experience
    • Complete an internship
    • Attend a Career Fair
    • Attend academic conferences
    • Use your AIPG contacts to network
    • Apply to jobs for after graduation
    • Research and apply to graduate or professional schools
    Extracurricular Goals
    • Take on a leadership role in a class, project, or club
    • Volunteer for campus or community service
    • Work at a part-time job to build transferable skills and a professional network
    • Prepare for the transition from your undergraduate career to graduate school or the professional world

Updated December 2024

Summer Field

  • Visit the classes page for details about Summer Field classes

Additional Coursework

  • Mapping courses to careers
  • Read about recommended coursework that aligns with different career paths within the geosciences at eps.ucdavis.edu/sustainability.
  • Other courses to consider
  • ABT 060—Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems for Agriculture & Environmental Science (4 units)
    ABT 182—Environmental Analysis Using GIS (4 units) 
    ECI 016—Spatial Data Analysis (2 units) Teaches CAD and GIS. No prerequisites. Offered in Spring.
    ECS 032A—Introduction to Programming (4 units) Designed for non-majors. Introduction to programming and problem solving in Python. Usually offered F, W, Sp.
    ECS 032B—Introduction to Data Structures (4 units) Designed for non-majors. Design and analysis of data structures using Python; trees, heaps, searching, sorting, and graphs. Usually offered F, W, Sp.
    ECS 032C—Implementation of Data Structures in C (4 units) Designed for non-majors. Programming in the C language. Use of basic UNIX tools. Writing good programs of increased complexity and efficiency. Implementation of data structures in C. Offered Fall.
    ECS 034—Good for students who want more programming experience. Uses C/C++ and UNIX. 
    ECS 036 series—Only open to CS majors. 
    ENG 006—Engineering Problem Solving (4 units) – appropriate for non-engineering majors. A good introduction to programming and MATLAB.
    PHY 040—Introduction to Physics Computation (3 units). Assumes no prior knowledge of programming. Introduction to programming using C++ with examples from computational physics. Introduction to modern tools used for scientific analysis, including Scientific computing with Python and either SymPy or Mathematica. Offered each Fall. 
    PHY 045—Computational Physics (4 units). Algorithms and programming techniques of computational physics with applications from introductory physics (PHY 9 series). Taught in C++; algorithms; no OOP. Offered each Winter.
    STS 101—Data & Society (4 units) GE credit: QL, SS. Learn to analyze and visualize data about some of today's most challenging social problems. Add data analysis to your portfolio of skills.
    STS 115—Adventures in Data Science (4 units) GE credit: OL. Learn data science, including R. Consider taking it's next class, STS 195 where you work on real data science projects, and then even get involved in an internship. 
    TAE 020—Sustainable Energy Technologies (4 units).
  • General Education courses to consider
  • GE Chart for Geology majors

    CRD 149 — Community Development Perspectives on Environmental Justice (4 units) - includes a global learning focus!
    ESP 174—Environmental Justice Policy & Practice (4 units) GE credit: SS, DD, WE
    ESP/ARE 175—Natural Resource Economics (4 units) GE credit: SS
    HIS/STS 002—Introduction to the History of Science & Technology (4 units) GE credit: AH, SS, SL, WC, WE
    HIS 108—Global Environmental History (4 units) GE credit: AH, SS
    HIS 157—Business, Biomes & Knowledge: Latin American Environmental History (4 units) GE credit: SS, WC, WE
    HIS 178—Water in the West: Environment & Politics in America's Arid Lands (4 units) GE credit: AH, ACGH, WE
    HYD 150—Water Law (3 units) GE credit: ACGH, SS.
    NAS 161—California Indian Environmental Policy I (4 units) GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS, WE. No prerequisites. Offered Spring of odd-numbered years.
    NAS 162—California Indian Environmental Policy II (4 units) GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS, WE. No prerequisites.
    PHI 030 — Introduction to Philosophy of Science (4 units) GE credit: AH, SE, SL, WE
    PLS 021—Application of Computers in Technology (3 units). Teaches Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other useful technologies.
    POL 012B—Climate Change & Politics (4 units) GE credit: SS, WE
    POL 107 — Environmental Politics & Administration (4 units) GE credit: SS, ACGH, QL, WE
    POL 171 — The Politics of Energy (4 units)
    SAS 009 — Crisis in the Environment (3 units)
    SAS 010 — Water, Power, Society (3 units)
    SAS 018—GIS & Society (3 units) GE credit: QL, SE, SL, SS, VL
    SAS 025 — Global Climate Change: Convergence of Biological, Geophysical, & Social Sciences (4 units)
    SAS 042 — Earth, Water, Science, Song (3 units)
    SOC 160 — Sociology of the Environment (4 units)
    STS 001—Introduction to Science, Technology & Medicine Studies (4 units) GE credit: SS, WE. Learn how society and science affect each other
    STS 011—Science on Trial: Law, Science, & Technology in the United States (4 units) GE credit: ACGH, SS. An introduction to law and science in America.
    UWP 049 — Writing Research Papers (4 units)
    UWP 104E—Writing in the Professions: Science (4 units)
    UWP 111C—Specialized Topics in Journalism: Science Journalism (4 units)